Founded in 1992 with funding from the MEDIA programme and from CNC, Europa Cinemas is the first film theatre network focusing on European films.

Its objective is to provide operational and financial support to cinemas that commit themselves to screen a significant number of European non-national films, to offer events and initiatives as well as promotional activities targeted at Young Audiences and to screen digital European films.

Europa Cinemas is present in more than half of all European towns of more than 150,000 inhabitants.
Thanks to the support of Eurimages and the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the influence of Europa Cinemas extends to Eastern European countries, to the Balkans and to Turkey.

With Euromed Audiovisual, Europa Cinemas supports the distribution and exhibition of European films in 12 countries of the Mediterranean region.

Europa Cinemas also supports exhibition and distribution in Asia, Latin America and the southern Mediterranean countries within the scope of MEDIA International and of the support of the European Union towards outside MEDIA countries.

As of early 2009, Europa Cinemas had 1,945 member screens in 758 cinemas, 439 towns or cities and 43 countries.