Dr. Christian Bräuer, President of the CICAE, welcomes the participants of the 23rd Arthouse Cinema Training.credit: CICAE
BERLIN: A total of 58 participants from 25 countries on four continents, and 30 trainers, tutors, and speakers took part in the opening event of the 23rd edition of CICAE’s Arthouse Cinema Training on 24 August 2026 in Berlin, marking the biggest edition in the programme’s history.
The renowned initiative gathers arthouse exhibitors and industry experts for a seven-day intensive programme of talks, panels and interactive workshops surrounding arthouse cinema exhibition. It will conclude on 30 August 2026.
The Arthouse Cinema Training is the only programme of its kind, focussing on global capacity building, fostering intercultural exchange, and international connection across the arthouse sector and beyond.
In his opening speech, CICAE President Dr. Christian Bräuer pointed out the relevance of the Training as a means to advance professionalisation, innovation, connection, and cross-cultural understanding, as well as the unwavering commitment of the Arthouse movement to fostering diversity, respect, and dialogue across cultures.
The represented countries of this year’s training are: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Nepal, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA.
To support this multinational context, the 2026 Arthouse Cinema Training kicked off with an Intercultural Connecting Workshop, animated by Hamida Giyasbayli, creating a space for participants to connect, exchange perspectives, and explore the richness of working together across cultures.
Together with over a hundred guests from across the audiovisual industry, the ACT opening reception, hosted by CICAE, AG Kino, and MUBI, marked the beginning of the training on Monday evening at Data Space, a vibrant venue in the centre of Berlin. It brought together the programme’s international participants and trainers as well as partners and friends from across the Berlin cinema, film, and cultural sector.
The importance of the Training was also reflected in its record participation: for the first time in the history of the programme, the number of participants clearly surpassed 50. This milestone is not only a testament to the Training’s growing relevance, but also a powerful sign of the vitality of our sector: independent and arthouse cinema is thriving and pulsating all around the world.
The 23rd Arthouse Cinema Training is funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the Berlin Senate Chancellery, FFA, and CNC.
Click HERE for the press release.
