December 1, 2015: the 19th. Europa Cinemas Network Conference concluded on Sunday in Prague. Nearly 500 delegates from Europe and beyond attended, and participating speakers included Lucia Recalde Langarica (Head of the MEDIA Unit, European Commission); directors Cristian Mungiu, Bohdan Slama and Laurent Cantet; Mirsad Puritrava (Director of Sarajevo Film Festival); Christian Bräuer (CEO Yorck Kino Gruppe, Germany); Ivo Andrle (Distributor/Exhibitor, Kino Aero, Czech Republic); Nina Pece (Exhibitor, Kinodvor, Slovenia), Clare Binns (Director of Programming and Acquisitions, Picturehouse Cinemas UK), Susan Wendt (Head of Sales, Trustnordisk, Denmark); Brian Newman (Sub-Genre, USA) and Russell Collins (Michigan Theatres and Founder and Head of Arthouse Convergence USA).
The Europa Cinemas Awards were presented at the magnificent Kino Lucerna as follows:
- ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: Mirsad Purivatra, Kino Meeting Point,
- BEST PROGRAMMING : Filmhuis Den Haag, The Hague, Netherlands [add link
- BEST YOUNG AUDIENCE ACTIVITIES: Cine Paradisos, Korydallos, Greece [add
The conference debated the role of the cinema in a changing environment and showcased dynamic methods of communication to build new audiences and renew existing relationships with the public. The idea of the cinema as a key audience facing brand for films across platforms and the development of cinema going as a brand in itself was explored – a unique place to see film, a commitment to quality content, a trusted curatorial voice, and a place to encourage a sense of local community, both on and offline. The consensus was that there is no demand for the diversity of films if the demand isn’t there. With the right investment in place, cinemas can play a key role in driving audience development for diverse films but also clearly go beyond just being a platform for creating demand.
The cinema is not just a commercial space; it’s somewhere where things happen - education, cultural diversity, and people interacting. Given the world we find ourselves in, cinemas as spaces and the diversity of film have a vital social & cultural function.
Questions raised in the conference included whether cinemas could be more accessible and open to audience participation in developing audiences. Several innovative approaches were presented from dynamic membership schemes to crowd-funding campaigns to help achieve this. Potential relationships for cinema with new platforms were assessed, and cinemas that have practical experiences of online platforms shared these as opportunities to extend their offer rather than as challenges.
The need for investment in new cinema spaces and ongoing development of existing ones was also highlighted; most poignantly in Cristian Mungiu’s opening statement about the situation in Romania which has become even worse for art house and independent cinema operators, following last week’s law which shut down several cinemas in Bucharest, due to safety concerns over public spaces.
"In previous Europa Cinemas conferences we were preoccupied by the digital transition and implications for members. Now with all Europa Cinemas members digitised we have put the vital role of the cinema at the heart of the discussion and looked at a broad and fantastic selection of ideas and innovations from cinemas across Europe to engage audiences in the diversity of European film culture." commented President of Europa Cinemas, Nico Simon
For more information, see: Europa Cinemas Conference Blog: https://europacinemasblogcom.wordpress.com
For a snapshot of social media interaction around the conference: https://storify.com/europacinemas/19th-europa-cinemas-network-conference
Download the Europa Cinemas Network review: https://t.co/5BNXq5ZT2I
AGREEMENT BETWEEN EUROPA CINEMAS AND THE INSTITUT FRANCAIS
In addition, Europa Cinemas and the Institut français signed an agreement in Prague aiming at professionalizing the 40 digitalized cinemas within the French cultural network in the world, in order to better support French and European cinema worldwide. This agreement will be implemented through common resources to measure and analyse the cinemas results, as well as shared trainings in order to improve the skills of the Institut staff. It was signed at Kino 35, the latest cinema from the Institut français cinemas to join the Europa Cinemas network.
The “Institut français” is a common brand, embracing both the Paris institution and the 96 instituts français abroad, in charge of France’s cultural diplomacy, under the auspices of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For more information: http://www.institutfrancais.com/fr/numerisation-des-salles-de-cinema-du-reseau-culturel-francais
Further Information: Charles McDonald This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , +44 7785 246 377, www.europa-cinemas.org , + 33 (0) 1 42 71 53 70 // This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
