The EDCF at the 2026 UNIC Cinema Days

By Guillaume Branders.

The EDCF attended the UNIC Cinema Days in Brussels on 5 and 6 November and contributed to several parts of the programme, from equipment definitions and live event delivery to loudness and the place of cinema in well-being.

Our executive director, Guillaume Branders, moderated an EDCF workshop with Ian Robbins from Deluxe on how best to define legacy equipment and the acronyms that go with it: EOL (end of life) and EOS (end of service and end of support).

The session brought operators and manufacturers together around two practical concerns. Studios may blacklist equipment on security grounds, which can stop cinemas receiving content, and with no common definition each studio takes its own approach. Cinemas also need clarity on when equipment stops being sold, repaired and supported in order to plan their investment, yet manufacturers use different terms for these steps.

To give the discussion a concrete starting point, we set out the three critical moments in an equipment’s lifetime: when sales end, when hardware repairs and spare parts stop, and when software and security support ends. Workshops followed, led by Jan Petersen from Danske Biografer (the Danish cinema association), Jan Rasmussen from Nordisk Cinemas and Jan Harmsen from Kinopolis.

We will share feedback in the coming weeks and, alongside our partners at UNIC, will work on broad definitions that the industry can align on.

Our president, Cathy, gave an update on the Guide on live event delivery for cinema operators. The guide will support cinemas of all sizes, including independents, in managing the technical side of alternative content screenings. It is still being drafted and we will soon be able to share more.

EDCF Board member Julian Pinn, in his role as CEO of SAWA and sound expert, moderated the panel and open discussion "Loudness in the preshow" with Faustine Nataf-Cantor, Deputy General Director at Mediavision, and Loys Philibert, CTO at ADDE. It remains a challenging and essential topic.

Our Vice-President Patrick von Sychowski from Cine Group moderated "Good for you? Cinema and well-being", in conversation with Eva Demeter, Director of TISZApART Cinema (Film Therapy Film Club), and Paul Giggal, CEO of MediCinema.

Against a backdrop of growing concerns around loneliness, social isolation and screen fatigue, the session explored what the evidence tells us about cinema-going and well-being, why the shared experience matters, and what this could mean in practice for cinemas and their audiences. Attendees mentioned it as their highlight of the week, a reminder of the wider social role that cinemas play today.

The week also gave us the opportunity to remind attendees about the EDCF Future Leaders Programme and our upcoming conference in Prague on 2 and 3 March 2027.

Many thanks to Sonia, who also sits on the EDCF Board, and to Laura Houlgatte at UNIC for their continued collaboration. Thank you as well to Laure Galtier and Kamil Jarończyk for their support on the day and the great organisation.

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