In the fall of 2025, IMAGO launched its first Mentorship Program with two simple but important goals: to support the professional development of young cinematographers, and to bring member societies closer together through real, human exchange.

How it works

Member societies nominate mentors and mentees, who are then paired across different countries and societies. For one year, each pair meets regularly for one-on-one sessions built entirely around what the mentee wants and needs — whether that’s a technical question, a creative challenge, or simply navigating the professional world with a little more confidence. No fixed curriculum, no rigid structure. Just two cinematographers talking.

The international dimension matters too. By pairing people from different member societies, the program naturally creates connections between national communities that might otherwise never meet.

Where we are now

The pairings were announced at the IAGA 2026 in Vienna, and since then the first edition has been up and running. 44 mentors and mentees from 15 member societies are already getting to work, and it has been a real pleasure to see it all come together.

For candidates who didn’t quite fit the mentee profile but were still looking for guidance or peer support, we are working on a separate series of focused Zoom sessions — smaller, more targeted conversations around specific topics. We’ll share more details on that later this year.

What comes next

We will be launching the second edition of the IMAGO Mentorship Program this coming September. Societies will have until December 31st to submit their mentor and mentee nominations, and the new pairings will be announced at the IAGA 2027 in Barcelona.

If your society hasn’t participated yet, we hope you’ll consider joining us for the next round!