As head of distribution at Universal Pictures International (UPI), Veronika Kwan Vandenberg oversees the studio’s international theatrical distribution operations across both company-owned territories and independent partner markets. Over the past year, she has led the global rollout of some of the studio’s biggest recent releases, including both “Wicked” films, “Jurassic World Rebirth” and the live-action remake of “How To Train Your Dragon,” helping drive sustained international box office growth across a wide range of genres and audience segments.

Prior to Universal, Kwan Vandenberg spent nearly three decades at Warner Bros. Pictures, including 18 years as President of International Distribution, steering the studio’s global theatrical strategy during some of its most successful box office periods. Over the course of her impressive career, she has supervised the international distribution of hundreds of titles and worked closely with filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, helping shape the modern global studio distribution model.

Heading up the international licensing and distribution of Lionsgate’s diversified theatrical slate, Helen Lee-Kim plays a central role in shaping the studio’s global release and partner strategy across tentpole franchises and targeted genre titles. As a key member of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s leadership and content strategy team, she works across theatrical and multi-platform releases as the studio continues to expand its international footprint.

In 2025, Lee-Kim and her team guided the global rollout of a slate that included “Ballerina,” “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” “The Long Walk,” “Flight Risk,” “Good Fortune” and the latest installment in the “Now You See Me” franchise. Since rejoining Lionsgate in 2017, she has overseen international licensing efforts that have generated nearly USD $1 billion in sales, while stewarding some of the studio’s most commercially durable and globally resonant properties.

At IMAX, Gina Glen plays a central role in bringing premium large-format releases to audiences worldwide, overseeing global film distribution across the company’s expanding international network. Working at the intersection of studio partnerships and exhibition, she helps coordinate the worldwide rollout of both original IMAX content and IMAX DMR titles, ensuring consistency and scale across diverse markets.

A veteran of more than two decades at IMAX, Glen has been instrumental in supporting the company’s growth as it continues to add new auditoriums and deepen relationships with exhibitors across multiple continents. Her long tenure has spanned numerous shifts in release patterns, technology and audience behavior, positioning her as a key steward of IMAX’s global distribution strategy during a period of sustained international expansion.

Leading Universal’s theatrical sales operations across the United States and Canada, Kathleen Gallagher oversees domestic distribution strategy for the studio’s North American releases, working closely with exhibition partners and Universal’s international distribution teams. In her role, she manages regional sales execution across a wide-ranging slate, helping align national strategy with local market dynamics.

A longtime Universal executive, Gallagher has spent more than two decades with the company in senior leadership roles spanning theatrical and home entertainment. Prior to her current position, she served as EVP and Managing Director of North America for Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, experience that continues to inform her cross-platform perspective on distribution and exhibitor relations. Across multiple release cycles and market shifts, she has remained a steady presence within Universal’s domestic distribution leadership.

At Amazon MGM Studios, Helen Moss was hired this past year to lead international theatrical distribution, overseeing global release strategy as the studio continues to expand and formalize its presence in cinemas worldwide. In the role, she works across territories and exhibition partners to build cohesive international rollouts for Amazon MGM’s growing theatrical slate.

Prior to joining Amazon MGM Studios, Moss spent more than 15 years at Paramount Pictures, where she oversaw international theatrical distribution across more than 70 markets and played a key role in the global success of major franchises and event titles. Known for her strategic approach to film planning and international execution, she brings crucial, in-depth experience that scales releases across diverse markets as Amazon MGM sharpens its global theatrical ambitions.

Overseeing theatrical distribution for Universal Pictures International across more than 20 territories in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Jody Pope plays a key role in shaping the studio’s regional release strategy and execution. She works closely with local teams and exhibition partners, helping coordinate the rollout of Universal’s theatrical slate, which this year included blockbusters like the “Wicked” films and “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Pope began her career in UK distribution, holding senior theatrical sales roles at Soda Pictures and Revolver Entertainment before joining Universal Pictures UK. She later moved into exhibition as Head of Film at Everyman Cinemas, experience that continues to inform her exhibitor-facing approach to distribution. She returned to Universal Pictures International in 2015.

As Vice President for South Asia at Universal Pictures International, Subha-Orn “Soupy” Rathanamongkolmas oversees theatrical distribution across 18 markets spanning South and Southeast Asia. A veteran of nearly three decades in the industry, she began her career at United International Pictures (UIP) Thailand before spending 18 years at The Walt Disney Company, where she held senior regional roles including Head of Distribution for Studio Entertainment in Southeast Asia. Since joining Universal, Rathanamongkolmas has continued to build studio and exhibitor partnerships across the region, earning recognition in 2024 with CineAsia’s Distributor of the Year Award for her long-standing leadership, innovation and commitment to theatrical distribution.

Mary Kouinoglou leads theatrical distribution strategy for Sony Pictures across the studio’s EMEA licensee markets, working closely with local partners and exhibitors to coordinate regional release planning and execution. In her role, she supports the rollout of Sony’s theatrical slate including recent releases such as “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle,” “28 Years Later” and “Sisu: Road to Revenge.” Kouinoglou is participating in UNIC’s Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme this year, reflecting her engagement in industry collaboration and commitment to leadership across the region.

Satomi Odake is Chief Operating Officer at Gaga, one of Japan’s most respected independent film distributors, where she has spent nearly three decades shaping the company’s international and domestic film strategy. Having joined Gaga in 1997, she has held a series of senior roles across foreign film acquisition, licensing, procurement and international sales, including leading the company’s global division and overseeing the acquisition and release of numerous internationally acclaimed and Oscar-winning titles. Odake was elevated to COO in 2025 and is currently helping expand Gaga’s presence as a key bridge between Japanese audiences and global cinema by launching Noroshi, a division dedicated to distributing international arthouse titles.

Melanie Valera is Senior Vice President and General Sales Manager at Paramount Pictures, where she oversees the studio’s domestic theatrical sales operations nationwide. A 20-year Paramount veteran, Valera rose through the ranks after previous roles at DreamWorks and Miramax, bringing considerable experience in exhibitor relations, regional sales strategy and team leadership. Widely respected throughout the cinema community, she has long been active in industry philanthropy and mentorship, serving on the boards of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation and the Motion Picture Club, and as the founding president of Film Row, an initiative dedicated to cultivating the next generation of industry leaders. In 2024, Valera was honored with ShowEast’s Al Shapiro Distinguished Service Award, recognizing her longstanding commitment to giving back to the theatrical community.

Patricia Gonzalez continues to head up in-theatre marketing strategy for Paramount Pictures’ domestic theatrical releases, working closely with exhibition partners on everything from trailer placement and on-site activations to exhibitor-specific campaigns and theatrical fan events. In 2025, her team supported the cinema rollout of titles including “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “The Naked Gun,” continuing Paramount’s long-standing emphasis on exhibitor collaboration and theatrical visibility. Gonzalez has spent more than two decades at Paramount, following a decade leading in-theatre marketing services at DreamWorks. She is widely respected for her vast experience and exhibitor-first approach to studio marketing. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on the board of Variety of Southern California.

Amy Wood has been kept busy over the past year leading global theatrical distribution and crafting international release strategies for Crunchyroll’s expanding slate of anime features. Based in Los Angeles, she manages distribution teams spanning North America, Europe and Australia, coordinating global rollouts for major releases including “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle” and “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.” Prior to joining Crunchyroll, Wood spent a decade at Lionsgate overseeing international distribution, following on from roles on the exhibition side at Pacific and Arclight Theatres — experience that continues to inform her exhibitor-first approach to anime’s growing theatrical footprint.

Kezia Williams heads Universal Pictures International’s operations in the UK and Ireland as Managing Director, overseeing theatrical distribution, marketing and day-to-day business across one of the studio’s key territories. She brings more than two decades of experience in film distribution and marketing, having previously held senior roles at Entertainment One, where she served as Managing Director of the UK film business. Williams is returning to Universal, having worked on the studio’s UK marketing team earlier in her career. She is also Chair of MediCinema and a voting member of BAFTA.

Christine Eloy has spent more than a decade representing the interests of independent European distributors as Managing Director of Europa Distribution, the association of independent film distributors founded in 2006. Under her leadership, the network has grown to include around 130 leading distributors across 32 countries in Europe and beyond, serving as both a professional network and a think tank dedicated to strengthening the circulation of independent and non-national European cinema. Eloy steers Europa Distribution’s activities spanning training, knowledge exchange, advocacy and peer-to-peer collaboration, helping members navigate shared challenges around audience development, marketing innovation and policy engagement while reinforcing the sector’s role in cultural diversity and independent theatrical distribution.

Silvia Cruz is the founder and CEO of Vitrine Filmes, the Brazilian distribution company she launched in 2010 with a mission to bring local and international arthouse cinema to audiences nationwide. Under her leadership, Vitrine has distributed more than 150 titles and established itself as a key platform for contemporary Brazilian auteurs, including films by Kleber Mendonça Filho such as “Aquarius,” “Bacurau,” and the upcoming “The Secret Agent,” which is currently part of the international awards conversation. Since expanding operations to Spain in 2019, Cruz has overseen Vitrine’s activities across both territories, balancing prestigious cinema with audience-building initiatives that strengthen the independent theatrical ecosystem.

A former executive at Pandora Filmes, Europa Filmes and Coração da Selva, she is widely regarded for her close collaborations with filmmakers and her role in amplifying Brazilian cinema on the global stage, as Vitrine marks its 15th anniversary in 2025.

Ariane Toscan du Plantier oversees French and international cinema distribution at Gaumont, managing the studio’s theatrical releases in France and across international markets. A veteran with nearly three decades at the company, she leads a distribution team of more than 30. In addition to her studio responsibilities, Toscan du Plantier plays an active role in France’s broader film ecosystem as vice-president of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema (APC), the body overseeing the César Awards, demonstrating her long-standing influence on France’s national film culture.

Eve Gabereau leads distribution at Vue Lumière, the newly launched film distribution arm of international cinema chain Vue, where she is responsible for shaping the company’s theatrical strategy and release model. Appointed at the beginning of this year to establish and run the division, Gabereau brings substantial experience from the independent sector, having founded and led Modern Films and, before that, co-founded Soda Pictures, where she handled hundreds of acclaimed international and arthouse titles.

Known for championing world cinema and filmmaker-driven releases, she has built a career spanning distribution, production and strategic partnerships, positioning her to bridge exhibition and distribution as Vue Lumière expands its presence in the theatrical marketplace.

Ladun Awobokun is Chief Content Officer at FilmOne Entertainment, where she is in charge of content strategy across distribution, acquisitions, licensing and studio relations throughout West Africa. Promoted to the role in 2024, she oversees the curation and release of both Hollywood studio titles and Nollywood films, while also guiding FilmOne’s approach to cinema, streaming and ancillary platforms as the regional market continues to evolve. Awobokun has been a central figure in advancing greater transparency and standardization within the West African film industry, including playing a key role in the adoption of Comscore across the region. With experience spanning finance, marketing and film distribution, she is widely regarded as one of the leading strategic voices shaping the future of Nollywood and theatrical exhibition in English-speaking West Africa.

As Marketing Director for Universal Pictures UK & Ireland, Erika Lewington shapes the theatrical campaigns across the studio’s releases in the territory. She brings more than 20 years of experience in film marketing, having previously held senior roles at Sony Pictures and The Walt Disney Company before joining Universal, where she is now in her ninth year. Throughout her career, Lewington has worked on many of the industry’s most recognizable franchises, including James Bond, “Despicable Me,” “Star Wars,” “Jurassic World” and Marvel titles. Most recently, she oversaw the UK and Ireland campaigns for “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” and “Wicked,” both of which delivered record-breaking results.

Drawing on more than two decades in theatrical campaigns, Camila Pacheco shapes Sony Pictures Entertainment’s release strategies across Brazil and Latin America, overseeing promotion for the studio’s regional slate. She joined Sony in 2019 after more than a decade at 20th Century Fox, where she served as Marketing Director in Brazil and led major studio campaigns across multiple platforms and territories.

In recent years, Pacheco has been closely associated with some of Sony’s most high-profile releases in the region, including the Brazilian title “Ainda Estou Aqui” (“I’m Still Here”), which went on to receive Academy Award recognition, as well as a wide range of global studio films.

Shannah Miller manages marketing and communications at Fathom Entertainment, positioning one of the world’s leading specialty distributors of theatrical event content. Since joining the company in 2021, she has guided campaigns for roughly 100 event cinema titles each year, reaching thousands of screens across a global exhibition network, while working closely with studios, content partners and exhibitors.

Miller played a central role in the company’s January 2025 rebrand from Fathom Events to Fathom Entertainment and has helped build strategic partnerships with organizations including Fandango, IMAX, Walmart and Xbox. Prior to Fathom, she held senior leadership roles at Atom Tickets and began her career in the music industry, serving as a senior executive across several Sony Music labels.

Danielle Bonatto has more than 15 years of experience in theatrical distribution and sales, and currently leads Sony Pictures Entertainment’s sales operations in Brazil. She joined the studio in 2019 and was promoted to Sales Director after serving in regional distribution roles across Latin America. Bonatto’s career includes senior positions at Warner Bros. Pictures, Diamond Films and Universal Pictures, with experience spanning major franchises such as “Harry Potter,” “Fast & Furious,” “Despicable Me,” and “Spider-Man.” Over the past year, Bonatto participated in the release of Sony’s 2025 Academy Award-winning title “Ainda Estou Aqui” (“I’m Still Here”), as well as the anime hit “Demon Slayer: Castle Infinity.”

Shelley Schulz heads up theatrical sales at Angel Studios, where she manages release strategies and exhibitor partnerships for the studio’s growing slate. Her career began in exhibition at AMC Theatres before she became an independent sales and theatrical distribution consultant, experience that has given her a strong understanding of the needs and dynamics on both sides of the distribution equation. Since joining Angel Studios, Schulz has risen through the ranks, helping guide the theatrical launches of titles such as “His Only Son,” “Sound of Freedom,” and “David,” while building trusted relationships with exhibitors nationwide.

Cristina Batlle has been tapped to build and lead the theatrical distribution division at Studio TF1 as the Paris-based media group expands its cinema ambitions. Joining from Warner Bros. Discovery where she most recently served as Executive Director of Theatrical Distribution in France, Batlle brings extensive experience across sales and distribution leadership roles, including extended tenures at Warner Bros. France, Studiocanal and TF1 International. In her new role, she is tasked with establishing Studio TF1’s in-house theatrical operation, including assembling a dedicated team, as the company prepares to distribute its own film productions in France beginning in 2026. Her appointment is seen as a cornerstone move as Studio TF1 accelerates plans to significantly scale its film output over the coming years.

Amanda Rufener plays a central role at PaperAirplane Media, working closely with studios, distributors and exhibitors to support in-theatre marketing campaigns across North America and select international markets. In her role, she helps shape and execute theatrical marketing strategies ranging from digital asset creation to coordinated exhibitor programs with national, regional and independent cinema partners. Rufener has also been deeply involved in the development of PaperAirplane’s group sales management platform, The Tower, which has become a key tool for exhibitors and distributors running large-scale group sales initiatives. Prior to joining PaperAirplane, she spent more than a decade at Lionsgate as Vice President of Exhibitor Relations, where she collaborated on in-theatre campaigns for over 190 theatrical releases, including franchises such as “The Hunger Games” and “John Wick,” as well as films like “La La Land” and “Knives Out.”

Katrin Mathe-Cotillon shapes theatrical marketing strategy for Crunchyroll across EMEA, guiding the regional rollout of anime feature films in more than 80 territories. With over 13 years of experience spanning theatrical and event cinema, she oversees integrated campaigns that combine creative positioning, partnerships and audience-driven activations to expand anime’s footprint on the big screen. Most recently, Mathe-Cotillon led EMEA campaigns for titles including “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” and “Jujutsu Kaisen,” delivering event-led releases that reinforced anime’s growing cultural and commercial impact across the region. Her earlier career includes senior roles at Kinepolis Group and CGR Events. Mathe-Cotillon is also a participant in this year’s UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme.