In her opening speech, Christine Berg, President of HDF and Vice-President of UNIC, called for stronger support from the government and, in particular, the German Film Fund (FFA). She highlighted the permanent challenges faced by cinemas in recent years, such as rising costs, increased bureaucracy, and lack of content, which have led to closures or left many cinemas struggling.
The first panel addressed the impact of the multiple recent crises faced by the cinema sector. Kim Koch, CEO Cineplex, set the scene with a keynote, and the panel explored how cinemas might navigate these challenging conditions, identifying where political action was needed, and where the industry itself must develop new strategies.
Spain was this year’s guest country, with Jaime Tarrazón, FECE and ACEC Cines, sharing insights into the Spanish market, in conversation with Gregor Freund, UCI Cinemas, moderated by Laura Houlgatte, UNIC. The discussion followed a comparative analysis by Comscore Bernd Zickert.
A wide range of presentations, panels and workshops included sustainability and minimum standards for cinemas, with an innovative online initiative presented by AG Kino, as well as sessions on funding, online visibility with Google Business, new trends and audience insights. Laure Galtier, UNIC, also delivered a short presentation of the Women's Cinema Leadership Programme, aimed at attracting more participants from the region.
In addition, the ICTA panel discussed innovation, investment and creative concepts, with Gregory Theile, CEO Kinopolis, presenting its newly opened cinema based in HafenCity, Hamburg. Along with a trade show exhibiting over 60 companies, KINO 2025 was an engaging event. More information here.
Warm congratulations to our colleagues at HDF Kino e.V. and hdfstudio for a flawless conference and great networking!