Jaime Tarrazón, the head of Spanish exhibitor body Federación de Cines de España, has been elected president of the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC).
He takes over from the UK’s Phil Clapp, who has held the role for 13 years.
The UNIC trade association represents cinema operators and their national associations in 39 European territories.
Tarrazón’s election was announced as part of UNIC’s new board of directors following its AGM at CineEurope this week.
The newly elected board, which will serve a two-year term, is also comprised of senior vice-president Richard Patry from France’s Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français, and treasurer Christine Berg from Germany’s HDF Kino e.V.
Clapp, who heads the UK Cinema Association, stays on as one of five UNIC vice-presidents alongside Switzerland’s Edna Epelbaum (Association Cinématographique Suisse / Schweizerischer Kinoverband), Poland’s Tomasz Jagiełło (Polish Cinema Association), Italy’s Simone Gialdini (Associazione Nazionale Esercenti Cinema) and Belgium’s Thierry Laermans.
Norway’s Espen Pedersen of Film & Kino serves as an observer.
”I take on this responsibility with humility and a firm commitment to live up to the expectations, especially in these complex and rapidly evolving times,” said Tarrazón. ”Together, we have the opportunity to strengthen our unity, enhance our recognition, and reinforce our position as an industry within a new audiovisual ecosystem shaped by significant challenges and transformative opportunities.”
”I am confident that, with the outstanding team we have in Brussels and under the inspiring leadership of our CEO, Laura Houlgatte, we will continue to move forward with ambition, cohesion, and purpose.”
Cinema trends
The board appointments came as UNIC released its annual report on key cinema trends across Europe in 2025.
It reported that 2025 revenues decreased 1.2% year-on-year to €6.9 billion, reflecting a 4.4% fall in admissions at 873.2 million.
Results varied across European territories, reflecting an uneven slate of US studio releases - partly due to ongoing supply constraints following the 2023 Hollywood strikes - as well as a lack of strong local productions in some markets.
Box-office returns were up on the previous year in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Romania, UK and Ukraine.
Results were on par with 2024 in the Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and North Macedonia.
Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Serbia, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden all saw a decline in revenues year-on-year.
The market share of European films in the EU reached 31.4% in 2025.
UNIC reported “positive momentum” in the first quarter of 2026, with more than 15 countries recording double-digit growth including France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Croatia, Serbia and Greece.
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