Day 2 of the Lab in Sofia started with a special visit to the National Cultural Palace’s Cinema Lumiere. Through the lens of visitor experiences, participants then returned to the G8 cinema to discuss how to build successful cinema branding and identity, as well as how to successfully market and strategise across social media platforms.
Situated in a smaller building, adjacent to the main site of the National Cultural Palace on the square, Cinema Lumiere is a mixed use cultural auditorium that also runs an arthouse film programme. For Evgenia Taneva, who manages the film programming within the cultural team, the historic venue represents a special opportunity to establish and maintain “a link through decades of cinema-goers.” In establishing a consistent film screening schedule for the public however, Taneva must also negotiate the busy and very full schedule of theatrical and live performances, concerts, school events and special presentations that the Palace host.
In total, the Palace have 13 auditoriums that accommodate these events, but even so the availability of the auditorium for film screenings is limited. During the summer months, what Taneva calls “the active season”, they have three screenings a day and run regular children’s education programmes. Likewise, film festivals will reserve at least one film screening a day. However, as the Palace is as Taneva describes “the national home of culture”, maintaining year-round consistency with film programming for their cinema audience is more challenging. Along with three special screenings a month they try to regularly show films but, in the busier months, especially in December, when cultural spaces are at their fullest, it can be as few as just five days available for films.
Conversely, the multi-cultural use of the space also means that the venue attracts a diverse audience who are interested and engaged in a range of cultural events. It was especially challenging, Taneva said, to keep the momentum and cultural context of cinema through the pandemic. They held outdoor screenings where possible and re-opened with live music to encourage the audiences to return. What was particularly successful was when they started screening classic films on the big screen. Starting with Ghost in the Shell, which brought in a young audience, they worked with distributors and expanded the programme, which Taneva describes as “a big jump for the team”, who are responsible for all 13 auditoriums across the Palace’s full programme of cultural events. While it stretched capacity, they also found their audiences were loyal to their new classic film programming, turning out in big enough numbers that they now need to re-assess their ticketing systems. “We had to manage angry audiences due to big queues,” Taneva explained.
In 2017, they underwent renovations and Lidl were a major sponsor. Though the official obligation to Lidl has since ended, echoes of the connection remain, with Lidl logos within the Lumiere logo on the backs of the seats in the screening room. Returning to G8 cinema, participants discussed their visitor experience of the venue, which included describing the venue as “huge but comfortable”, “nostalgic” and “sentimental”, but the best tag line went to: “Lidl but elegant.”
Finding your voice: cinema brand and identity
‘Rebranding a legend: integrating an historic cinema into a modern circuit‘
Tobiáš Waller from Kino Lucerna in Prague, one of the oldest operating cinema venues in the Czech Republic – it was originally opened in 1909, spoke about how they have adapted the historic venue to fit its contemporary cinema audience and industry. Aerokina, who operate five cinemas in Prague, and another two in other Czech cities, approached Lucerna to join their group. Operating now within that context, Lucerna is recognisable as both an independent cinema whilst also belonging to a wider overarching cinema brand. They re-worked their logo, consulted more with their audience and now focus on creating bespoke content for social media featuring members of their team to highlight the cinema’s identity and what is unique to their venue.
‘From parish to cultural hub: building a community-first cinema in the Roman suburbs‘
Fabio Zenadocchio from Cinema Teatro Don Bosco in Rome, which was built in 1963, presented on their unique 496 seat cinema venue, which is situated in a lower socio-economic neighbourhood where “culture creates community”. Housing live theatre, concerts and other special events owing to the capacity of the auditorium, Don Bosco has future plans to build a second screen to increase their already rich community offer.
In 2013, the Parish worked to professionalise and collaborate more with schools and other local institutions, increasing their young audience offer. They have also taken on a sort of leadership role within their own informal local cinema network to develop young audiences by organising a Boot Camp that addressed communications, AI and young audiences with a view to working towards a Collaborate to Innovate project that will help boost young audience engagement. “Our key word is community,” Zenadocchio said, explaining how grass roots engagement informs their core philosophy: “Our ticket price is almost half the average ticket price in Italy. We are situated in a lower income community and we believe that cinema is a right.”
‘Re-opening four cinemas in four years: different identities, common brand’
There was no arthouse cinema in Timişoara prior to the opening of the four venues Ioana Dragomirescu and her team have worked tirelessly to support following the city’s 2023 designation as European Capital City of Culture. This led to the local authorities investing in renovations of public buildings including five existing but derelict single-screen cinema venues. Reducing the seating capacity in some instances as well as equipping each of the venues with modern technology for multifunctional use meant that opening all five in time for the City of Culture celebrations was not possible. Instead, the small team working in the local public institution Center for Projects set about opening one venue per year starting in 2022 with their Victoria venue in a lower income neighbourhood. They have since renovated and re-opened four of the five venues, with the final cinema, Dacia, anticipated to open either late 2026 or 2027.
Creating distinct identities for the cinemas – Victoria, Timiş, Studio and Johnny – whilst also maintaining consistency with the frequency of film programming has been essential is creating success across the venues. They kept their traditional names which were already known to locals living in Timişoara, but they created modern logos for each of the cinemas with distinct colour-coding (which matches the seat colour in the venues and is carried through to the website design for their online ticketing). They also reward customer loyalty with prizes and incentives including their branded t-shirts, tote bags and stickers.
Identity is also about clarity and communicating how the cinema defines itself: “The choices we make shape our values which shape our identities,” Dragomirescu said. “Rules are important and your values define you,” she told the participants, explaining how at Victoria, Timiş, Studio and Johnny “We are putting cinema-going first.” They don’t allow food and drink in any of their cinema auditoriums and, even though it wasn’t popular at first, it is part of what distinguishes them from the multiplex cinemas in the city. Nor do they screen advertisements before the films: “But the screen is never empty,” Dragomirescu said, explaining how they promote cultural events and their film screening programme instead.
More than movies: engaging audiences through special programming and events
‘Our curated monthly series: creativity, exclusivity, identity’
Ioana Dragomirescu opened the afternoon session with a focus on special event screenings and how these also helps inform cinema identity. “Nowadays, everything has to be an event, everything has to be special. But when everything is special, nothing is special anymore,” Dragomirescu said. She spoke about their curated monthly series, which they have created a special graphic image for, and monthly inclusive, free screenings for vulnerable groups. The series are wide-ranging including: Film Therapy screenings, which are followed by a discussion with a psychologist and that has since been adapted as a Collaborate to Innovate project (Film Therapy Film Club 2025); Film After School, which is a monthly film club for teenagers; and monthly Romanian repertory films, which is their most popular, especially among young viewers for whom these films were not previously accessible and from release periods when the cinema sites were closed. For Film After School, a group of teenagers select the films themselves and host, introduce and moderate the discussions. The screenings remain open to the general audience to attend, which raises the stakes for the teenagers who spend a lot of time with Dragomirescu’s team curating the films and planning the film club screenings.
‘Dita Rietuma’s Selection: film series with introductions from a critic, to build European arthouse audiences’
As the only cinema in Cēsis, which is a small town with a population of 16,000, Cinema Cesis in Latvia caters to a wide range of cinema needs. They first established their arthouse film programme in 2016 and invited a well-known local film critic, Dita Rietuma, to introduce the film screenings with a 20 minute lecture on the filmmakers, genres and themes of the films. Along with a free glass of wine, the events, which on average sell to 90% capacity, proved popular and the series has its own branding and visual identity within their wider programme. “Audiences watch with attention and curiosity,” Goldemane said, highlighting the high level of audience engagement with their arthouse offer.
‘Partnering with local restaurants: film and food’
Amanda Feldin from Bio Fågel Blå in Stockholm said “A big part of our brand is the local element – not just local to Stockholm but local to our neighbourhood in Stockholm.” Filmrullen (which translates to film reel but is also a play on words meaning film roll/wrap), is a regular monthly collaboration between the cinema and a rotation of local restaurants. The restaurants are invited to do a sort of cinema takeover where they select the film and pair it with a signature dish from their kitchen. The food is served an hour before the film and the audiences are encouraged “to come out and stay out,” Feldin said.
Sunday lunchtimes were quiet for Bio Fågel Blå and they started the series as a marketing strategy . Promoted as a sort of hangover cure with a focus on bar sales, which are traditionally lower on Sundays, the aim was for both the cinema and the restaurants to benefit from the cross-promotion. They created original artwork for the posters, but the majority of their marketing is online or through word of mouth – collaborative posts on Instagram reveal that the majority of their reach has been with ‘non-followers’, extending their reach and engagement.
“Because they choose their own film, we put a lot of effort into choosing our favourite restaurants,” Feldin continued, “Where we actually hang out, so their selection fits with our programming, which is why it feels authentic. We already like each other in real life so it’s a fun collaboration.” There is a single ticket price for the film & food offer, set at €38, which is split between the restaurant and the cinema, who then split their takings with the distributor. Tickets are only available through pre-sale so that there is no food wastage, and the aim is only to sell 60-80 tickets, rather than selling to the cinema’s full capacity of 126 because that would be too difficult to manage with the food offer. “It further cemented the idea that our cinema is a local meeting place,” Feldin Said, “It’s like a living room, where you watch films, eat and chill.”
‘Cervescines and beyond: creating social event formats for a modern audience’
Alejandro Arranz Garcia from Cines Embajadores in Spain spoke about their Cerve-Cines programme (translated as Beer-Cinema). In Spain, craft beer is a growing sector, and an opportunity to appeal to a younger audience. “The people fell in love with the events because of the discussion,” Arranz Garcia said, “and it’s something fun.” With that light-hearted spirit, Embajadores hope people will: “Drink less, but drink better.”
The event priorities begin with the movie, then the tasting and then the discussion. They select films that are difficult to see on a big screen in a small city like Oviedo. They then select European beers that connect with the film so that the audience can feel as if the drink and the movie are part of the same story: “The beer should be an extension of the film,” Arranz Garcia said. “Our discussion is friendly, conversational, and a little bit crazy – anything can happen.” The joyful spirit of Cervecines is best summed up by their official logline: “Our goal is not to drink in the movie, our goal is to drink the movie.”
Communicate With Your Audience and Build and Online Identity
“Tik Tok is the biggest social media platform around but not very many cinemas are on it.” Lab leader Caro Raedts said as participants discussed which social media platforms they use, spanning the very popular FaceBook and Instagram to the less popular Whatsapp, Bluesky, Telegram, LinkedIn and Substack .
‘From fragmented to focused: developing a coherent marketing strategy for a co-operative cinema‘
Marc Velinsky from Kino Central im Bürgerbräu in Germany presented on how their cinema has formalised from a previously more fragmented approach. The building’s frontage wasn’t recognisably a cinema so the addition of posters and signage along the exterior wall in 2023 and in the launch of their new website in 2024 helped boost brand awareness and identity. Joining Cineville Germany and adding Letterboxd to their digital communications strategy, has further helped with expanding their reach. Paid advertising campaigns on Instagram as well as selling advertising space in their own printed programmes to other businesses, has complemented and helped with creating coherency across physical and digital Comms. They are still planning further brand and identity innovation including creating a new logo to create better brand consistency across their platforms and materials.
‘Beyond the logo: building a bulletproof and consistent cinema brand’
Magdalena Klich-Kozlowska from Dolnoslaskie Centrum Filmowe (Lower Silesian Film Centre) in Wroclaw spoke about the importance of creating and maintaining brand consistency across all forms of communications – from official marketing materials all the way to ‘Out of Order’ signage for broken toilets and even in the signing and processing of contracts and other official documentation: “Consistent branding isn’t just a marketing or graphic design job, it is a management strategy for a cultural centre.”
A signature font, colour palette, and image positioning is essential, Klich-Kozlowska said, ensuring their brand is professional and consistent across all forms of Comms. With collaborations, they integrate external partner artwork into their own brand design, and never simply display third party materials. Collaborations must be collaborative and simply putting a logo on something is not something they would agree to. For Klich-Kozlowska, “A logo bar is where branding goes to die.”
“When we run a campaign, we attack all the senses in the same way,” she said, so that everything from bus stop posters, tablecloths for panel discussions, the ticket desk and the posters on the walls to social media will have the same visual impact. “In a world of AI imagery,” Klich-Kozlowska said, “the most effective branding has a human element.”
‘The algorithm of Instagram in 2026’
As an ‘answer’ to TikTok, Instagram has in recent years: launched reels and made stories more interactive and expansive; changed its approach to DM permissions and group chats as well as the format of the posts; added a carousel option and the ability to re-post posts. Raedts, who took over ZED’s Instagram account last year, has approached their use of the platform as a strategy of trial and error. Posts are now shown to two small separate segments of people, she explained: 1) your loyal audience, and 2) non-followers. Instagram then decides – according to how quickly these two small segments ‘like’ the post – whether or not they will continue to show it to other people to engage with. “This should change how you use Instagram as a cinema,” Raedts said, “It is not a programme booklet anymore.”
The most recent changes on the platform include the ‘repost’ function and the option for posts to be shared to a group chat and ‘saved’. This creates more revenue for Instagram and extends user time engagement, which is beneficial for the platform. “If you’ve recently had a post with very few likes,” Raedts explained, “then it’s to do with the initial likes that it received. What works format wise in 2026 is very short reels, playing in a loop so that people see it three or more times, which means they spend more time on the app. Or carousel posts with humour or relatable content that keeps people swiping and on the app for longer, too.”
Raedts advice was clear: don’t post just to post; carefully select what you post – select things that will work on Instagram; stop fighting the algorithm and work with it; and think about the format – is it really best suited to this platform for the engagement? Timing is also incredibly important because if you post when people don’t see it, the algorithm won’t favour you. Encouraging comments by asking questions helps drive engagement, as does responding quickly and commenting on the posts of others. Being intentional in your use of social media platforms is paramount for optimising your time spent on digital engagement.
Raedts says carousels are great for sharing tips, lists and quotes, and she recommended copying what works for others – the concept, that is, but adapting it to your content and audience. Crucially, when copying Instagram trends, Raedts says you must do it right away – not several days after the trend has hit. Showing your staff, their faces and your everyday behind-the-scenes can be really popular, giving KINO Rotterdam’s ‘Daily Business’ as an example, something Zuleyha Azman creates each day and posts as a short reel. Raedts also recommended using movie stars to your advantage: stardom is still alive and well and there are lots of great images and clips available to share.
‘Tik Tok’
Jakub Plášek from Kino Art + Kino CIT in Brno in the Czech Republic presented on TikTok, which is still a fairly underused platform for cinemas. An opportunity to capture the attention of younger audiences, TikTok videos must make an impression as quickily as in their first two seconds, which means fast or dynamic editing is a must. Having someone from Gen Z or Alpha is also essential for better understanding and reaching your target audience on this platform, Plášek said, explaining how they engage teenage interns to help with this type of content creation. “If something doesn’t work on TikTok, it will be a huge success on Instagram,” Plášek said, further explaining how they re-use or re-post content across platforms according to how it is best received. The challenge, however, is that 95% of people who see the content don’t necessarily know what the cinema is, so there is still a gap when it comes to linking engagement to ticket sales.
‘Letterboxd’
Maja Zrim from Kinodvor in Ljubljana presented on their addition of Letterboxd a year ago, which is still an experimental ground for them. A page HQ costs about €150 per year and they have a small audience currently – they post in Slovenian and every week they post two playlists: the first is what’s on in the cinema and the second is their upcoming releases. There is an option to post more in-depth articles for specialised films, written by programme curators or festival directors as well as a reviews section where they post quotes from directors and actors who have attended their events, as well as links to the filmed Q&As. “What we do most are lists, and our main strategy for Letterboxd is to connect it to our other more established communication channels,” Zrim said. The first video they created for Letterboxd was of the staff sharing their favourite films, which they then shared on other social media platforms, using the Letterboxd colour scheme and text to direct people from one platform to another. Still a relatively new venture for the cinema, there is potential to collaborate with local critics, festival programmers and directors as well as filmmakers and other film talent.