The 23rd edition of CICAE’s Arthouse Cinema Training concluded in Berlin with a record 60 participants from 25 countries, bringing together a new generation of independent cinema operators, programmers and managers for a week focused on the business and future of arthouse exhibition.

Held from August 24–30, the program featured more than 30 speakers and covered current issues facing arthouse cinemas, with participants exchanging ideas on programming, management and audience development. At the center of the training was the development of a business plan, created in small groups over the course of the week and evaluated by a team of international tutors.

This year’s tutors came from Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, the United States and Rwanda, reflecting the increasingly international nature of the program. Participants also visited several Berlin cinemas, including the newly renovated Kino International, Sinema Transtopia and Arsenal. The training was organized by the Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai (CICAE) in cooperation with AG Kino-Gilde, with support from Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the FFA.

For an arthouse sector often characterized by small organizations operating with limited resources, the record participation is encouraging. More importantly, the emphasis on business planning and practical cinema management underscores that sustaining independent exhibition requires more than good programming. It also requires giving the next generation of operators the tools to make those cinemas viable.