Film Journal July 2018

studios would need to follow to provide
the right content to attract the diverse
audience of tomorrow.”
Houlgatte agrees on the “need to
come together as an industry to promote
a culture of change that values
growth and equal opportunities.” The
UNIC mentoring scheme is all about
“prompting our industry to be more engaged
and aware of the business value of
having more women in leadership roles.
Furthermore, together with our mentees
and mentors we co-create a community
of support and action within the industry,
with these outstanding young women
involved today as mentees becoming
mentors in the future. Our key longterm
objective is to broaden and deepen
the talent pool for leadership in our
industry and to transform the exhibition
sector into a healthy environment where
everyone can realize their full potential.”
What did organizers learn during
the first round of mentorship? Epelbaum
reminds us that the program was
a pilot. “It has certainly evolved and
was adjusted throughout the year,” she
reflects. “We had frequent calls with our
mentors and mentees to discuss what
UNIC can do to facilitate the program.
For instance, we created a Facebook
group to facilitate interaction among
participants and also elaborated a library
with topics and articles they could use as
an inspiration for their sessions.” During
workshops in Brussels, “when the
whole group got together to share their
experiences and learn from each other,”
much appreciated opportunities for networking
were created. “We also involved
inspirational speakers outside the industry
to share their thoughts and expertise.
Our participants pointed out how
liberating it was to acknowledge that all
women, no matter their career level or
industry they are working in, shared and
still share many of the same struggles.
We will continue these exercises, as we
believe they are truly empowering.”
In addition, all participants liked
the flexibility of the program, Houlgatte
has observed during the first year. “We
want to give them enough room to tailor
the program to their own needs and
profiles. We are also aware that people’s
days only last 24 hours and we wanted
to make sure that it did not become a
burden.” Going forward in the 2018-19
edition, this flexibility will be maintained,
Houlgatte assures. “On our side, we
provide guidance and assistance and recommend
some activities they can undertake
during the year, but we leave it up
to each mentoring pair to decide how to
approach the scheme and what works
best for them and their mentor/mentee
relationship.”
At press time, information on the
second group of participants was not
ready for sharing. Epelbaum did confirm
repeat performances, however. “The second
edition will be very much in line with
what we had as part of the pilot and will
include workshops, one-to-one career
advice and networking opportunities for
six up-and-coming female professionals
from cinema exhibition and their respective
mentors for the duration of one
year. Similar to the pilot, we will maintain
the cross-company, cross-sector and
international dimensions of the scheme.
We also secured outstanding women
leaders from across the industry as mentors
in the program and equally inspiring
mentees. We just do not want to give it
all away now.”
What the UNIC women will give
away, however, is the launch date for the
second mentorship round on Wednesday,
June 13, as well as an award during
the closing night of CineEurope. “In addition
to the mentoring scheme,” Epelbaum
confirms, “this year, together with
our partners from Film Expo Group,
we are introducing for the first time the
‘CineEurope Gold Award’ to give recognition
to those individuals who—while
sometimes in a role which would not
ordinarily command the spotlight—have
made outstanding contributions to both
the ongoing success of their company
or organization but also to the wider
European cinema industry. Value your
talent—that is what we want to communicate.”
“This will also mark the closing
session of the pilot program,” Houlgatte
notes. She foresees conducting a final
evaluation to see whether mentees are
closer towards their set objectives. “We
will also hold a private reception for
current and new participants on Sunday
before the convention starts, in line
with our commitment to create a vibrant
community of female professionals
across the industry.”
Closing one door and opening
another is also an opportune time to
reflect. How does Laura Houlgatte measure
success? “At the beginning of the
mentoring process, each pair identified
some individual goals for their 12-month
journey,” she responds. “Some of them
focused on building self-confidence or
gaining more of a voice and visibility in
their companies; others focused on tackling
some individual professional challenges
they were experiencing. On our
side, we are in constant touch with our
mentees and mentors to get their feedback
on how their relationship evolves.”
A mid-term survey UNIC conducted
showed that the entire process “has
been a very rewarding experience for
our participants. Some mentees pointed
out that the support they received during
these months has accelerated their
professional growth and that they feel
more inspired and confident to take action.
This is already an important success
for UNIC.” And the best sign of success,
Houlgatte declares, “would be to have
our mentees of today become our mentors
of tomorrow!”
The industry is on its way, Laura
Houlgatte and Edna Epelbaum concur.
“We believe that our industry is getting
more committed in achieving more
gender-balanced leadership, but there is
still so much yet to be done.” Houlgatte
adds, “This is not only about having more
women in leading roles but also more
diversity in general—be it gender, age or
social background. We need to become
more inclusive as an industry if we want
to attract and retain talent—and be even
more successful! Promoting more diverse
leadership is high on UNIC’s agenda. Join
us for the journey!”
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