Serbian screenwriter and director Emir Kusturica believes that the declining interest in arthouse films is mainly due to the difficulties in their distribution.
“Arthouse films are dying – this is true, but it is not obvious, because arthouse films exist; we see some of them every year. If these films are distributed only to a select audience, then they will no longer exist“, noted the father of "Arizona Dream".
He added that the question of how to distribute a good film without strong commercial potential remains open.
Kusturica drew a parallel with his own experience, noting that such films have stayed in theaters longer. “The distribution of arthouse films was possible 30 years ago. When I made “Black Cat, White Cat“, it was shown for three months on the Champs-Élysées. Now that is impossible: a good film lasts seven or eight days, and on the ninth it is gone. These are new living conditions, new determinants“, added Kusturica.