Supporting National Film Bodies
usheru’s Strategic Insights for Global Cultural Impact
For over a decade, usheru has been serving partners in the film industry with tools and solutions to get audiences connected to their films. From this experience, we have gathered and distilled these 5 tips as the key steps we recommend national and regional film promotional bodies take to ensure digital effectiveness.
Here we will dig in to usheru’s key recommendations for national film bodies looking to strengthen global positioning, deepen industry relationships, and grow long-term audience engagement.
By collaborating closely with national film bodies from German Films to Screen Ireland, Screen Australia, the BFI, the Swedish Film Institute, and the Netherlands Film Fund and more — usheru has gained deep insight into how digital infrastructure, actionable data, and strategic innovation can amplify the international reach and cultural resonance of a nation’s screen output.
Throughout our journey, we’ve come to understand that national film organizations often serve three distinct stakeholder groups:
- Government, funders, and cultural institutions – to demonstrate impact and public value
- The screen industry – including producers, distributors, and international partners seeking co-productions or locations
- Audiences and global fans – whilst the first two groups are typically well understood by national film bodies, it is increasingly common for our partners to engage more directly with local and global audiences who seek to discover, celebrate, and support the films of that country.
Supporting all three groups effectively requires a coordinated digital strategy.
1. Embrace Your Data
Use global distribution data to demonstrate your international impact. Clear reporting on the reach and performance of your national titles helps prove public value to government stakeholders and cultural ministries and well as economic benefits for industry partners.
- Think outside of the box (office). Theatrical showtimes, VOD availability, and streaming engagement data provide powerful insights into a film’s global footprint and potential cultural reach. Understanding which territories are resonating with your films (and which are not) – and where further support could unlock new audiences.
Experiment with new tech. Using AI tools or advanced marketing platforms can help national film bodies learn firsthand how innovation is shaping distribution. Those insights, in turn, allow you to better support your local industry with hands-on, relevant knowledge.
2. Build a Central Digital Hub for Global Discovery
A fragmented digital presence dilutes impact. A centralized, searchable digital hub showcasing your film catalogue, talent, and services can serve as a gateway for:
- International co-production partners
- Incoming productions scouting locations
- Global audiences seeking access to national content
- Digital infrastructure builds long-term visibility and brand equity for your national cinema. Even niche indie films can build international fandoms when surfaced through smart design, marketing, and data-informed outreach.
3. Grow Your Audience with Engaging Content
By capturing first-party data (for example email addresses) via your own website, film bodies can create direct, permission-based relationships with global film fans.
- Newsletters, Fan Competitions or Online Communities: this gives film bodies a direct line to their audience and enables segmented audiences by region, genre, or demographic
- Data-driven segmentation of your communications for targeted and cost-effective marketing
- Data informed support for local distributors – Importantly, this audience data improves your ability to support distribution and sales globally
It also moves your promotional work from short-term campaign bursts to sustained audience development, supporting your mission of cultural growth.
4. Support the Industry Through Innovation
- Experiment with new formats – quizzes, games, AR and VR technologies, immersive previews, or digital events – to increase campaign impact and test scalable ideas.
- Ensure you’re addressing your audience: When done with audience value in mind, these innovations don’t just generate buzz; they become repeatable playbooks you can share with your national industry.
Innovation builds resilience. Whether shifting to online platforms during cinema closures or adapting to social media trends, film bodies that embrace experimentation stay relevant and equipped to lead.
5. Maintain Your Digital Presence with Care
A technically oriented but valuable tip from usheru’s team is to get the fundamentals of your website right. Your website is your global front door.
Our insights show the essential nature of these steps for web visibility:
- SEO best practices (relevant keywords, optimised videos and images, and plenty of unique content)
- Continually adding fresh content (still shots, teaser videos, etc.) to enrich the site – the uniqueness and volume of content can boost organic discovery
- Speed and performance (fast load times, mobile optimisation)
These are not minor details: they determine how discoverable and accessible your content is to fans, media, and international partners.
Final Thought: From Cultural Promotion to Global Legacy
National film bodies have a unique responsibility: not only to promote films, but to steward culture, support industry growth, and connect audiences to identity. The opportunity lies in using digital tools to serve all three core stakeholder groups:
- Demonstrate value to funders and governments
- Attract collaboration and investment to your industry
- Grow and nurture a loyal global audience for your films
By embracing innovation, leveraging actionable data, and building direct connections with audiences, national film organizations can drive long-term visibility, sustainability, and success for their country’s cinema — not just for today, but for generations to come.
