I Daniel Blake

Cannes' award prestige

Hesmondhalgh

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Without the assistance of a major conglomerate to distribute the film I, Daniel Blake had to use a well-worn set of strategies deployed by independent filmmakers to create and sustain interest for the film's release across independent cinema outlets. 

Instrumental to this process is the use of film festivals to garner publicity on a global and national sale. Awards also generate cultural capital for the core ABC1 demographic who consume independent cinema. 

Without the success of I, Daniel Blake at the Cannes Film Festival it is hard to imagine that the film would have gained the scope of distribution that the product finally enjoyed. Indeed, film festival success is a key tactic used by independent production companies to help them achieve longer windows of release in independent chains, while the positive press reviews accompanying Cannes Festival success for IDB enabled it to secure national distribution across the UK’s major cinema chains.

Cultural capital

A term coined by the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu that refers to the behaviours or knowledge or cultural assets that allow individuals to belong to a specific social class. Foreign language films for instance generate cultural capital in that they are perceived to be something that only refined or educated audiences watch. By definition watching such films helps their readers to become accepted within middle class social circles.

Media terminology used

Independent company

A small scale production company. Independents often produce media that is alternatively styled when compared to more mainstream content.

Brand visibility

Those processes that make audiences aware of a product's existence. Also describes the level of awareness that audiences have of a marketed product.