The discussion is presented in partnership with the Association française des Cinémas Art et Essai (AFCAE), and the International Confederation of Art Cinemas ( CICAE). The discussion will focus on the issues and challenges (such as new media and cultural practices, digital cinema rollout, alternative content, the shortening of release windows), and potential closure if the cinemas are unable to make the digital switchover, discussing European film exhibition in its various forms and in a comparative perspective.

The panel will be moderated by Laurent Creton, director of the Institute for Research in Film and Audiovisual Media - IRCAV, Paris-Sorbonne Nouvelle III University. The panelists are Greta Akcijonaite, Kino Pasaka, Vilnius, Lithuania ; Michail Bakolas, cinéma Le Parc, Charleroi, Belgium ; Tibor Bíró, CINE-MIS, Miskolc, Hungary; Patrick Brouiller, France, President, AFCAE; Mark Gosgrove, Watershed Media Centre, Bristol, UK; Hrvoje Laurenta, Kino Europa, Zagreb, Croatia; Detlef Rossmann, Oldenburg, Germany, President, CICAE.