Organized as part of the Invest in Małopolska project, the conference was financed from the Małopolska Regional Operation Program (www.malopolskie.pl) for 2007-2013.

The network (www.frk.org.pl ) is the first project of its kind, co-financed by the EU and focused on the digitization of small, local cinemas. The effort has already received a 3.8 million PLN grant from the Małopolska Regional Operation Program based on EU funds for promotion of the region but more help is being sought from the European Parliament. So far 10 regional cinemas have been digitized and two more, in Tuchow and Chrzanow, will join them by year-end.

"Małopolska is the first Polish region that used EU funds to introduce these modern technologies to the cinemas," said Róza Thun, a Polish deputy and the co-organizer of the conference. She said Brussels should see it not just as an attractive place for tourism but as a place "with an enormous intellectual and innovation potential."