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UNIC at the Contactdag Filmbranche


On 13 September, UNIC was invited by Nederlandse Vereniging van Bioscopen en Filmtheaters (NVBF) – the Dutch cinema association – to the Contactdag Filmbranche, during the Film Festival Film-by-the-sea in Vlissingen.

The event brings together the Dutch exhibition markets – with cinemas of all sizes and locations – for a day of discussions, followed by screenings.

UNIC delivered a keynote speech about the recovery post-covid, the importance of diverse content, the latest trends and challenges and current policy files. This was then followed by a panel involving:

  • Rachel van Bommel, Producer, Millstreet Films
  • Willem Pruijssers, CEO, Dutch FilmWorks
  • Hajo Binsbergen, Managing Director Theatrical Benelux, Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Boris van der Ham, Chairman, NVBF
  • Géke Roelink, Director, Filmhuis Den Haag
  • Marco de Ruiter, Country Manager, The Walt Disney Company Benelux
  • Laura Houlgatte, CEO, UNIC


The discussion focused on five key themes:

1) Is an attractive film slate enough?
2) Streamers and cinemas – competitors or complementary?
3) Do you focus on frequent visitors or occasional visitors?
4) Should Dutch producers focus on films with a higher commercial potential?
5) Business operations and energy crisis/inflation

The day closed with a networking cocktail and a screening. Congratulations to NVBF for such a successful event!


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