Industry Insights – The EFM Podcast is presented by the European Film Market of the Berlinale. This podcast episode was made in collaboration with PUBLIKUM.

In a new collaborative series with PUBLIKUM titled "The Claim" the podcast brings together leading industry voices to debate findings from AI-driven audience research. Hosted by Niels Alberg and Rikke Flodin from PUBLIKUM, each session recorded live during the EFM challenges experts to reconcile data-driven insights with creative intuition.

In this episode, the hosts and guests explore the claim that "the young audience wishes we would remember the bright side of life," sparking a deep dive into coming-of-age storytelling, social and emotional realism, and the gap between what filmmakers imagine young people need and what young audiences themselves want. The discussion examines whether a focus on difficult challenges comes at the cost of fun, celebration, and optimism, offering unique insights into how festivals, funds, and producers working in children's and youth cinema are currently thinking about this balance.

Anne Schultka is the project manager at KIDS Regio. Melika Gothe is the section manager of Berlinale Generation. Fabian Driehorst is an animation producer and co-founder of Fabian & Fred. Niels Alberg is the Co-founder and Partner at PUBLIKUM. Rikke Flodin is a Partner at PUBLIKUM and an expert in audience research.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market is the first international film market of the year, where the film industry starts its business. Industry Insights - The EFM Podcast puts a spotlight on highly topical and trendsetting industry issues, thereby creating a compass for the forthcoming film year. The year-round podcast is co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA.