What if attending a festival also meant helping shape the future of cinema? From 29 September to 1 October 2026, FILMFEST HAMBURG, the CICAE (International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas) and Futura Cinema will invite a selected group of European cinemas and cultural professionals to take part in an exclusive innovation programme during the 34th edition of FILMFEST HAMBURG and its INDUSTRY DAYS.

 

For two days, participants will gain privileged access to six European innovation projects exploring new ways of engaging audiences, designing cinema experiences and developing cultural venues, while also taking part in the FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS programme.

 

Presented and tested live in several cinemas and venues in Hamburg, these projects will place exhibitors and cultural professionals at the centre of the experimentation process. The six projects are practical tools and solutions for cinemas and cultural venues. They explore different forms of innovation (technological, usage-based, economic, social) to support audience engagement and exhibition practices.

 

Participants will have the opportunity to:

 

• discover and test in real conditions innnovative projects
• exchange with exhibitors, festivals and cultural professionals from across Europe
• contribute their expertise and feedback to the development of the projects
• attend FILMFEST HAMBURG screenings and industry events
• and vote for the ʺProfessionals’ Favouriteʺ Award.

 

As a European meeting point for cinema professionals, FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS offer the ideal framework for exchange on innovation, audience evolution and the future of cultural venues.

 

Call for Applications – Join the European Delegation

 

FILMFEST HAMBURG, CICAE and Futura Cinema are launching a European call for applications to join this unique professional delegation.

 

The call is open to: 

• cinemas
• cultural venues welcoming audiences
• film festivals, distributors and organisations involved in the circulation of cultural works
  interested in discovering, testing and evaluating innovative projects for cinema exhibition and audience engagement.

 

Applicants must:

• represent a European organisation active in the cultural or film sector
• designate one representative per organisation
• and be available in Hamburg from 29 September to 1 October 2026.

 

Around twenty-five professionals will be selected as part of the official European delegation and financially supported through the programme.

 

This includes:

 

• Full coverage of transportation, accommodation (up to 2 nights) and festival accreditations for:
  *5 European CICAE members
  *5 cinemas based in the Grand Est region in France
• Partial coverage for transportation or accommodation (up to 2 nights) and festival accreditations for:
  *15 European participants  through this open call

 

If you meet the eligibility criteria and would like to apply, please complete THIS FORM before 10 July. Applications will be reviewed as soon as we receive them. All applicants will be notified of the outcome before the end of July.

 

Professionals will be chosen for their interest in innovation and their expertise in audience engagement and cultural exhibition.

 

Professionals not selected through the open call may also attend the programme at their own expense.

 

The detailed programme and schedule will be announced at the beginning of September.

 

Contact: retourversle@futura-cinema.com

 

About Futura Cinema:

Futura Cinema is a European programme dedicated to innovation in the film industry.

We support project developers and cultural venues in imagining, testing and deploying new technological, cultural, social and sustainable solutions. The programmes’ vision is to cross-fertilise practices and ideas between the cinema and other sectors.

 

About CICAE:

The CICAE (Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai) is a non-profit association bringing together over 2400 arthouse cinemas with more than 4400 screens, in 45 countries in the world, thanks to the collaboration of 12 national and regional arthouse cinema networks (France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela and arabic-speaking countries), as well as individual cinemas, not yet represented by a national network, and festivals across the world.
The CICAE was funded in 1955 by the national arthouse associations of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, aiming at promoting cultural diversity in cinemas and festivals, as well as at reinforcing at political level the support for theatres that took a stand in favour of this “high-risk” cinematographic art form.