Manuel José Damásio elected president of CILECT and Barry Dignam elected as chair of GEECT

Manuel José Damásio, Head of the Film and Media Department at Lusófona University, and Barry Dignam, Vice Dean European University at the National Film School, IADT - both members of the FilmEU board, were recently elected to top positions at CILECT, the International Association of Cinema and Media Schools.

At the association’s annual conference, which took place at the Communication University of China (CUC), Beijing earlier this month, José Damásio was elected to president of CILECT while Dignam was elected to the executive council and to GEECT regional chair, the European chapter of CILECT.

The duo were elected by representatives from 68 film schools worldwide.

José Damásio previously held the position of regional chair of GEECT between 2020 and 2024 and both of them will now serve for a minimum of four years. Created in 1954, CILECT is the main global organization representing the most important film and media schools internationally.

CILECT brings together more than 186 film and media schools from 63 countries on six continents, representing more than 11,000 teachers and staff who train roughly 90,000 students annually and communicate with a network of more than one and a half million alumni.

The election of these two FilmEU representatives to the top positions of this global association reflects the weight and growing importance of FilmEU in the domains of training and research.

FilmEU, the European University of Cinema and Media Arts, is the only alliance of the 64 European Universities in the cultural and creative sectors.

José Damásio’s and Dignam’s new roles will only further strengthen its ability to intervene at European and international levels.

Speaking on his election, Dignam said: “This is a great opportunity to continue the work of connecting European film schools and navigating the challenges and opportunities of technological change, increasing diversity and sustainability in our industry.

“I look forward to collaborating with colleagues to ensure the growth and inclusivity of our global community.”

Tobias Frühmorgen, a teacher and coordinator of the Green Consultant Course for Audiovisual Production at Lusófona University, has been also been elected to the CILECT Committee on Sustainability (CCS).

This committee's mission is to advance the association's Green Agenda by designing and promoting initiatives for green production education among member schools.

The outcome will result in a sustainability declaration at the upcoming summit in Guadalajara in 2025.