The NPO Competence Centre is conducting a study to demonstrate the social impact of cultural events using the example of a film festival. The impacts of the Vienna International Children's Film Festival are to be analysed as the object of study and practical partner.

Not least because of its great attractiveness and broad use across all population groups, the medium of film plays a central role in responding to socio-political challenges such as democracy building, inclusion, social cohesion and cultural participation. Film festivals in particular offer great potential to promote current social transformation processes through curated programmes, outreach work and extensive supporting programmes.

However, their social impact has hardly been studied so far. This approach therefore represents an innovation in the cultural sector: Whereas in the social and health sectors, the focus on impact has been an issue for a long time, in the cultural sector, attention has so far been paid mainly to performance indicators (e.g. number of events or number of visitors); a stronger focus on impact is still in its infancy here.

A special feature of a children's film festival or cultural events for children is the intergenerational moment. Not only children, but also parents, grandparents and adults in other roles can be found there; they are thus places of generational encounters. The different age groups differ not only in their perspectives but also in their perception.

The impact analysis of the Vienna Children's Film Festival is intended to explore the question of what social impacts an artistic field has on different recipients and other groups. The concept of aesthetic education will play a role as well as other cultural, social and economic effects. Methodologically, the first step will be to build an impact model that includes impacts in the dimensions of the concept of the impact box. The next step is to use qualitative surveys to find out the extent to which presumed impacts have occurred or could occur. The results have the potential to help film festivals of all kinds and their (funding) partners to show what added value they generate for society.