Why collect data on feature films? To gather information on the world’s most lucrative cultural industry and one of the most popular cultural practices -- movie-watching. Demand for data has never been greater as digital technology transforms the ways in which films are produced, distributed and consumed by audiences in theatres and homes.
What is the role of the UIS?
Our goal is to provide internationally comparable and reliable data that reflect a selection of major cultural industries and practices. In particular, the UIS has developed a biennial survey on feature film statistics to monitor global trends in selected areas of this industry. This is the only international survey of its kind to include countries in all regions and at all stages of development. It uses comparable definitions to collect data on a range of issues, including: the top ten films viewed per country; linguistic diversity in film production; admissions; national versus international co-productions per country; and distribution mechanisms.