This inaugural edition of the State of European Film Platform presents key findings from the first year of the EU-funded Horizon project CRESCINE. Designed to ensure transparent and accessible information for industry professionals, policymakers, and other key stakeholders along the film value chain, this publication consolidates critical data and insights essential for the future competitiveness of the film and media sectors in Europe’s small markets. The analysis is centered on seven European countries – Belgium, Estonia, Denmark, Lithuania, Croatia, Ireland, and Portugal – and examines a range of interrelated topics illuminating both the challenges and opportunities these markets, and the broader European film industry, face. Themes include the role of film festivals in creating distribution and circulation opportunities for titles originating from small markets and the perceptions of local audiences toward domestically produced films. This comparative approach underpins an original proposal for understanding the various developmental models available to these markets, emphasizing exports as a viable growth driver for the European film industry. The report also explores conditions that either hinder or incentivize competitiveness, addressing issues such as the need for reskilling and upskilling professionals and promoting an entrepreneurial mindset among industry stakeholders— always with sustainability as a central consideration. The future remains inherently uncertain; however, the report asserts that the quality and impact of future decisions depend on the robustness of the available information and the capacity to critically evaluate and act upon it. The European State of Film Report & Platform is committed to enhancing decision-making processes throughout the European film industry and bridging the gap between academic research and industry practice.