Wednesday, March 20 2024

This afternoon was the opening of yet another Europa Cinemas Sofia Lab at the charming G8 Cultural Center. The Lab opened its doors with a warm welcome from Mira Staleva, Deputy Director of the Sofia International Film Festival, and Peter Todorov, Executive Director of the National Film Center Bulgaria.

Following the introductions, participants had the pleasure of meeting the Lab leaders: Tom de Bont and Ola Starmach, as well as the Europa Cinemas Team: Bianca Popistas, Alexandre Tchernookov, Nadia Wolf, and social media coordinator Züleyha Azman from Kino Rotterdam. In an informal setting, each of them shared three things about themselves, including one lie. Which resulted in a few laughs and set the tone for an engaging and productive Lab experience for the following days.

After that it was time for the participants to get out of the receiving modus and get active, as Ola and Tom gave the participants the task to rise from their chairs and form a circle in order of height. Each person was then paired up with the person next to them with the task to interview one another about their objectives for attending the Lab. The participants were to ask one another about their personal goals, share their names, discuss their roles and functions, and reveal a fun fact about themselves. Once the interviews were complete, it was time for each participant to introduce their partner to the rest of the group.

The recurring themes during these interactions were:

– Meeting new people
– Finding partners for collaborative projects
– Growing their audience
– Broadening horizons
– Generating fresh ideas
– Enhancing marketing strategies
– Attracting younger audiences to cinemas
– Deepening knowledge of curating programs

With a diverse mix of experienced professionals and newcomers, the days ahead promise rich exchange and learning opportunities!