Europa Distribution’s Film Distribution Innovation Hub has changed home and was held for the very first time in the scope of When East Meets West in Trieste, from 18 to 21 January. The collaboration between Europa Distribution and WEMW marked the beginning of a promising new partnership and represented an important step in expanding the Innovation Hub’s presence in a different international context.

Europa Distribution brought twenty members of the association to Trieste, creating a space dedicated to dialogue, experimentation and the exchange of new, innovative practices. The initiative combined a public panel with a more targeted professional working session, highlighting emerging tools, strategies and perspectives designed to support distributors in navigating an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving audiovisual landscape. The tools presented during this edition responded to the complex needs of film distribution, covering a range of practical applications, from organizing businesses to social media management and audience reach, all solutions designed to support both internal operational procedures and external communication.

The very well-attended public panel, held on January 19, gathered diverse AV professionals, mostly distributors, sales agents and producers and featured representatives from four tech companies. It was moderated by journalist and consultant Michael Gubbins who emphasized how the Europa Distribution’s Innovation Hub “has been at the forefront of looking at different ways of connecting with audiences, while also running businesses in ways which are more efficient, and capable of delivering value, which is so necessary to film distribution”.

Following this introduction, the floor was given to the first speaker, Oliver Fegan, co-founder and CEO of Usheru (Ireland), who presented their solution, currently used by more than 140 partners, including roughly 100 distributors. Usheru operates as a data analysis tool that distributors can easily integrate into the homepage of their own websites, directing potential audiences to their preferred screening options while collecting valuable data on user behaviour for potential retargeting. The tool also analyses marketing activities and social media campaigns, identifying what worked best, helping distributors convert interest in a film into measurable revenue. “We are trying to make distributors understand who each individual is, what films they like, which genres resonate with them... to speak more humanly to audiences” Fegan explained, underlining the tool's focus on shifting marketing strategies from a transactional approach to a more personalized experience.

Continuing the conversation around audience reach, Carlos Jiménez, Digital area Director at the Spanish distribution company A Contracorriente, presented Gretico (Spain), a digital cinema system designed to screen films in more rural areas across Spain and, potentially, Europe. By leveraging innovative technology, Gretico aims to make the theatrical experience accessible to everyone through Digital Cinema Streaming (DCS), combining a cloud-based film storage system with a physical secure delivery box system. As Jiménez noted when referring to the “romantic side of the project”, cinema “creates a sense of community”. In fact, Gretico makes it possible to create new audiences and venues in an efficient, affordable and user-friendly way. “You can get a screening in your hometown very easily”, Jiménez said, as the project tries to reverse the tendency of home viewing by bringing people together to see films collectively within their communities, especially in areas where there are no cinemas close by, the so-called “cinema deserts”.

Audience engagement was also explored through the lens of social media management by Timor Kardum, co-founder of MAGIG as Chief Creative Technologist, who introduced CASSI (Germany), an AI-powered platform designed to support film professionals in navigating social media communication. In an increasingly competitive audiovisual sector, Kardum underlined that social media are a key component of distributors’ marketing strategies. While distributors are very active across platforms, limited time and resources can, in some cases, make it challenging to plan and execute dedicated campaigns consistently. Focusing at the moment particularly on companies with smaller teams, CASSI addresses this challenge by acting as a proactive AI that learns and mimics the user's writing style in order to generate tailored posts for different social platforms, such as Instagram and LinkedIn. Adapting each content to the different tone and requirement of each channel, CASSI was described as “a social media assistant” that helps film professionals maintain consistent and effective online presence.

The final presentation was given by Mehdi Mimouni, Senior Account Executive at Molten Cloud (US), who introduced the cloud-based platform designed to address “the fragmented operations in the media industry”. Molten Cloud brings together three modules that can work separately: rights management, content management and royalties’ management. The server helps professionals with the more practical parts of the job, as Mimouni put it, enabling them to dedicate more time for the creative aspects of distribution. The metaphor used to describe Molten Cloud was a tool that “cleans your kitchen before cooking” as it connects workflows across departments and companies. The platform’s intuitive on-boarding process makes it accessible, significantly reducing the time required for users to adapt to it. 

During the discussion with the moderator, broader themes linked to AI tools emerged, particularly around the combination of AI and human expertise. As Kardum pointed out, these technologies are there to help professionals rather than replace them: for instance, CASSI can generate the draft content for social media, but it can be edited at any stage and the final publication always requires human approval. Mimouni echoed this perspective while replying to a question from the public, underlying that while Molten Cloud is a tool that greatly facilitates tasks regarding contracts and royalty management, human validation remains essential.  Another recurring topic was the growing importance of AI and innovative tools in simplifying the daily work of distributors. The tools respond to the very practical need to make everyday operations more manageable for distributors. As Gubbins jokingly observed, “Overstaffed distribution companies are not something you often hear about”.

Several speakers highlighted how technological evolution has led to tools that feel more intuitive, accessible and “human,” removing the need for highly specialised technical skills. As the moderator noted, the audiovisual sector appears to be entering a slightly different era in which innovation is increasingly user-friendly: professionals can engage with new tools without mastering complex coding, acquiring entirely new skill sets or hiring additional staff. Rather than resembling distant or “science-fiction scenarios”, the four cases presented demonstrated solutions that are already applicable today. In addition, many of the tools showed strong potential for integration with one another, paving the way for more comprehensive and efficient workflows, while reinforcing AI’s broader promise to make processes not only more accessible, but also more personal, as Gubbins concluded.

Building on the insights of the public panel, Europa Distribution organised a closed working session on 20 January exclusively for its members. This meeting offered participants the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers in an interactive setting. Working in small groups, distributors and speakers were able to discuss concrete use cases, dig in deeper in each tool and explore how they could be adapted to the specificities of their companies and local markets. The session fostered open exchange and peer-to-peer learning, allowing members to reflect collectively on the practical implications of innovation for independent distribution. The discussions were later brought together in a wrap-up session moderated by Gubbins, encouraging participants to share feedback and insights across the group for further exchange and impact.

Europa Distribution activities will continue throughout the year, with upcoming meetings and workshops planned at Cartoon Movie, CPH:DOX and the Sofia Meetings. These gatherings will offer further opportunities for exchange, collaboration and strategic reflection among industry professionals. As the association continues to build new bridges at these upcoming events, its role as both a network and a think tank is set to keep thriving.

The recording of the panel is available here.