The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) announced today that Barco, IMAX Corporation and Vista Group have reaffirmed their support for the UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme, as the initiative prepares to mark its tenth anniversary edition. As joint sponsorship partners, Barco, IMAX, and Vista Group will once again serve as ‘Champions of the Programme’, supporting UNIC’s ongoing mission to foster a more diverse, inclusive and representative cinema industry. UNIC is currently selecting mentors and mentees for the 2026–27 edition of the program, which will run for a year beginning June after its launch at CineEurope. Applications for the tenth edition are now closed. If you would like to find out more about being a mentor, please contact Laure Galtier Buettner at [email protected].
Launched in 2017, the UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme aims to address the gender gap in senior decision-making roles across the cinema exhibition sector by pairing emerging female professionals with experienced women executives. To date, the program has welcomed 184 alumni from 119 companies across 30 countries.
Welcoming the announcement, UNIC CEO Laura Houlgatte commented, “Huge thanks to Barco, IMAX and Vista Group for their continued backing of the programme. Diverse leadership is essential to the long-term strength, relevance and success of our industry, and their support helps us empower talented women to shape the future of cinema.”
“As long-time supporters of this programme, we’ve seen first-hand how powerful it is when women in our industry are given the mentorship, visibility, and sponsorship they deserve,” said Natasha Fernandes, the chief financial officer at IMAX. “Our industry is at its best when a wide range of perspectives are helping to make the big decisions, and initiatives like the UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme are critical to building that kind of leadership pipeline for the long term.”
“Vista Group is proud to continue supporting the UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme, an initiative that plays a vital role in advancing gender-balanced leadership across the industry,” said Anna Ferguson, chief people officer at Vista Group. “Championing diversity and inclusion is core to who we are, and we value how this programme creates meaningful pathways for women to grow, lead and make a lasting impact throughout the cinema sector.”
“Barco Cinema is proud to support UNIC’s Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme because it strengthens the leadership pipeline in cinema exhibition, where diverse, capable teams make better decisions and build healthier businesses. Mentorship and peer networks create confidence and momentum, and they help talented women step into the senior roles our industry needs. We’re committed to doing our part in shaping a more balanced, future-ready cinema landscape.” said Gerwin Damberg, the executive vice president of Barco Cinema.
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