For one week, I joined arthouse cinema professionals from across the world as part of Arthouse Cinema Training*(ACT) , an intensive programme organized by CICAE (International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas).

Bringing together exhibitors, programmers, distributors and cultural managers from more than thirty countries, the training offered an immersive introduction to the contemporary challenges and possibilities of independent cinema exhibition.

Throughout the week, we learned from some of the field's leading practitioners, including cinema directors, festival programmers, marketing specialists and audience development experts, while visiting some of Berlin's most remarkable independent cinemas, such as Wolf Kino and Delphi Lux.

Rather than approaching exhibition solely as a business model, the programme consistently framed cinemas as cultural institutions with the capacity to build communities, shape public discourse and expand access to cinema.

Aside from the talks and discussions, we were separated into groups and spent the week developing a collaborative exhibition project as part of the programme's Build Your Own Cinema workshop.

Working with colleagues from the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, we designed a community-driven cinema model inspired by Rotterdam's FilmLokaal, presenting a complete proposal that combined programming strategy, branding, audience engagement and financial sustainability. It was an unusually rewarding exercise, not only because it brought together perspectives from radically different exhibition contexts, but because it demonstrated how collaborative thinking can generate ideas none of us would likely have arrived at alone.

Being the first and only participant from Paraguay in the history of the programme made the experience particularly meaningful. Throughout the week, conversations inevitably returned to the realities of exhibiting films in countries where arthouse infrastructure remains fragile or still in formation. Sharing Paraguay's experience while learning from colleagues working in vastly different cultural ecosystems reinforced my conviction that independent cinemas are far more than screening venues: they are places where communities are built, cultural identities are negotiated and new relationships between audiences and cinema can emerge.