Europa Cinemas has unveiled the nine projects selected for the sixth edition of Collaborate to Innovate, its scheme designed to support innovative, collaborative projects developed by exhibitors across Europe. A total of 51 member cinemas will receive €947,000 in funding through the initiative, which is backed by Creative Europe – MEDIA.

The selected projects were chosen from among 20 applications submitted by 99 cinemas in 16 countries. Each project is eligible for grants of up to €120,000, and must support the circulation and visibility of European films, strengthen audience development – with a particular focus on younger viewers – and improve the skills, resilience and competitiveness of cinemas.

Among this year’s selected initiatives is Cineville Denmark, coordinated by Reprise Teatret in Holte, which will develop a Danish version of the unlimited subscription model for independent cinemas first launched in the Netherlands in 2009. The scheme has since expanded to Belgium (see the news), Austria, Germany and Sweden. The Danish network will include venues in Aalborg, Odense, Hillerød, Copenhagen, Hundested, Kolding, Frederikssund and Aarhus.

France is represented by two projects. Radiobox Cinema, coordinated by Cinéma Espace Renoir in Roanne, will explore radio as a participatory medium inside cinemas, with partner venues in Châlons-en-Champagne, Orléans, Marseille, Tours and Villeurbanne. Meanwhile, Cinémas Immersifs, led by Cinéma La Salamandre in Morlaix, will focus on integrating immersive works, including VR and XR ones, into the programming of independent cinemas in western France, alongside venues in Rennes, Caen and La Roche-sur-Yon.

In Italy, Gen-C: Cinema for the Next Generation will be coordinated by Rome’s Cinema Teatro Don Bosco. The initiative will address the decline in young audiences through education, audience-development strategies and professional training for cinema staff, with partner venues in Florence, Turin, Genoa and Bologna.

Poland’s Accessibility Mark: Cinema Without Barriers, coordinated by Kino Pałacowe in Poznań, will create a year-long collaborative laboratory aimed at embedding accessibility into cinemas’ daily operations and improving the circulation of European films among underrepresented audiences.

Subscription-based models are also at the core of European Cinema Pass Serbia, led by Belgrade’s mts Dvorana, which aims to strengthen the regular presence of European films in independent Serbian cinemas, and Spain’s Re:Cine, which will test a collaborative subscription model among independent cinemas in the Spanish capital.

The remaining projects include Inclucine 2, a Slovak-Czech initiative led by Kino Úsmev in Košice and based on the “Caring Cinemas” concept, and Kinebridge, coordinated by Catalonia’s CineBaix, which will develop a cloud-based software platform integrating distributor communication, scheduling, ticketing and reporting.

Here is the list of this year's beneficiaries:

Cineville Denmark (Denmark)
Project coordinator: Reprise Teatret, Holte
Partner cinemas: Biffen Nordkraft (Aalborg), Café Biografen (Odense), Café Slotsbio (Hillerød), Gloria (Copenhagen), Hundested Kino (Hundested), Nicolai Biograf & Café (Kolding), Park Teatret (Frederikssund), Vester Vov Vov (Copenhagen), Øst for Paradis (Aarhus), Grand Teatret (Copenhagen)

Radiobox Cinema (France)
Project coordinator: Cinéma Espace Renoir, Roanne
Partner cinemas: Cinéma La Comète (Châlons-en-Champagne), Cinéma les Carmes (Orléans), Les Variétés (Marseille), Cinémas Studio (Tours), Cinéma Le Zola (Villeurbanne)

Cinémas Immersifs (France)
Project coordinator: Cinéma La Salamandre, Morlaix
Partner cinemas: L’Arvor (Rennes), Le Lux (Caen), Le Concorde (La Roche-sur-Yon)

Gen-C: Cinema for the Next Generation (Italy)
Project coordinator: Cinema Teatro Don Bosco, Rome
Partner cinemas: Sala Esse (Florence), Cinema Agnelli (Turin), Club Amici del Cinema (Genoa), Cinema Teatro Galliera (Bologna), Cinema Teatro Monterosa (Turin), CineClub Nickelodeon (Genoa)

Accessibility Mark: Cinema Without Barriers (Poland)
Project coordinator: Kino Pałacowe, Poznań
Partner cinemas: Kino Pionier 1907 (Szczecin), Kino Oskard (Konin), Kino Echo (Jarocin), Gdyńskie Centrum Filmowe (Gdynia)

European Cinema Pass Serbia (Serbia)
Project coordinator: Dvorana doma sindikata doo – mts Dvorana, Belgrade
Partner cinemas: Kulturni centar (Gornji Milanovac), Leskovacki kulturni centar (Leskovac), Bioskop Vilin Grad (Niš)

Inclucine 2 (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
Project coordinator: Kino Úsmev, Košice, Slovakia
Partner cinemas: Bio Central (Hradec Králové, Czech Republic), Kino Světozor (Nové Město, Czech Republic), Kino Lumière (Bratislava, Slovakia)

Kinebridge (Spain)
Project coordinator: CineBaix, Sant Feliu de Llobregat
Partner cinemas: Cinema Edison (Granollers), Cinemes Texas (Barcelona), Florida Zinemak (Vitoria-Gasteiz), Gorbeia Zinemak (Etxabarri Ibiña), Niessen Zinemak (Errenteria), Circuit Urgellenc (Linyola)

Re:Cine (Spain)
Project coordinator: TBC
Partner cinemas: TBC