The Federation of Film Academies Europe (FACE) has a new chair: at its General Assembly, held as part of the Taormina Film Festival, Katharina Albrecht, Managing Director of the Austrian Film Academy, was elected to lead the European umbrella organisation for a two-year term. Katarina Krnáčová of the Slovak Film and Television Academy was appointed vice-chair.

Founded in 2024, the Federation of Film Academies Europe sees itself as the collective voice of European film academies. The network’s aim is to raise the profile of European cinema and to strengthen cooperation between national academies.

With the addition of the Irish Film & Television Academy and the Galician Audiovisual Academy from Spain, FACE has grown to a total of 25 member academies. Alain Randresy (Film Academy Luxembourg) and Peter Craeymeersch (Ensors Academy, Belgium) were also elected to the Executive Board. Laia Aubia (Catalan Film Academy), Francine Hofstee (Dutch Academy for Film) and Matthijs Wouter Knol (European Film Academy) were re-elected to their posts.

„We believe in a reality in which European culture and identity, as well as the role of European cinema, are becoming increasingly important,“ Albrecht said following her election. She said she wanted to work with the member academies to further strengthen communication and cooperation within the European film sector.

As well as the board elections, FACE also used the General Assembly in Taormina to take stock of its most recent initiatives. These include the „Best of Europe“ programme, developed in collaboration with FestivalScope, which gives members of European film academies access to nationally award-winning films from various countries and aims to promote their cross-border visibility.

In addition, the association launched its new website. The General Assembly was held in collaboration with the Taormina Film Festival and the Accademia del Cinema Italiano – David di Donatello.