Europa Cinemas honours exhibitors in Austria, Poland and France for 2025 awards

EXCLUSIVE: Cinema venues in Vienna and Wroclaw as well as Martin Bidou of France’s Haut et Court Cinémas have been honoured by exhibition network Europa Cinemas at its 2025 awards.

Europa Cinemas’ best programming award went to the Filmladen-run arthouse cinemas Votiv Kino and Kino De France in the Austrian capital Vienna.

The nine-screen Kino Nowe Horyzonty in Wroclaw, Poland, won the prize for best young audience activities.

Europa Cinemas gave its entrepreneur of the year award to Martin Bidou of France’s Haut et Court Cinémas.

The Europa Cinemas network spans 1279 cinemas in 39 countries.

Best programming award

Vienna’s Votiv Kino and Kino De France were credited with “energising the local ecosystem with their eclectic programming,” by Europa Cinemas CEO Fatima Djoumer.

Votiv Kino, one of the oldest cinemas in the Austrian capital, opened in 1912 and was taken over by Filmladen in 1986, which added two screens for a total of three and repositioned it as an arthouse cinema. Kino De France was built in the 1980s and came under the Filmladen banner in 2001.

For this year’s release of One Battle After Another, they curated a tribute to Paul Thomas Anderson, while summer special series ‘Was wir Lieben’ curates the cinema team’s favourite movies.

Votiv Kino positions itself as a politically engaged venue, hosting screenings followed by discussions with film enthusiasts as well as festivals that make diverse cultures visible, including Festival du Film Francophone, Jewish Film Festival, Kurdish Film Days, Italian Film Festival, Queer Film Festival, Palestinian Film Days and, launching in 2026, a focus on films from Asia.

“A key focus of our programming lies in formats that foster dialogue and exchange – especially on political topics and cultural variety,” said Michael Stejskal, CEO of Filmladen.

Best young audience activities award

Kino Nowe Horyzonty in Wroclaw has developed an educational programme for children, youth, parents, and teachers. The cinema, which opened in 2012, has nine screens with a total of 2,329 seats. It has been transformed from a Helios multiplex into an arthouse cinema and education centre. The conversion was carried out by the city of Wrocław, Helios and the New Horizons Association, headed by executive director Roman Gutek. 

The cinema’s initiatives include the Young Horizons Education Programme, which presents a variety of films, grouped into thematic series, for all ages. It also hosts the Tauron Young Horizons International Film Festival, with screenings that are accompanied by workshops, meetings with filmmakers and discussions.

Other initiatives include Sunday Movie Mornings - short animated films or cartoons – and a post-screening art workshop for children with animators. The Jazz Morning Kids programme is a selection of films accompanied by live performances by jazz musicians, while the Good Experiences initiative is for young viewers on the autism spectrum.

Entrepreneur of the year

Haut et Court has seven arthouse cinemas in its network in France, beginning in 2009 with the acquisition of the Nouvel Odéon cinema in Paris, which was modernised in 2010, reducing its seating capacity from 175 to 120. It also home to the Louxor, which was renovated by the city of Paris and reopened in 2013. The network then acquired the Astrée and the Forum in Chambéry in 2015. The latter, which had been renovated in 2018, burned down following the urban riots of June 2023. It reopened last September after extensive repairs. In 2015, the Sémaphore in Nîmes also joined the group, followed in 2022 by the Diagonal Capitole in Montpellier and then the Navire in Valence in 2023.

Haut et Court Cinemas’ Martin Bidou said: “Our operations are still very decentralized, and our directors have a great deal of autonomy. We wanted each one to keep its own identity and characteristics. So, this award is also theirs.”

At each cinema, editorial programming is supported by regular events by film crews or local associations. Also, the cinemas do not show advertisements and do not sell food. ”This has economic consequences,” said Bidou. “But it is a choice that underpins our strong identity. It is a virtuous model in which all films are treated equally and advertised (posters and trailers).”

Fatima Djoumer, CEO of Europa Cinemas, said: “Roman Gutek, with Kino Nowe Horyzonty, is reinventing Young Audiences activities in Poland and uniting a nationwide initiative. In Austria, Michael Stejskal and his cinemas Votiv Kino and Kino De France are energizing the local ecosystem with their eclectic programming. In France, Martin Bidou, with the company Haut et Court, has established himself as a leading figure of film entrepreneurship, taking over art-house cinemas in city centres. The excellence of the Network is more alive than ever!”

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