The UNIC Cinema Days once again served as a meeting point for the mentoring community, a few months after its initial first gathering that launched the WCLP’s ninth edition.
The session brought together all mentees and nearly all mentors from the 2025/2026 intake and was moderated by Monica Chadha, Independent Director.
This year’s session focused on mentoring and leadership. Following a welcome introduction by Laura Houlgatte, CEO of UNIC, Javier Sotomayor, President of International of Regal Cineworld, was invited to give an inspirational talk about his leadership journey and own path to success. The talk triggered lively Q&As and discussions on self-leadership, taking ownership of one’s career, and managing cultural differences when working at an international level.
Both mentors and mentees then shared feedback and exchanged views on their mentoring experience. This was followed by a practical workshop on what defines a successful leader, particularly as AI continues to shift expectations and create additional challenges. Monica, who facilitated the session, provided valuable insights at each stage.
At the end of the meeting, Laure Galtier, Head of Projects & Events of UNIC, thanked the current sponsors of the programme Vista Group, Imax and Barco and outlined the next steps, announcing the next group calls in January and suggesting some exercises for the mentees, such as the job shadowing and switch mentor month, to be carried out early next year. She also announced the afternoon quickfire session during the conference, which would showcase the WCLP programme thanks to testimonials form a current pair, and a new mentoring video promoting the programme.
In summary, the session further demonstrated the value of the programme and the impact of connecting as a community. The next in-person get-together of the group will take place in June at CineEurope 2026.
If you have any questions about the programme or if you want to apply as a mentor or a mentee for the next 2026-2027 edition, please contact lgaltier@unic-cinemas.org.