SCARE

What SCARE does

SCARE (Syndicat des Cinémas d'Art, de Répertoire et d'Essai) is a French non-profit professional syndicate founded in 1961 and headquartered in Paris, representing approximately 470 independent art house cinemas across France, of which 396 are active dues-paying members operating 802 screens. The organization defends the interests of private, associative, and public independent cinemas before professional and institutional partners, including the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée) and the Médiateur du cinéma.

Its core products and services combine collective representation with mutualized data infrastructure and training. The flagship data product is the Baromètre Art & Essai, a weekly attendance tracking service developed in partnership with ComScore that monitors nearly 25% of national cinema admissions. Complementary tools include the Portail Open Data (Data Ciné Indés), launched in 2024 as an open data platform for cultural programming data, and the Agenda des cinémas for cultural event listings. The syndicate runs professional training programs (Formations Professionnelles) covering digital projection, cabin maintenance, HR, digital communication, and audience relations, with funding support from AFDAS. It also organizes the Atelier des Sorties workshop series connecting independent distributors and exhibitors, and publishes annual reference documents such as the Livret Art & Essai and the Guide Accessibilité.

The business model is a membership-based subscription, with annual dues from member cinemas funding operations. The organization operates as a community-led GTM motion, reaching members through professional events, workshops, newsletters, the website (scare.fr), and industry media coverage. Governance is exercised by an elected board of directors and co-presidents (currently Christine Beauchemin-Flot and Stéphane Libs), with bureau elections held every few years. Key strategic partners include CNC, ComScore, CST, AFCAE, SDI, and AFDAS, while the syndicate participates in industry events such as the Sommet des Arcs and the Festival Nouvelles Vagues in Biarritz.

Name

SCARE

Legal name

SCARE

Website

https://scare.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCARE is a French non-profit trade syndicate founded in 1961 that represents approximately 470 independent art house cinemas across France, providing collective representation, data analytics (Baromètre Art & Essai with ComScore), professional training, and mutualized services to its 396 active members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema Trade Association

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (71132)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGAGAB

Professional & Association Conferences

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)

SECONDARYTHAHABAD

Professional & Certification Expos Organizers

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Exhibition & Trade Show Organizers

Keywords

• Independent cinema syndicate
• Art house exhibition
• Cinema trade association
• Film exhibition services
• Art and essai cinema

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees from 396 member cinemas providing operational funding

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SCARE is the professional syndicate representing approximately 470 independent Art & Essai cinemas in France (396 paying members operating 802 screens). It provides collective representation before institutions such as the CNC and the Médiateur du cinéma, and delivers mutualised services to its members including the weekly Baromètre Art & Essai attendance analytics (built with ComScore), the Data Ciné Indés open data portal, professional training programs, publications and workshops that connect distributors and exhibitors.

Product overview

SCARE is a professional syndicate representing approximately 470 independent art house cinemas across France. Its offerings include the Baromètre Art & Essai (a weekly attendance analytics service developed with ComScore), the Portail Open Data (Data Ciné Indés collaborative data platform), professional training programs (Formations Professionnelles), and various publications including the Livret Art & Essai and Guide Accessibilité. The organization also facilitates the Atelier des Sorties workshops connecting distributors and exhibitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 470 independent cinemas represented
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body supporting French cinema; CNC provides funding support for SCARE's data initiatives and training programs including Tour de France digital marketing formations
• ComScorecoreTechnology or IntegrationData analytics company providing cinema attendance tracking data for the weekly Baromètre Art & Essai monitoring nearly 25% of national admissions
• Sommet des ArcsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual film industry summit bringing together distributors and exhibitors; SCARE partners for workshops and Le Laboratoire des Initiatives since 2014
• FIFB Nouvelles Vagues (Biarritz)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm festival in Biarritz; SCARE participates in professional meetings and partnerships with festival
• SDI (Syndicat des Distributeurs Indépendants)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion of independent film distributors; collaborates on annual Rencontres du Cinéma Indépendant and programming workshops
• ArteKinoFestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean cinema festival partnership bringing 11 art house cinemas to screen selected films
• Pass CultureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench cultural pass program; joint webinar to educate member cinemas on Pass Culture integration
• AFCAE (Association Française des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of art and trial cinemas; co-partners for Le Laboratoire des Initiatives at Sommet des Arcs
• CST (Commission Supérieure Technique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical standards body for French cinema; hosts SCARE office; collaborates on technical training including digital projection standards
• AFDAScoreOthersFrench professional training funding organization; provides 100% funding coverage for SCARE's digital marketing training programs

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AFCAE (Association Française des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai): Sister French association of art and trial cinemas that co-hosts industry programs with SCARE (e.g., Le Laboratoire des Initiatives at Sommet des Arcs). Operates in the same niche membership-based model serving French art house exhibitors.
• Art House Convergence: US-based association of independent art house cinemas focused on collective purchasing, programming collaboration, and advocacy. Comparable in representing the business interests of independent exhibitors in a national market.
• AG Kino – Gilde deutscher Filmkunsttheater: German association of art house cinemas providing collective representation, programming, and training services to independent German exhibitors. Directly comparable in scope and mission to SCARE in the German market.
• Europa Cinemas: European network supporting art house cinemas across the continent with funding, training, and audience development programs. Operates a similar membership/trade-body model for independent exhibitors as SCARE does at the French level.
• CICAE (Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai): International confederation of art house cinemas that national bodies like SCARE participate in. Most direct international counterpart in mission and constituency, with comparable advocacy, training, and data roles at a global scale.
• Independent Cinema Office (UK): UK-based membership organization supporting independent and art house cinemas through programming advice, training, and advocacy. Closest UK functional analogue to SCARE's services for member exhibitors.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO): US trade association representing theatrical exhibitors, with advocacy and industry-data functions similar in role to SCARE but at much larger scale and across mainstream and independent cinemas.
• UNIC (International Union of Cinemas): European cinema exhibitor trade body representing the wider cinema industry (including chains and independents). Broader than SCARE but provides analogous policy and industry representation functions at the European level.
• CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée): French national cinema regulatory and funding body. Not a member organization but a core counterpart that SCARE interfaces with for policy, funding, and data — and which sets the regulatory environment in which SCARE operates.

Regional players

• Cinema Foundation (UK): UK charity supporting independent and community cinemas through funding, training, and audience development. Comparable mission to SCARE's training and support services for member cinemas but operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/scaresyndicat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SCARE