The audience survey at the 51st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia seeks a better understanding of the Festival public: its needs, preferences and ways of taking part in film culture. We want to capture how expectations of the programme and the event’s organisation are changing, and how the Festival shapes everyday life in the city and the region.
The research is expanding year on year: this year’s outlook builds on previous editions (2018–2025), whilst for the period 2026–2025, an additional strand is being developed relating to the concept of ‘city users’ – that is, the ways in which different user groups (residents, commuters, users of public spaces, as well as other key stakeholders) make use of the city.
For years the PFF has run a large-sample face-to-face survey
(usually some 984–1216 respondents) in public spaces linked
to the Festival. The findings have already informed changes in
the programme, audience communication, organisation, the
booking system, environmental measures and marketing, and
have supported debate on the economic and social value of
investing in the Festival and provide evidence of the tangible economic and social benefits for the region. The project will make use of a survey technique carried out in public spaces associated with festivals.
The study is conducted by a team from the Faculty of Human Geography
and Planning at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and the Film Art Organisation Department of the Łódź Film School. It is supported by the Polish Film Institute and carried out by the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.