Report on the CILECT Congress 2025
CILECT 2025 was hosted at Universidad de Guadalajara, CINETECA FICG, Departamento de Imagen y Sonido, Mexico. The five-day conference had the theme of ‘Transformative Power of Conscience in Twenty First Century Cinema’. More than 190 people attended the congress from 45 countries. NAHEMI was represented by the Chair, Jeremy Bubb, and Co-Chair Professor Lucy Brown, along with Executive members, Peter Hort from University of Westminster; and Barry Dignam from IADT. Other NAHEMI institutions represented were UAL- LCC, and the NFTS. Proceedings started with a welcome from the hosts, followed by dancing from student performers, and mariachi singers, which is native to this region. The keynote speakers addressed the issue of AI in teaching, film and media, and it was apparent just how far things had developed in the twelve months since the last time we all met in Beijing, where the sole focus was AI in filmmaking. This time the emphasis was on how we should progress in a world where AI is becoming increasingly pervasive. Examples of how it is changing the world of education were discussed, as was regulation, its use in a range of media and speculation as to what the future holds. It was suggested that there will be a whole new range of skills that teachers and students will have to develop, to deal with the changes and challenges ahead. It was also suggested that film schools and universities are well placed to take on the challenges, inform and shape policies and practices of the future.
There was an excellent presentation from Dana Blankstein Cohen, Ihab Jadallah, and Benjamin Friedenberg, the team running the Jerusalem based Sam Speigel Film School that educates Israeli and Palestinian students’ side by side. The challenges and difficulties of running such an organisation against the background of war, prejudice and with limited resources, was shared.
The day ended by a series of awards presented for student work, with the UK based, NAHEMI members, the NFTS, winning all categories, in short drama, documentary and animation.
The next stage of the conference was a series of workshops, presentations and discussions that shared good practice and reflected on the way in which the subject of filmmaking and scriptwriting is being taught in the universities and film schools around the world. Scriptwriting, storytelling, documentary, drama production, and technologies were all included in the sessions. NAHEMI Executive Peter Hort, presented an excellent workshop on fairness in teaching.
Throughout the week there were meetings of the Committees, these included Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Sustainability, Developing Technologies, and a Task Force to look at Quality Enhancement within the organisation.
We are pleased to announce that Lucy Brown from University of Westminster, has been elected to the Regional Council of the European Group of Film and Television Schools (GEECT), that represents almost 100 members from 35 countries. She will now serve alongside fellow NAHEMI Executive, Barry Dignam to strengthen our presence in the wider European Film Education community.
The cultural day saw a trip Tequilla Town and a tequila distillery, and to the magical and authentic town on the outskirts of Guadalajara, called Tlaquepaque where the celebrations of the Day of the Dead were evident.
As usual, the last day of conference was reserved for CILECT business. There were two new institutions that were voted on to join the organisation, they were The National Film Institute, Jos, Nigeria, and Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, USA . We also herd from the team from IADT, Ireland who presented their pitch for hosting the next conference in Dublin in 2026, which was accepted by the Congress.
Finally, to round off the event, a conference farewell dinner was hosted at the atmospheric location of Edificio Arroniz where there was more entertainment. It was originally built as a convent in 1733 and is now preserved as a historic monument and part of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, a suitable place to close the conference. The hosts did an excellent job in providing us all with plenty to consider as the academic year rumbles on. NAHEMI members and interests were well represented by those present and we were fully engaged in debate, networking, contributing to decisions made by CILECT, and involved in discussions on global issues raised at conference. I am hopeful that next year, in Dublin, we will have a stronger presence from UK based institutions. Further details about the whole week can be found here: https://www.cilectcongress2025.com/
Jeremy Bubb
Chair of NAHEMI
November 2025