Danielle Raaphorst: “We have to adapt our strategy and cater to each target audience”

Incredible Film is a Dutch production company and worldwide sales agent that sells Dutch movie rights for international film distribution. In 2024, the company is celebrating its 15 anniversary, and its founder, Danielle Raaphorst, spoke exclusively with Señal News about the industry's changes in the past 15 years.

How would you describe Incredible Film's path and how the industry has changed in the past 15 years?
"I took on my role as a sales agent with Incredible Film in 2009. Before this, I worked at a Dutch distribution company, where I was responsible for local film acquisitions and was involved as a producer on these films. For the last 14 years, I have managed the international sales of an extensive range of Dutch films. This has largely been for family feature films, which began with the popular 'Sniff The Dog' movie series. This series was unique within Dutch family content and the rest of our library due to its high production value, quality scripts, and fantastic shooting locations. Family content is still a key focus within the catalog I represent, which reaches various markets and audiences worldwide. We have also invested in English dubs for many of these titles, which has extended our market to English-speaking territories. Of course, the industry and the demand for content have evolved over the years within distribution and the sales process itself. When we first began attending trade markets, our suitcases were full of DVD screeners and flyers. But digitalization has advanced across every industry area, so traveling has become much lighter! We still sell most of our new content to traditional distributors, but our wider catalog (with more than 100 titles) is increasingly popular with VOD and FAST platforms. Our presence in these markets has also changed with time. We have always focused on EFM, Cannes, and MIPTV markets. However, as our client roster expands, Incredible Film attends even more industry events, including ATF in Singapore and Kidscreen in San Diego."

What are your main challenges as a worldwide sales agent?
"A challenge for me is finding the right content that meets the market demands. Viewing habits and content trends are always evolving, especially in this digital age, so Incredible Film must continue to be immersed and alert to viewership patterns and shifting market demands. We have to be prepared to adapt our strategy and cater to each target audience. With this in mind, a key part of our strategy is finding content with global appeal and understanding local preferences. My job as a sales agent is to identify content that can transcend regional boundaries and reach audiences around the globe. At challenging times, it remains a priority for Incredible Film to meet the demands of international markets and find content that resonates and engages with global audiences in an ever-changing industry."

What are your main goals for Kidscreen 2024?
"We look forward to showcasing brand new feature films and series, which span live action and animation, for various age groups. We have some exciting cross-genre content, including the fantasy adventure film 'Game On,' which centers around the gaming world and features incredible visual effects. On the animation side, we are delighted to share the first two films from the Tummy Tom collection, which caters to preschool audiences. Another goal for this market will be to showcase our wider content catalog to more VOD and FAST channels. We look forward to introducing a vast selection of cross-genre library content to new VOD and FAST buyers."

What are the highlights of the catalog you will launch in San Diego?
"We're excited to be kicking off 2024, our 15th anniversary year, with the fantasy adventure film 'Game On.' With incredible visual effects by artist Angelo White, this film is fascinating for us as it's the first film on Incredible Film's slate that incorporates AI and gaming themes, making for this engaging new adventure film. Our selection also includes 'Miss Vomit and The Magical Ring,' which was released in cinemas last December and has achieved more than 170,000 admissions. The completed live-action preschool series 'Saïd & Anna' will also be part of our selection this year. We secured the first distribution deals with Swedish public broadcaster SVT and Norway's NRK. Furthermore, the series will be featured in the Prix Jeunesse International 2023/2024 festival catalog, 'Quality in Children's TV Worldwide.'”

By Romina Rodriguez