As cinema seats empty, festivals keep the culture alive

Cinema has survived more than 130 years of technological change, from the arrival of sound and color to digital effects and streaming platforms. Yet one familiar image is under pressure: the dark theater, the white screen and the audience sinking into its seats.

The sharpest warning comes from Turkey. Cinema attendance dropped from 57 million in 2019 to 27.6 million in 2025, falling by half in six years. The Netherlands also lost viewers, but more gradually, from 38 million to 28 million. Despite having roughly one-fifth of Turkey’s population, the Netherlands now stands almost level with Turkey in cinema attendance.

Production figures show a similarly striking contrast. Turkey released 159 domestic films in 2025 and had 2,161 cinemas with 253,364 seats. The Netherlands had more than 1,200 cinemas, including 79 arthouse venues. Its 18 million residents also had access to more than 150 film festivals during the year, a concentration that reflects the depth of the country’s film culture.

Four major festivals receive state support: the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, IDFA Amsterdam and Cinekid. The wider circuit includes festivals devoted to LGBTQ+ cinema, human rights, silent film, dance, nature, science, Northern European cinema, Eastern European cinema and short films. The Red Tulip Film Festival, entering its 11th year, connects the Netherlands and Turkey and has expanded from Turkish films to productions from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

The Dutch market is increasingly shifting from big-budget commercial releases toward arthouse films. Audiences may go to the cinema more selectively, but arthouse attendance rose 12% in 2025 to 3.9 million, its highest level in a decade. The numbers do not suggest that cinema is dying. They suggest that its audience and habits are changing.