AUTHOR=Sarikakis Katharine , Chatziefraimidou Angeliki , Haslauer Simon , Ramadani Gentiana , Yeroshkina Mariia 
  
TITLE=“I feel like I slip through the cracks”: governance gaps and the precarity of young filmmakers in Europe
  
JOURNAL=European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy
  
VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/european-journal-of-cultural-management-and-policy/articles/10.3389/ejcmp.2026.16374
  
DOI=10.3389/ejcmp.2026.16374
  
ISSN=2663-5771
  
ABSTRACT=Although the precarious conditions of the creative industries are generally well explored, there is a lack of systematic studies on the ways in which governance gaps exacerbate the realities of young workers attempting to enter the film industry. Through in-depth interviews with 27 young filmmakers across Europe, this study argues that the industry’s current governance framework which is characterised by bureaucratic funding schemes, rigid eligibility criteria, and a reliance on informal networks, actively undermines the entry of skilled individuals from diverse backgrounds. Our findings reveal that young filmmakers do not merely face economic instability, but that they systematically ‘slip through the cracks’ of existing support structures. Participants report that European and national funding mechanisms are often inaccessible to non-academic, low-income and intersectional identities, thereby effectively reinforcing exclusion rather than fostering diversity. This study highlights a critical disjuncture between policy intentions and lived realities: while EU initiatives aim to support emerging talent and diversity, the governance of these resources favours established players and large-scale productions, leaving newcomers to rely on personal financial capital and unpaid labour. Consequently, the lack of meritocracy is not only a cultural matter but also a structural failure of governance, where the distribution of grants and opportunities reproduces existing inequalities regarding gender, class and socioeconomic background. The paper concludes that without targeted governance reforms to simplify access and address intersectional barriers, the European film industry risks further narrowing the demographic range of professionals able to break through, ultimately limiting the diverse worldviews represented in its output.