After a provocative first day at the conference, delegates flooded in to the beautiful Kino Lucerna to celebrate excellence in exhibition.

Best Programming – Filmhuis, Den Haag (The Hague, The Netherlands) 

Filmhuis screens films from over 60 countries, with a focus on European cinema and holds as many as 140 premieres each year. The programming is also focused on broadening film education and talent development; Filmhuis offers a space for young filmmakers to show their work, and the programme team run a film curation project where students can work with experienced staff.

Best Young Audience Activities – Cine Paradisos (Korydallos, Greece)

As Day 1 of the network conference highlighted, engaging with young audiences and furthering film education is imperative if European cinemas are to thrive in the coming years and in perpetuity. The award for Best Young Audience Activities, then, is key in showcasing not only the great work that Cine Paradisos is doing, but also as an example of excellence in this key area.

Cine Paradisos has created “a cultural meeting point” that focuses programming on young audiences and socially sensitive groups. They have also expanded the ethos of their cinema to include outdoor and pop up spaces as well as hands on workshops in filmmaking and animation for children.

Responding to social needs and strengthening community engagement, Cine Paradisos has also introduced the Culture Solidarity Action where customers can pay for their cinema tickets through food and clothing instead of money. These items are then given to citizens in need, affected by the economic crisis in Greece. In strengthening young engagement in these ways, Cine Paradisos is not only furthering cinema engagement but also promoting strong social conscience.

Best Entrepreneur – Mirsad Privata: Obala Meeting Point (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

The Kino Meeting Point opened in 1996, after the four-year long siege of Sarajevo ended. Taking the a space that was empty after warfare and turning it into a state-of-the-art cinema, Mirsad Purivatra has re-inserted culture, social cohesion and hope into the local community and city of Sarajevo.

Taking part in European-wide participatory film festival events in correlation with the programmes at IFFR and CPH Dox, the Kino Meeting Point is furthering film culture and engagement with European cinema. Constantly looking forward, Purivatra is also expanding their reach through VoD platforms and schools engagement.

Photos courtesy of Eva Kořínková.

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