1. Introduction: European Film and Television Co-production

This chapter provides an overview of the field of European film and television co-production and outlines the themes and methodological approaches employed within the volume European Film and Television Co-production: Policy and Practice. It describes the policy-driven European co-production model, focusing both on its historical evolution (emergence of official co-productions and proliferation of co-production treaties), and explores current developments triggered by recent tax incentives, non-official and TV co-productions, as well as digital media platforms. Furthermore, the chapter points to major methodological and theoretical gaps in the existing scholarship. To address those gaps, the chapter proposes a research methodology that would allow scholars to move closer to policy makers and practitioners, ensuring more cross-sectoral dialogue in researching co-productions.