- Joint call by the International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas - CICAE, Art House Convergence (USA) and the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors - NICE (Canada)
- Representing over 5,000 independent and arthouse cinemas and industry stakeholders
- To champion independent and independent and arthouse cinemas worldwide
- Call will tour festivals and industry events worldwide and can be supported online
A global call was issued to political decision-makers, professionals across the film value chain, and communities everywhere to recognize and protect independent cinemas and the values of democracy, diversity, and community they represent worldwide. Representatives of the International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas - CICAE, Art House Convergence and the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE) jointly launched the initiative during the Toronto International Film Festival this September.
Following the start at TIFF 2025, the call will continue to be shared at film festivals and other industry events around the world in the upcoming months.
You can read the statement in full and pledge your support below:
Call to Champion the Future of Independent Cinemas
Today, 130 years after the invention of cinema, as global crises, political upheavals and growing uncertainty continue to shape our decade and the advent of artificial intelligence raises the question of what remains fundamentally human, we – The International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas (CICAE), Art House Convergence (AHC) and Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors (NICE), representing over 5,000 independent exhibitors and arthouse institutions worldwide – gather at the Toronto International Film Festival to assert the cultural, social, and economic imperative of independent cinemas.
We stand united in our commitment to a diverse, equitable, and peaceful world based on free exchange across borders, cultures, and differences of opinion. United across the globe, we affirm that:
Cinemas give life to films as they were meant to be seen. They are where memories are made, minds are changed, and crucial conversations spill out from the screen into the street.
Cinemas are essential pillars of the audiovisual ecosystem, combining cultural and economic value. Cinemas drive box office, support long-term success for diverse films across platforms, foster meaningful audience connections, strengthen local economies and lead innovation across the audiovisual industry.
Cinemas remain the heart of free culture and society. Cinemas amplify new and courageous voices who confront their world with honesty and imagination; especially where filmmakers are at risk of being silenced. While cultural and media power becomes increasingly concentrated, independent cinemas remain crucial local hubs accountable to their communities, not to shareholders.
Cinemas curate with passion and responsibility. In a content-saturated digitized landscape increasingly shaped by corporate interests and artificial intelligence, the mission of independent cinemas remains to guide audiences with thoughtful and diverse programming.
Today, we call on political decision-makers, our colleagues across the film value chain, and communities everywhere to recognize and protect independent cinemas as critical infrastructure, to invest in the cultural and audiovisual ecosystems that create lasting value, and to defend the values of pluralist democracy, equity, and diversity for which they stand.
Together, we can ensure that cinemas remain vibrant spaces of culture, dialogue, and connection. Join us in championing independent cinemas—sign the call, share it, and keep the lights on for stories that matter.
Sonya William (NICE), Kate Markham (AHC), Christian Bräuer (CICAE) at Rivoli Toronto
For more information, please visit the CICAE website.
