The International Association of Cinema, Audiovisual and Media Schools
Association internationale des ecoles de cinema, d'audiovisuel et des medias
Membership Benefits
High-scale recognition by the world’s educational, scientific, cultural, and artistic communities.
Opportunities for professional and personal growth for students, teachers and staff through extensive networking initiatives.
Collaboration on or exchange of curriculum plans and programs.
Exclusive access to the best student films produced since 2005.
Exposure to unique teaching resources, best practices, and rare research materials.
Building professional relationships with esteemed experts in the audiovisual field.
Gaining knowledge and appreciation of global indigenous cultural diversity.
Uniting Film Education through CILECT's Global Initiatives
CILECT CONGRESS
The primary purpose of the CILECT Congress is to convene the annual General Assembly, which addresses the internal legislative and organizational matters of the association, making it its highest decision-making body. It primarily involves top administrators of Full Member schools to ensure high standards in film, television, and new media education. Each Full Member school in good standing has one vote and may carry proxies from up to two other schools. Decisions require either a simple majority (50%+1) or a qualified majority (67%).
Key Functions of the General Assembly:
- Admit or expel Full, Partner, and Honorary Members.
- Amend CILECT Statutes and elect the President.
- Ratify elections of Regional Association Chairs.
- Approve annual reports, financial statements, and the four-year strategy.
- Establish or dissolve Regional Associations and committees.
- Decide on affiliations with or withdrawals from international organizations.
- Approve CILECT’s dissolution if necessary.
The Executive Council is the operational body between assemblies, it includes the President and Regional Association Chairs, supported by the Executive Director and Secretariat. Members can serve a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. The Executive Director oversees administrative, financial, promotional, and other key activities of CILECT.
CILECT & Regional Conferences
The CILECT Conferences are annual events that sometimes are dedicated to sharing good practices and teaching methodologies on any of the major fields of the profession: screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, set & costume design, music & sound design, editing, acting, distribution, theory & history, etc. and other times concentrate on broader topics such as the impact of AI or digital technologies on curricula; building audio-visually literate audiences; ethics/aesthetics; teaching documentary, comedy, children films, animation, television, game design; etc.
To better achieve its objectives CILECT has created five regions:
- CAPA (CILECT Asia-Pacific Association)
- CARA (CILECT African Regional Association)
- CIBA (CILECT Ibero-American Association)
- CNA (CILECT North American Association)
- GEECT (Groupement Européen des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision)
REGIONAL Conferences give the members a chance to meet in a less formal working atmosphere and to discuss extremely focused themes in small groups. These are also the best ambiances to form bilateral or multi-lateral agreements.
THE CILECT PRIZE
THE CILECT PRIZE was founded in 2005 at the proposal of Prof. Dr. Stanislav Semerdjiev (NATFA, Sofia, Bulgaria). It strives to facilitate the CILECT Full Member schools with a representative annual showcase of the best student short films which could then become quality teaching examples in the schools’ curricula.
THE CILECT PRIZE is also the first ever international award bestowed to a student film not by jury members but by the whole community of CILECT. Annually, close to 300 films are being watched by 40 000+ students and teachers in the CILECT schools and later on, voted upon as the best films of the association or of its regions.
The formal inauguration of the award in each category (fiction, documentary and animation) is held at the annual congresses of CILECT where all the winners are screened and their teams are invited to meet the CILECT teaching community. The first such ceremony took place at ECAM, Madrid, Spain, on 21 November 2006.
WARNING: Films under the CILECT PRIZE project are made by Full Member school students. Due to the diverse creative and educational purposes, these films cover a broad spectrum of content and styles. Viewer discretion is advised, as the material may not be suitable for audiences outside the audiovisual domain and educational context.
The CILECT Teaching Award
As a means to recognize and reward excellence in film, TV and media pedagogy within the organization, at the proposal of CILECT Executive Director Prof. Dr. Stanislav Semerdjiev, in 2014 CILECT instituted its annual TEACHING AWARD.
- Candidates for the award can only be nominated by Full Member Schools ‘in good standing’. One school can nominate only ONE candidate.
- Candidates may be nominated up to a total of three (3) separate years OR until they are selected as a Teaching Award recipient. No Teaching Award recipient may be re-nominated.
- Up to three awards are granted each year. Winners are presented and awarded at the annual CILECT Congress.
At present, there are TWO Nomination Categories:
- The Lifetime Educational Achievement (LEA) Award is intended to distinguish teachers with outstanding impact on the international audiovisual education.
- The Promising Young Teacher (PYT) Award (under 40 years of age) is intended to acknowledge teachers that have achieved significant pedagogical results at national level.
Vision & Innovation Grants (VIGs)
The Vision & Innovation Grants (VIGs) are ‘seed’ grants intended for the stimulation of teachers/scholars who would like to work on visionary and innovative pedagogical/research projects but have not yet secured financing. Some of the main selection criteria include: 1) degree of vision and innovation; 2) contribution to the state of the art; 3) impact in the applicant’s career.
Standing Committees
Labs & Observatory
CILECT supports and promotes dedicated advocacy formations dealing with relevant issues/topics not covered by other internal structures by its Laboratories and its Observatory.
In addition to the already existing (since 2018) ETHICS LAB under the leadership of Dr. Dan Geva (Beit Berl, Tel Aviv, Israel) the General Assembly 2024 welcomed the proposal of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manuel Jose Damásio (ULHT, Lisbon, Portugal) for the establishment of a brand new Laboratory on Artistic Research (LAR) which would work for AR to be recognized as a discipline supported by funding programs and ensured by infrastructure that would enhance its quality. Other laboratories may also be installed to deal with advocacy initiatives relevant for the organization.
The General Assembly 2024 also regarded as a compelling one the idea of Prof. Damásio for the creation of an R&D structure (The Observatory) that would collect, review, produce and disseminate guidelines and reference terms on matters not covered by other internal bodies.
Knowledge
At the initiative of Prof. Dr. Maria Dora Mourão (Honorary Member, USP, Sao Paulo, Brazil) to transform the CILECT website into a place for sharing relevant experiences and knowledge, in 2013 this special section was opened with the intention to allow schools to upload and download teaching materials (books, articles, films, lectures, etc.).
Later on the project was enlarged with the launch of a series of 10 books under the general title The 21st Century Film, TV & Media School. The first volume was named Challenges, Clashes, Changes (2016) and tried to picture a broad perspective of the contemporary audiovisual education in general. It was followed by the second volume Directing the Future (2019); the third volume Teaching Documentary for the 21st Century (2024); the fourth volume Teaching Sound: Aesthetics & Praxis (2025); and the fifth volume 21st Century Animation: Education, Innovation & Aesthetics (2025). Five more volumes are expected to appear until the end of 2028 – on Production Design, Editing, Cinematography, Screenwriting, and Producing.
In 2024 the General Assembly agreed to allow OPEN ACCESS for all CILECT publications to every teacher registered on CILECT’s website.
Collaboration Projects
CILECT supports financially two types of collaborations between its members: TEACHERS’ FORUMS and PILOTS.
- TEACHERS’ FORUMS are events initiated by and held at CILECT Full Member schools. They provide new knowledge and/or practical experience of pedagogical/research methodologies and/or teaching tools for CILECT teachers. Besides support for the events themselves, CILECT provides Fee Waivers for teachers from all other regions wishing to participate in the forums.
- PILOTS are innovative international collaboration projects jointly developed by at least three Full Members that either introduce new methods of teaching/learning and test them empirically or support them to elevate their standards of teaching and their quality systems.
In the CILECT Archives one may find a number of past projects created under different programs and fulfilling important objectives.