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This joint initiative is undertaken by cinema exhibitors in collaboration with distributors, sales agents and right holders and highlights the engagement of arthouse film theatres for European cultural diversity through varied, curated and exclusive programmes. This year its fantastic ambassadors were film directors Lucas Belvaux, Agnieszka Holland and Caroline Link.

With over 100 million guests in Europe each year, arthouse cinemas play a crucial role in promoting cultural diversity. European Arthouse Cinema Day has become an essential cinematographic rendezvous for the audience each autumn. It is a good way to valorise art cinemas as meeting points in local communities and to highlight their everyday commitment to championing demanding and original programming with a local and European focus!

This 5th edition was challenged by the coronavirus crisis, as many countries are facing a second lockdown and movie theatres had to close their door again, in France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic… But some exhibitors experimented new ways to be part of the event despite the closure: Facebook lives, virtual screenings, many of them found solutions to share this special day with their audience nevertheless.

More than 30 passionate Italian exhibitors joined forces and shared a Facebook live, welcoming virtually their audience in their cinema, talking with guests and showing a special programme of short- and medium-length Italian films.

The collective virtual screening project #iorestoinSALA, launched by Anteo in Milano, the Cineteca di Bologna, the Visionario in Udine and Circuito Cinema Genova, took also part of the event with an exclusive screening of O MERCY! by Arnaud Desplechin.

In Bucarest, cinema Elvire Popesco also went live with a digital screening of CYRANO, MY LOVE via the ticketing platform Event Book.

In France, in Hérouville-Saint-Clair, the Café des Images curated a programme focused on powerful women with 6 films available on La Toile, the French VOD platform for movie theatres: SPEAK UP, PROXIMA, TONI ERDMANN, THE YOUNG LADY, VOLVER and WOMAN AT WAR were featured.

And of course, the lucky cinemas still open and able to celebrate with their audience also planned exciting events. At Tisza Mozi (Szolnok, Hungary), cinema goers had the pleasure to enjoy some fine mulled wine in the cosy foyer for a charity afternoon with a live concert. Donations will fund Advent cinema for children.

Kino Urania in Osijek, Croatia, offered a full-day highly enjoyable programme: films of almost every genre, of which the documentary HONEYLAND and a children films matinee.

In Sofia, Dom na Kinoto showed THE BEAR’S FAMOUS INVASION OF SICILY by Lorenzo Mattotti (who made EACD 2020 artworks) and EACD ambassador Agnieszka Holland's CHARLATAN.

Some Spanish cinemas, such as Cines Golem Madrid, collaborated with Sevilla’s Film Festival for the simultaneous premiere screening of DELETE HISTORY by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern.

European Arthouse Cinema Day 2020 highlighted the exhibitors’ commitment, even in a particularly complex context, to offering their audience of all ages and from all social backgrounds, the best of European cinema, in all its diversity and richness.

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https://artcinemaday.org/en/index

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