At CineEurope in Barcelona, the International Cinema Association UNIC A new board has been elected. The new president is Jaime Tarrazón of the Federación de Cines de España. He succeeds Phil Clapp, who is stepping down after 13 years at the helm of the European cinema umbrella organisation.

The election took place during the general meeting held as part of the industry conference. Alongside the presidency, other key positions on the executive board were also filled: Richard Patry (Fédération Nationale des Cinémas Français) has taken on the role of Senior Vice-President, whilst Christine Berg (HDF Kino) was elected Treasurer. Berg heads the German industry association HDF Kino and thus remains part of the inner circle of the European cinema organisation.

In addition to the Executive Committee and the top positions, the rest of the Board was also re-elected or expanded. The Vice-Presidents include representatives from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Poland, Italy and Belgium, amongst others. The UNIC Board is re-elected every two years and represents the national cinema associations from numerous European countries.

This latest appointment is regarded as a routine yet crucial development in European cinema policy, as UNIC acts as the cinema industry’s leading representative body at EU level – particularly on issues relating to film funding, regulation and market development.