The opening session of the 2025 Bologna Audience Development and Innovation Lab highlighted the duality of cinema exhibition: there is so much excellent work achieved by our network members and so much for us as individual cinemas and as a collective group to be proud of, and yet, there is always something else that still needs improvement.

Inside the Sala Cervi at the Cineteca di Bologna, this year’s Audience Development and Innovation Lab sees cinema exhibitors from all over Europe come together to share best practice and challenges in a collaborative and cinematic setting. The first session began with a warm welcome from Europa Cinemas CEO Fatima Djoumer and Il Cinema Ritrovato CEO Gian Luca Farinelli. Farinelli spoke of the cultural vision that cinema exhibitors across Europe share, highlighting the rich history of cinemas on the continent and here in Bologna. He spoke about the historic Modernissimo, which participants at the Lab will visit on Day 2. Built in 1915, the cinema sat dormant under the Piazza Maggiore for years, in great need of refurbishment. Despite the various challenges, including working out how to restore its former glory without access to the entrance, the team at the Cineteca set about an ambitious and incredible undertaking to restore the cinema and re-open it to both local and international audiences. The project maintained the historic aesthetic and function of the cinema space but brought in modern technology. After fourteen years, Modernissimo re-opened in 2023 and the cinema was a great success, selling 146,000 tickets in one year, with 20,000 of those tickets selling in a single month. It has become the most successful cinema in Italy, and it sits in the very heart of the June Lab’s deeply cinematic city.

Next, in a feat of awe-inspiring efficiency that was no less passionate for it, every individual participant (and the three lab leaders) presented the double-sided coin of their exhibition practice: something they are proud of, and something they could improve. Several common themes emerged with pride often involving the programming work that the cinemas do, the audiences they reach and communities they build, alongside the talented and hard-working teams that create the cinema-going magic. Other elements of the business inspiring pride included the social spaces for further discussion that cinema cafes and bars create; successful children’s educational programming and young audience development has also sparked pride in many. Classic film screenings, film quizzes, festivals and special events also topped the list. Exemplary accessibility proved to be a very moving example of how deeply meaningful the work of film exhibition and cinema management can be. And innovation in all manner of areas from the style and mode of communication to branding and new logos (pictured above).

Conversely, there was a long list of areas for improvement, that often involved the physical spaces that contain our powerful art form: auditorium seating, tiny ticket boxes, cramped cafe/bars, historic spaces that need updating and tired decor. Thankfully, this year’s lab will also include a keynote speech from French cinema architect Jean-Marc Lalo, who will address issues around creating inclusive, sociable and sustainable spaces (Sunday, Day 2).

Everything else you can imagine from the need to paint an auditorium ceiling from white to black and the challenge of finally having sunny weather in Estonia were also discussed. Several cinemas need to work on the external frontage of their venues, tired buildings and dark streets concealing their opulent and inviting internal spaces. Beyond visibility, content also creates an issue for many, such as demographics that include aging audiences who are unwilling to watch more than 1% of the available release schedule, or the challenge of how to retain a festival and event audience for your cinema’s regular, daily programming schedule. The lack of some very specific amenities such as air conditioning, or much bigger capital considerations such as financial investment, were also raised as challenges that stimie the ambition and innovation of various exhibitors. With so many significant reasons to celebrate but also to continue to work harder, the first day of the lab showed, in no uncertain terms, just how important it is that we continue to collaborate, partner and share best practice in order to collectively find the best solutions to iterating and improving on the wonderful and genuinely pride-worthy work that the member cinemas in our network do.