The course

Who's who

Paolo Protti , President, MEDIA Salles
After classical studies, Paolo Protti started working in the cinema exhibition company owned by his family in the Seventies, also organising theatrical and musical events.
In the Eighties, he established his own company and opened cinemas in Mantova, his hometown.
In addition, he continued to promote cultural events collaborating with local public institutions. In 1999 his new company (Procine) opened the multiscreen complex "Cinecity" in Mantova.
Since 2009, one of his cinemas - "Multisala Ariston" - has been hosting, the yearly convention of the Italian art-house cinemas organised by FICE.
In 2011 he converted his cinemas to digital technology.
Alongside his professional career, Paolo Protti has been involved in the activities of ANEC, the Italian Cinema Exhibitors' Association, and of AGIS, the umbrella organisation representing the whole entertainment section in Italy, holding several positions, including his role as President of ANEC (2005 - 2011) and of President of AGIS (2010 - 2012).
In 2010 he became President of the "Schermi di Qualità" committee, a special project with support from the Italian Ministry of Culture, and in May 2015 he became President of MEDIA Salles.
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Linda Arbanová, Project Manager, Aeroskola
Linda Arbanová is the manager of Aeroskola, an educational programme of Cinema Aero in Prague. In addition, she is a lecturer at the Faculty of Education of the Charles University of Prague, where she teaches film and animation for prospective teachers. With Aeroskola she can put into practice what she teaches at university. Aeroskola offers film and animation courses, workshops, summer camps and other programmes for children, teenagers, students, adults and seniors. It provides various programmes for schools as well as seminars for teachers who want to learn how to teach live action film and/or animation. In 2014, Aeroskola opened a new studio near Aero cinema, where all educational activities take place.
 
Peter Bosma, Independent Programmer, researcher, lecturer Film Studies
Peter Bosma (1960) studied Dutch Literature and Film Studies at the University of Utrecht. After his graduation in 1986 he initiated and coordinated the Open University Introduction Course to Film Studies.
His fascination with film art led him to joining the rows of professionals of cinema exhibition as a co-filmprogrammer of arthouse cinema LantarenVenster (Rotterdam), a position he held for twenty years. He focused on presenting film heritage, especially silent films. Eventually he returned to teaching film history and film analysis at art academies and cultural management at the University of Utrecht.
At the moment he is as full time freelance researcher eager to explore the new possibilities and battle the constraints of digital projection. His professional experience covers three different domains: Film Exhibition (to organize special programs in a cinema); Higher Education (to lecture on film history and its institutional context; reflection on arts management and marketing); Research on subjects as the practice of cinema exhibition and the presentation of film heritage, exploration of the range of cinema art and its critical discourse (especially making meaning of the high lights of silent cinema). Most recent publication Film Programming: Curating for Cinemas, Festivals, Archives (Wallflower Press, forthcoming June 2015)
 
Michal Bregant, CEO, National Film Archive
Since January 2012 CEO of the National Film Archive in Prague. Film historian, critic, and curator. Graduated from Charles University in Prague in 1988; 1987-2002 curator and researcher at National Film Archive in Prague; since 1991 lecturer at FAMU (Prague Film Academy).
1995-2002 editor-in-chief of the quarterly Iluminace (Journal for film theory, history, and aesthetics); 1997-2002 Board member of the State Fund for Support and Development of Czech Cinema; 2002-2008 Dean of FAMU; 2008-2012 Chair of FAMU International. Since 2011 member of the Czech commission of UNESCO. Since 2014 member of Executive Committee of ACE (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes).
 
Elisabetta Brunella, Secretary General, MEDIA Salles
After completing her education in the humanities in Italy, followed by post-graduate studies in the United States, she worked in the field of communications and marketing as Head of External Relations in companies of international importance until 1991.
Since then, she has held the position of Secretary General of MEDIA Salles.
As a freelance journalist, her field is the economy of the cinema market. In this area she also co-operates with Universities and on training courses for professional players.
 
Giovanni Cozzi, President, Rising Alternative
Giovanni Cozzi created Rising Alternative to expand the international distribution of the Opera and Ballet in Cinema program he had developed at Emerging Pictures, a company he co-founded in the United States in 2001.
From 2001 to 2007, Giovanni and his partners developed the first network of digital venues that used exclusively digital servers and projectors to exhibit international / independent films. In 2007, he launched the international distribution of alternative content with Opera, Ballet, Musical and Concert programs from prestigious institutions such as the Teatro alla Scala (Milano), the Salzburg Festival, the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona), the Teatro Real (Madrid), the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Mariinsky (St. Petersburg), the Wiener Staatsoper, the Opera de Paris, The San Francisco Opera and many others.
Prior to Emerging Pictures, Giovanni was the President of Vidikron, a consumer electronics company he founded in 1988 and which specialized in high-definition projection systems. Giovanni began his entrepreneurial career as a co-founder of Italy's first commercial radio station, Radio Milano International, in 1975.
 
Peter Csordás, Head of Digital Department, Slovak Film Institute
Peter Csordás graduated at University of transport and telecommunications in 1991 in Slovakia. He then worked in the film industry as junior and senior colorist at Barrandov Studio in Prague and at Egli Film in Zurich. After this experience he went back to Slovakia and started working for the Slovak Film Institute at the Film Archive department. He is now the head of the Digital Department, where he is responsible for the film digitization project.
 
Peter Dubecký, General Manager, Slovak Film Institute
Peter Dubecký graduated from the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He has been General Manager of the Slovak Film Institute since 1998 and is Vice-President of the Slovak Film and Television Academy; he is also a member of the Science and Art Board of the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, a member of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and Vice-President of the Slovak Association of Audiovision producers.
Since 2007 he has been a member of the Awards Committee for the Chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic's Award. In 2012 he was appointed member of the coordination group within the framework of the national OPIS project. He is the main specialist manager and guarantor of the national project on Digital audiovision.
In 1993 he became chair of the Association of Slovak Film Clubs and is currently the honorary chair. He is Director of the International Film Festival Febiofest in Slovakia. He has been a member of many international juries at film festivals and has received awards from many institutions - e.g. Gold Medal from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Annual Prize of the Association of Czech Film Clubs, Prize KRISTIÁN from the IFF Febiofest Prague, the Prize Zlatý ledňáček from the IFF FINÁLE Plzeň.
 
David Horáček, General Manager, Premiere Cinemas Czech
David Horacek opened the first multiplex cinema in the Czech Republic under the flag of the South African Ster Kinekor in 1999. He was appointed Country Manager Ster Century Cinemas Czech in 2000 and managed the roll-out of the company's cinema business by opening another 5 multiplex cinemas in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company was purchased and renamed Palace Cinemas Czech in 2002 and David launched another 3 multiplex cinemas, creating a market leader with a total of 8 theatres. He also led the cinema advertising division Palace Media and the film distribution branch Palace Pictures at the same time. The company was taken over by its competitor in 2011 and David founded his own cinema company, Premiere Cinemas Czech, which now operates 3 multiplex cinemas in the Czech Republic. He worked with the independent film distribution companies Blue Sky Film Distribution and A-Company Film Distribution at the same time. He has also acted as board member of the Czech Union of Film Distributors and board member of the Czech Film Chamber. David is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Czech State Film Fund and its expert on technical development and modernisation. He is also a free-lance teacher at a private Film Academy in Pisek.
 
Pavlína Kalandrová, Director, Creative Europe Desk CZ - MEDIA
PavlĂ­na Kalandrová graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Palacky University in Olomouc (Theatre Studies and Czech Language and Literature) and from the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU, Film and TV production). She co-founded the production company Duracfilm where she produced mainly documentaries (screened at FID Marseille, Jihlava IDFF, One World Prague, Shanghai IFF, Beijing IFF, Jaipur IFF, or AFO Olomouc). She also worked as production manager in the Archa Theatre, Prague, as translator from German and French and as image editor in the newspaper Hospodářské noviny. She speaks German, French, English and a little Hungarian. Since October 2014 she has been director of the Creative Europe Desk CZ - MEDIA.
 
Michael Karagosian, Founder and President, MKPE Consulting

Michael Karagosian is the founder and president of MKPE Consulting, a consultancy for business development in cinema technology. His many accomplishments include the negotiation of virtual print fee deals in South America, Philippines and Ireland. He served on the Board of Directors for In-Three and advised the UK Film Council in the launch of the Digital Screen Network, the first public funding programme for digital cinema conversion.
For 11 years, he served as chief technology consultant to the National Association of Theatre Owners in the US. Earlier in his career, Mr Karagosian co-founded the CinemAcoustics division of Peavey Electronics and led the development of cinema and studio products at Dolby Laboratories where his first contribution was the introduction of 70mm split surround for the original release of Apocalypse Now. He has chaired numerous committees in SMPTE's digital cinema effort and currently co-chairs the 21DC High Frame Rate Study Group.

michael.karagosian@mkpe.com
mkpe.com; mkpereport.com

   
Marek Loskot, Head of research unit, State cinematography fund
Since November 2013, Marek Loskot has been working as researcher at the State Cinematography Fund Czech Republic. Marek is a film studies graduate from Masaryk University, department of film studies and audiovisual culture. He worked as art director of the oldest short film festival in the Czech Republic Brno 16 and the student festival Zlin dog under IFF Zlín and has spent the past decade in the advertising business. In 2007 he founded the creative studio FILMOCHOD. Marek also worked for the European Project Fund for Masaryk University as project coordinator for the interns.
   
Dave Monk, CEO, EDCF
Worked for 38 years with Texas Instruments (TI), one of the enabling companies of Digital Cinema with its DLP Cinema™ technology. David was Vice President of TI Europe and Chairman and Managing Director of TI's UK and Ireland subsidiaries before retiring in 2004. For the last four years he has been the producer for IBC's D Cinema Theme Day. He is a technology advisor to the UK's Film and Television Academy - BAFTA. An active member of The British Kinomatic Sound and Television Society. An advisor to the National Film Theatre's Digital Test Bed Project. A regular contributor at Conferences on Digital Cinema evolution and technology across the globe. He received an Honorary Doctorate in 1999 from the City University and is now a visiting Professor of MicroElectronics at the City University, London. He was appointed as EDCF CEO in 2006.
   
Michal Pajdiak, Sound Designer, SoundSquare studio
I was born in Prague and started my study in computers, before balancing my studies with my interest in music.
I started as a drummer and guitar player before moving on to composing and producing music. In 1999, I joined the sound crew in Cinemasound studio, later Soundsquare studio. In 2001, I started the project Alvik. First nu-jazz / downtempo project in Czech Republic.
During the day, I work exclusively as a sound designer and re-recording mixer at SoundSquare studio: the premier film sound post production facility in the Czech Republic, otherwise producing music for other projects, composing or arranging for ballet, films or theatre performances, producing short music pieces for commercials ...
www.michalpajdiak.com
   
Ondřej Šír, Chairman, APK - Czech Exhibitors' Association
Ondřej Šír finished his film studies in 2011 with a master thesis on the history of distribution strategies in the Czech Republic after the fall of communism. Since 2000 he has been working in a small village cinema. He has specifically studied the issue of cost effective dramaturgy in small cinemas. Since 2010 he has been manager of Cinema Jitrenka Semily, in a town of 8,000 inhabitants. The cinema records 22,000 admissions a year. The dramaturgy of cinema Jitrenka is not strictly commercial; its programming makes room for a film club, live broadcasts, or workshops for young filmmakers. Since 2014 Ondrej has been chairman of the Association of Czech Cinemas. Together with other members of the Board they are attempting to professionalize the Association.
   
Nick Varley, Managing Director, Park Circus Limited
With over twenty years experience, Nick started his career in cinema exhibition developing both technical and management skills before moving on to work in film programming with a number of independent cinemas and festivals in the UK. In 2003 along with John Letham, Nick set up Park Circus and since then the company has become the leading world theatrical distributor of repertory film programming. Park Circus represents over 20,000 feature films from the major Hollywood studios and last year licensed films in over eighty countries worldwide. In September 2014 Park Circus became part of event cinema company Arts Alliance Limited.
   
Mike Vickers, MEDIA Salles Treasurer
He has worked in distribution and film booking for nearly 50 years - programming cinemas in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Romania - and is recognised as one of the most innovative film bookers and schedulers. He is a past President of the UK's exhibitor trade association (CEA) and current executive board member. He also has European connections via the EU's MEDIA programme MEDIA Salles, where he is a long serving board member and Treasurer. He was contracted to assist with the live broadcast from the prestigious British Museum that was screened into over 350 cinemas in the UK, titled Vikings Live From the British Museum. He is currently working on the distribution of the documentary Nobody told us anything that reveals the story of the British Nuclear Test Veterans who served during the Atomic Bomb test in the South Pacific after WWII.
   
Petr Vítek, Director Pro-DIGI o.s.
Petr Vítek has been active in the field of film exhibition for more than 16 years. He is co-founder of the legendary Prague based art-house cinema Aero and a member of the team managing other art-house cinemas: Svetozor and Bio Oko. He's a technical consultant for the distribution company Aerofilms.
Since 2008, Petr Vítek has been director of Pro-DIGI, a civic association focusing on the digitization of the film industry in the Czech Republic. Pro-DIGI runs a webzine at www.digitalnikino.cz, and organizes vocational training for cinema managers and technicians.
He was a member of the MEDIA Programme and the Czech Ministry of Culture's experts committees for digitization. In 2012, he became the director of Bio Central, a singlescreen art-house cinema in Hradec Králové. In 2012, Petr Vítek was elected chairman of the Council of the Czech State Cinema Fund.
   
Adam Zbiejczuk, Social Media Expert
Adam has been blogging since 2000, chose Web 2.0 as his MA thesis topic and that landed him a job in mBank, where he took the position of "No.1 bank blogger in the Czech Republic". Later he worked in different agencies, helped to create the first local social media monitoring tool and eventually ended up as a freelancer, organizing social media meet-ups, consulting clients and agencies and taking care of BMW Czech Republic's social media presence
   
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Andrea Abolis, IT
Associazione culturale FILMCLUB - Cinema Ariston, Merano
Movie Theatre Manager
   
Adéla Beranová, CZ
Kulturní centrum Turnov, kino Sféra - APK member
Marketing and PR
   
Peter Bon, NL
Groninger Forum
Head of Operations
   
Klaudia Elsässer, HU
Pannonia Entertainment Ltd.
Managing Director
   
Csilla Fenyvesi, HU
Cine-mis Nonprofit, Miskolc
Assistant (programming, cinema and festival)
   
Daniele Gavelli, IT
Cinema entrepreneur
   
David Havas, CZ
National Film Archive - Ponrepo Cinema, Prague
Head of Production
   
Karolina Heroldova, CZ
Free lance
Event production
   
Andres Kauts, EE
Tartu Elektriteater, Tartu
General manager
   
Manuel Mansergas Monte, E
Cineinforme
Journalist
   
Olga Nadolskaya, BY
Raketa / Cinemascope
Artistic director
   
Balazs Nagy, HU
Budapest Film - Toldi Mozi, Budapest
Shift Manager
   
Dávid Orosz, HU
Budapest Film - Toldi Mozi, Budapest
Projectionist
   
Marian Plieštik, CZ
Kino Světozor, Prague - APK member
Technical/event manager
   
Barbara Polin, IT
T.C.P.M. - Cinema Italia Eden, Montebelluna
Exhibitor
   
Adam Švancar, CZ
APK Cinema Service
Manager