Our Marketing and Outreach officer Holly spoke to the Media Club at TAPE Community Music and Film about their Neighbourhood Cinema project and how they programme and market films to rural communities in North Wales.

What is the Neighbourhood Cinema project? 
We launched a cinema project called ‘Neighbourhood Cinema’ for communities across North Wales in 2023, with support from Film Hub Wales via BFI National Lottery funding. The project currently runs screenings at The Luxor Community Cinema in Llanfairfechan, various sites across Anglesey via Mencap Môn and at TAPE’s base in Colwyn Bay. We’re also exploring a number of ongoing partnerships with the aim of bringing films to communities where it’s more difficult to access regular film screenings.

What is the Media Club at TAPE and how is it involved?
Specialising in creative inclusion, we ‘co-created’ the project in collaboration with our Media Club – a safe and supportive space which offers hands on experiences to a cohort of people from across the local community. The Media Club focuses on giving people aged 18 and over the opportunity to gain experience in podcasting, sound recording, film reviews and cinema programming. The club meets weekly as a part of TAPE’s session schedule.

How do you programme films?
We watch films as a club. Sometimes we watch them at home by ourselves or as a group. We then come together to discuss whether we think they will be good choices for us here at TAPE and the other Neighbourhood Cinema venues we programme for. Recently, the group all really enjoyed Snow Leopard, The Mountain Within Me and Strange Darlings. We are keen to fit those into ours and Llanfairfechan’s programmes somewhere! Snow Leopard was one of the best films we have seen in a long time, it was absolutely brilliant. We try to pick films that people wouldn’t necessarily choose to watch or can’t find at mainstream cinemas, so we can provide that experience for them.

Do you try to estimate audience numbers for your screenings?
We do try to estimate numbers for the screenings as we programme. It’s difficult to be concrete about it as a lot of our screenings are free. People sign up for tickets but may not make it to the screening. We’ve tried lots of different ideas to retain as many people as possible, but you can’t win against the elements! If it’s been raining all day, we have reduced numbers (even though a rainy day is the perfect excuse to hide away at the cinema!)  

The Luxor Community Cinema in Llanfairfechan is a really good example of this. They hit the ground running with their first two screenings. I was at The Sound of Music screening and it was packed – the atmosphere was fantastic and we had  such a good time. They also screened Brian and Charles and they had a great crowd there as well. After both screenings, they received feedback from the audience and there is a real enthusiasm there. People are making suggestions about what they want to see, and it feels like the venue has become involved within the community straight away and  we have a really good partnership.

It’s great to hear that the Luxor has had such an amazing start! What do you think is working particularly well in Llanfairfechan? 
Chris Potter, who runs the community hall is really active in running the whole centre. They are constantly telling people about the cinema and the upcoming screenings. The venue is already very well used by the local community, but the cinema has generated a lot of excitement in t

he village so there is enthusiasm there from the very start. They’ve also ensured that the community a part of the cinema experience, asking them for feedback on the screenings and suggestions about what they would like to see in the future. I think the village has wanted the cinema back for a long time.  

We helped them out with the opening of the cinema, as we loaned them our air-screen whilst they crowd-funded the money for some permanent projection kit. We didn’t want them to have to wait any longer!  

I think it was also a great idea to show The Sound of Music as their first screening, as it was the film that they were going to show before the Luxor Cinema closed down in 1964. The apprentice projectionist from 1964 actually came along to the screening as he still lives in the village, which just adds to the local history of it all! The Luxor is such a good example of what happens when you have the perfect venue and the perfect team. 

Where do you go from the programming stage? What sort of marketing do you currently do to spread the word about your screenings?
We’re very active on our social media platforms – we mainly use Instagram and Facebook. We also produce an audio podcast that goes out every Saturday and they’ve been doing really well. Local radio has been really important for us, they’re supportive of our regular bespoke adverts for the events. It always feels like there is more marketing that we can do, and it is crucial to give people as much time as possible to find out about our events.

Is there anything else that you have done outside of marketing to increase engagement with your programme?
We’ve just started to do some programming with partner organisations. We started by working with Mencap Môn to programme for the Oriel Môn venue in Anglesey and that has been amazing from the start. We have just started to work with an organisation called Anheddau, which is a disability services and support organisation here in North Wales. They want to engage with the people who use their services more, so we are  creating a bespoke programme together, which will be really special. We’re also in the process of talking with organisations like Mind to create similar bespoke programmes there as well.  

We’ve also been doing some outreach screenings at film locations which has been really fun. We hosted a Halloween screening of our second feature film Approaching Shadows at the pub featured in the film. The screening was packed! The crowd were raucous in the best way and they loved it, it worked really well. We’re planning on going back to that same village in January to screen Brian and Charles, as that was also filmed there! It is a different way to engage these communities with Welsh films as well which is nice. 

It’s a really exciting time for the project and we can’t wait to see where it goes in 2025.

Find out more about the Neighbourhood Cinema project here.

Ellys Donovan, Festival Producer of Cardiff Animation Festival tells us about her experience at BFI FAN CON 2024.

BFI FAN CON is a brand new conference for BFI FAN (Film Audience Network) members, from small community cinemas and touring collectives right up to large multi-screen independent cinemas and landmark film festivals. The inaugural event took place in September 2024 (Belfast) and Ellys attended on behalf of Cardiff Animation Festival.

Here’s what Ellys told us about her experience:

 Ellys attended the following talks, all of which she found were engaging and informative:

• Spotlight: Working with Communities in Underserved Areas
• Making Film Festivals More Sustainable and Inclusive
• Integrating Accessible Cinema Experiences For All Audiences
• Deaf Awareness Training
• ‘We’ll Come To You’ People Centred Approaches to Film Exhibition
• The Evolving Role of AI in Cinema
• Family Fortunes: Reaching Families and Children

The ‘Family Fortunes: Reaching Families and Children‘ talk was presented by Exeter Phoenix and Cinemagic Film Festival which explored how they have successfully engaged children / family audiences with their programme and developed a sustainable practice with families being one of their biggest audiences. This is something Cardiff Animation Festival will consider when programming in the future and how they can bring new content to families that would otherwise not have access to it on the big screen.

Read more about all the sessions above.

A community engagement session, We’ll Come to You: People-Centred Approaches to Film Exhibition (curated by Linnea Pettersson) explored potential barriers for audiences from underserved socio economic backgrounds and what can be done to to address them – this was helpful for Ellys in relation to the touring programmes they offer to communities across Wales and how they can consider a people-centred approach to their programming.

Linnea Pettersson is the BFI FAN Socio Economic Champion, read more and find resources here.

Ellys made several new connections with festivals and cinema programmers across the UK and Ireland which could result in more exciting collaborations for Cardiff Animation Festival in future. The new knowledge, training insights and contacts will be shared with the festival team to continue improving Cardiff Animation Festival events for the years ahead.

Ellys attended BFI FAN CON with the support of Film Hub Wales via our Bursary scheme. If you want to attend a meeting, course or event that would benefit your organisation and develop audiences but the costs are prohibitive, you can submit an application for support here.

As actor Mark Lewis Jones’ latest film Portraits of Dangerous Women hit cinema screens on October 11th 2024, he’s also is preparing to receive the BAFTA Cymru 2024 Siân Phillips Award. Across his 38-year acting career, he’s starred in a host of critically-acclaimed films and television dramas. To celebrate this achievement, we’ve curated a list of some of Mark’s films from our Made in Wales catalogue.

To see Mark’s full filmography and TV credits, click here.

9th October 2024

If you’re looking to fill your calendar with Welsh films this winter and settle into a cosy cinema seat, in front of the big screen, we have the list for you.

It’s already been a busy year for films with Welsh connections in 2024 with dramatic features such as The Almond and the Seahorse, Unicorns and Chuck Chuck Baby, plus the epic animation; Kensuke’s Kingdom, all of which had special Made in Wales interviews to introduce audiences to the Welsh links. 

We have even more to look forward to, starting with Timestalker, which releases October 11th. Director Alice Lowe creates a karmic, hilarious and sometimes violent journey that sees the hapless heroine Agnes reincarnated every time she makes the same mistake: falling in love with the wrong man. The film has a host of Welsh connections from producer Vaughan Sivell to actor Aneurin Barnard, who Made in Wales interviewed this week. It was also filmed in Cardiff and Penpont House in Brecon. 

Welsh Producer Vaughan Sivell explains:

Moving on to November, we have two documentaries with globally significant themes. First up is India’s 1st Best Trans Model Agency, from Pembrokeshire based director Ila Mehrotra, releasing November 11th during Transgender Awareness Week. This emotionally charged journey, filmed over seven years, follows the extraordinary story of Rudrani Chettri, her friends and the transgender community of Delhi as they create India’s first ever trans modelling agency. The film explores the complex world of India’s ‘third gender’ (Hijra), where traditional values clash with human rights. The film brings identifiable stories of love and loss, hope and poverty, beauty, glamour and catwalk glory. 

On November 22nd, the multi award winning O R Tambo’s Comrade Tambo’s London Recruits will be launched to a wider cinema going public via what the organisers are calling a ‘People’s Release’. The film, hailed by Variety as an ‘edge of your seats documentary thriller‘, is set at the height of apartheid in the late sixties / early seventies as a group of working-class, anti-racist activists living in London answer Oliver Tambo’s secret call for undercover agents to bring hope to his embattled people inside South Africa. The release is being organised in partnership with the Trade Union movement and solidarity with Southern Africa organisation, ACTSA, in response to nationwide race riots across the UK. A key component will be post-screening panel discussions on how we can all contribute to an anti-racist Britain.   

Welsh Director Gordon Main explains why releases like Comrade Tambo’s London Recruits are so significant:

Also highly anticipated is the second feature from Zambian Welsh Director Rungano Nyoni: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. The film follows Shula as she drives on an empty road in the middle of the night, stumbling across the body of her beloved uncle Fred. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family. Keep your eye out for the release date, coming soon.  

Fans of all things gory, can also look out for ambitious low-budget slasher film Scopohobia from Welsh director and writer Aled Owen this autumn, as well as Protein about a gym obsessed serial killer, coming soon from a team of Welsh producers Craig Russell, Tom Gripper and Dan Bailey. Both films were made in and around Swansea. Audiences can still also catch screenings of creepy British folk horror, Starve Acre, starring Welsh actors Morfydd Clark and Erin Richards.  

Hana Lewis, Film Hub Wales’ Manager on how the Made in Wales project will support these releases: 

Film Hub Wales’ Made in Wales (MIW) project celebrates films with Welsh connections. It offers a host of year-round activities in partnership with Welsh exhibitors, including a film catalogue, which hosts information on over 1000 shorts and feature films and Made in Wales podcast. Audiences can keep up to date with news of upcoming Welsh releases and the latest interviews by following @Madeinwales_ on social media. 

MIW is made possible thanks to funding from Creative Wales and the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), awarding funds from the National Lottery. BFI FAN offers support to exhibitors across the whole of the UK, to boost cultural programming and engage diverse audiences. In Wales, activity is led by Film Hub Wales, managed by Chapter. 

Download the Press Release

– ENDS –

Every time you watch a film on a big screen, a team of people are working hard behind the scenes to make sure that you have the best experience.  This year, we’ll be introducing you to the people behind our funded projects – the hidden figures of film exhibition in Wales. From project directors to curators and marketing specialists who all put inclusion at the heart of their exhibition activities…

29th July 2024

The season will be presented by the BFI Film Audience Network at venues UK-wide from October-December 2024, with highlights including:

• BFI Distribution re-release of Kathryn Bigelow’s POINT BREAK (1991), in cinemas UK-wide on 8 November
• UK-wide screenings and events presented in partnership with the BFI Film Audience Network, including the ninth edition of the Fighting Spirit Film Festival, a celebration of women of colour working in action cinema and screenings dedicated to the ‘original Hollywood action hero’ Buster Keaton
• Major season at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX featuring focuses on John Woo and Bollywood action
• BFI 4K UHD release of SEVEN SAMURAI on 21 October, with screenings at selected cinemas from 27 September, including a premiere event at BFI IMAX on 26 September
• A collection of films to stream on demand on BFI Player

The BFI today announces a new season celebrating the artistry of real action choreography, that has kept film audiences on the edge of their seats since the early days of cinema. Presented by the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) using funds from the National Lottery, ART OF ACTION will take place at cinemas across the UK from October-December 2024, with the chance to get behind-the-scenes insights from those working in the action and stunt communities, via special events, demonstrations, talks and screenings throughout the season. ART OF ACTION will spotlight the genre through the ages, with films ranging from cult classics to lesser-known gems from around the world. It will illuminate the work of female stunt performers and their struggle for recognition, and champion the new wave of action stars and filmmakers who are building upon the legacy of those who have fallen, crashed, smashed and picked themselves up before them.

From the jaw-dropping stunts of the silent era to the intricate dynamic choreography of today’s biggest action films, via the daredevil ethos of Hong Kong filmmaking, ART OF ACTION will feature screenings of THE GENERAL (1926), THE TRAIN (1964), THE WILD BUNCH (1969), the POLICE STORY TRILOGY (1985-1992), RUN LOLA RUN (1998), CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000), POLITE SOCIETY (2023) and many more. The centrepiece of ART OF ACTION will be a BFI re-release of Kathryn Bigelow’s POINT BREAK (1991) starring Keanu Reeves as FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover with a gang of surfers, led by Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi, who are suspects in a series of bank robberies. Bigelow’s kinetic masterpiece, which has rarely been seen on big screens in the UK in recent years, will be released in selected cinemas UK-wide by BFI Distribution on 8 November, with the film also available on BFI Player on the same date.

Timon Singh, BFI FAN Producer and programmer of ART OF ACTION, said:

Jason Wood, BFI Director of Public Programme & Audiences, said:

The season will be programmed around three key themes, with the first dedicated to spotlighting action through the ages – from the early visual gags of silent gems like THE GENERAL (1926) to influential classics such as THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) and THE TRAIN (1964), through to the intricate and dynamic wuxia choreography of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000). ART OF ACTION will also bust the myth that action is just by and for men; celebrating the plethora of female talent in front of and behind the camera, as well as shedding a light on under-represented voices in the action community, from YES MADAM (1985) to POLITE SOCIETY (2023) via RUN LOLA RUN (1998). Finally, the season will explore how action films became a global phenomenon as both Eastern and Western filmmakers were inspired by each other, and the impact of such cross-cultural influences on cinema today – from SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) and THE WILD BUNCH (1969) to the POLICE STORY TRILOGY (1985-1992).

More than 50 venues UK-wide will host events and screenings supported by the BFI Film Audience Network, with some of the highlights set to include:

• Broadway Cinema’s action mini season designed for Under-25s and marginalised audiences, which will include a day of Robin Hood screenings to mark Nottingham’s Robin Hood Marathon.
• Call to Action, a programme curated by Reclaim the Frame that centres women of colour working in front of and behind the camera in the action genre, from the 90s to the present day. Comprising special events with guests including stunt performer Ayesha Hussian, panel conversations, demos and screenings, Call to Action will tour venues including Hackney Picturehouse, Dukes at Komedia, Picturehouse (Brighton), Glasgow Film Theatre and Midlands Art Centre (Birmingham).
• Cromarty Kicks Ass, a tightly packed season of films run by Cromarty Community Cinema in the Highlands, Scotland, will address themes of justice, revenge, honour and the global desire to have the cinema shake with action, alongside parkour and capoeira demonstrations and workshops, and a free outdoor screening of a Jackie Chan classic accompanied by a live musician and torchlight lion dance.
• Exeter Phoenix: Smash The Glass, which will celebrate the women who have advanced action cinema both on and off-screen, delivered in partnership with Girls on Film critic and broadcaster Anna Smith, with collaborations from Plymouth Art Cinema.
• Fabrica in Brighton will deliver Creative Action, a weekend-long festival empowering young people aged 16-25, women and people of marginalized genders by repositioning the cultural significance of action films for audiences. The festival will engage these groups through partnerships with women, non-binary and queer-friendly martial arts clubs, a programme of shorts from local and international animators and a collaboration with their young film programmers’ group, Fresh Perspectives.
• The ninth edition of Fighting Spirit Film Festival, with martial arts shorts and features presented alongside martial arts and weapons demonstrations, a martial arts workshop and seminars on choreographing a short action sequence.
• Hyde Park Picture House Leeds’s programme exploring the history of car races and chases in global cinema, featuring talks and Q&As with academics, car enthusiasts and stuntwomen, plus a day-long educational session as part of Hyde Park Picture House’s Film School strand.
• The Magic Lantern screening POINT BREAK alongside the local surf community in Tywyn with entertainment including a live band and a party; THE GENERAL with live musical accompaniment and trips on the Talyllyn steam railway; martial arts demos, a free sword fighting workshop and Welsh filmmaker Garth Evans’ RAID II.
• MilkTea’s ESEA In Action, at Brixton Ritzy in London and City Screen in York, which will showcase a program of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cinema with their programme theme, Black x Asian cultural crossover, in partnership with Dark Matter.
• Mitchell Arts Centre’s celebration of the ‘original Hollywood action hero’, Buster Keaton, with enhanced screenings featuring live musical accompaniment from musician Meg Morley and an introduction from local film historian Ray Johnson.
• Queen’s Film Theatre Belfast’s programme spanning the breadth of the genre with special events including a celebration of women in action with film journalist Helen O’Hara, a stage combat demonstration by fight director Philip Rafferty, and an action all-nighter curated by QFT’s LUMI programmers.

The full UK-wide line-up of screenings, events and touring programmes will be announced soon.

BFI Southbank will play host to a major season from 21 October – 30 November, concentrating on several themes alongside stunts; the women of action, the master John Woo and the influence of Bollywood, as well as serving a plotted guide through the history of action cinema with a special all action-themed edition of Big Screen Classics, where BFI Southbank shows classic films on a daily basis for just £9. Special events confirmed for the season so far include Stunt Saturday on 16 November, a special day of talks, panel events, screenings and workshops all celebrating the art of stunts. BFI Southbank will welcome Nida Manzoor for a Q&A on 17 November, following a screening of her hilarious and exhilarating action/comedy POLITE SOCIETY (2023), which follows 16-year-old Ria, an aspiring stuntwoman, who is alarmed when her sister Lena is swept up by a charming suitor and starts heading towards marriage at speed. Also on 17 November, The Art of the Action Trailer will present some of the best and worst action trailers through time, pondering the iconic trailer voiceover and decide whether it’s better to reveal or conceal the big stunts.

BFI IMAX, the UK’s largest screen, is one of the best places to watch an action blockbuster with its immersive, unmatched scale. The cinema will host a number of events during the season, including all-nighters dedicated to JOHN WICK and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, and the premiere of a new 4K restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) on 26 September. SEVEN SAMURAI will also be released by the BFI on 4K UHD on 21 October, with the new restoration playing in further selected cinemas as part of the season. More information about the 4K UHD release will be revealed soon.

Audiences will also be able to stream films from the season at home on BFI Player, with a selection of titles set to include FIST OF FURY (1972), THE STREET FIGHTER (1974), ARMOUR OF GOD (1986), HEROES SHED NO TEARS (1986), POINT BREAK (1991), RUN LOLA RUN (1998), LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE (2022) and many more to be announced soon.

Ends.

Download the Press Release

23rd July 2024

Film Hub Wales (FHW) has awarded over £100,000 of BFI National Lottery funding to nineteen independent Welsh cinemas and film festivals, through its Film Exhibition Fund. 

Funds will enable Welsh audiences to watch the latest UK independent and international films in their local communities, at affordable prices. From relaxed, family friendly films to eco cinema strands and the latest Welsh releases, there’s plenty to choose from.  

Audiences in Bridgend and Blaenau Ffestiniog will even get to watch the films in exciting new cinema spaces. Awen Cultural Trust is launching its Llynfi Valley Cinema Project alongside at Maesteg Town Hall following its multi-million-pound redevelopment. At Cellb, their new ‘Sgrin Emyr Ankst’, opens in memory of Welsh music and cinema pioneer Emyr Glyn Williams – his legacy is set to inspire the young people of Wales for many years to come.  

Rhys Roberts from Cellb explains the importance of their new screen to the community: 

At the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, they’re building relationships with their audiences and local partners, exploring global themes of intersectional identity through their film programme. They’re opening up the space to new communities by celebrating important awareness dates such as Black History Month, LGBTQIA+ History Month and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  

Chelsey Gillard, The Torch’s Artistic Director explains:

Other highlights include youth-led activities at Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea and Theatr Gwaun in Fishguard, works screened from neurodivergent filmmakers at both Hijinx Unity Festival and through Cardiff Animation Festival’s Different Voices strand, as well as a nature/ecology in horror strand at Abertoir International Horror Festival – think disgusting real-life parasites and ‘nature fights back’. 

Hana Lewis, Head of Film Hub Wales adds:

The projects are supported by Film Hub Wales, which is part of the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) using funds from the National Lottery to ensure the greatest choice of cinema is available to everyone across the UK. Funds in Wales are administered by FHW via Chapter as the Film Hub Lead Organisation. 

More than £30M is raised each week for good causes across the UK by the National Lottery.  

Ends.

Download the Press Release

Paul O’Connor, Co-Founder of Sol Cinema attended Sheffield DocFest 2024 and told us about his experience after 10 years away from the festival…

Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects. They champion and present the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – in the vibrant city of Sheffield each June at Showroom Cinema.

Paul was hoping to attend workshops, film screenings, meet filmmakers and event organisers to explore collaborations with Sol Cinema which brings new audiences to see short films they wouldn’t usually see.  

Here’s what Paul told us about his festival experience:

DocFest brought together filmmakers from across the world and Paul felt inspired by the networking sessions, workshops and film premieres he attended. A funding panel outlined the need to think differently about where to source funds, he gained insights into the current climate of the creative industries and he met potential new bookings for Sol Cinema.

Paul attended the Sheffield DocFest with the support of Film Hub Wales via our Bursary scheme. If you want to attend a meeting, course or event that would benefit your organisation and develop audiences but the costs are prohibitive, you can submit an application for support here.

• Film Hub Wales (FHW) Member Marketing Coordinator
• Salary: £26,353 (pay award pending)
• Contract: April 2025 – 31 March 2026 (subject to a three-month probationary period), with potential to extend, subject to confirmation of annual funding.
• Hours: 40 hours per week (TOIL). Some evening and weekend work necessary
• Location: Hybrid. One – two office days per week at Chapter in Cardiff and/or off-site meetings

Purpose of the Role
To support the Hub and its members to develop audiences for British independent and world cinema across Wales through marketing and outreach activities. This includes a specific ‘spotlight’ project in North Wales and B to B marketing of opportunities to the Hub membership.

Applications:

• Application form and job description available to download below. We are unable to accept CVs.
• If you have any queries about the application process, please contact apply@chapter.org
• Please fill in an online Equal Opportunities form.
• Please ensure that you address each point in the person specification.
• We will not be able to meet with individual candidates prior to interview.

Closing date for applications: Thursday 13 March, 5.30pm
Interviews to be held: Monday 24 March at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff

The programme will see investment in eight local areas across the UK to boost audience choice and improve access to screenings of independent film.

We are devastated by the loss of our friend and colleague, Emyr.

We were fortunate to have worked with him over the last ten years, since the start of his journey at Pontio. He called us in excitement to chat about programming the cinema, before the building had even opened. He was a constant collaborator from that point onwards, someone who supported us, as much as we hopefully did him. He inspired the idea of the ‘Off y Grid’ project because he felt the loneliness of running a venue at times and wanted to create partnerships with neighbouring cinemas.

He was the kind of person that would meet you with open arms and hug you like he meant it. You could talk to him for hours (and we did sometimes) about films or creative ideas. He was someone that we could approach for any project idea and know he’d come up with something spot on. A brilliant champion of Welsh language and culture and font of knowledge when it came to Welsh film.

We only shared a small part of Emyr’s life and are grateful for that. We send our love and deepest condolences to his family, friends and his colleagues at Pontio and beyond.

Emyr often found himself quoted all over our site because he had a beautiful way with words. You’ll find him as a permanent fixture on our home page, where he summed it up in six words: ‘cinema belongs to all of us.’ We’ll miss you Emyr. We know you’ll already have the lights down low and a projector running up there.

It’s our tenth Birthday! We’re looking back to this time in 2013, when we launched a significant new programme in partnership with Welsh cinemas, film festivals and community screens, designed to build audiences for British independent and international film across Wales.

This has all been made possible thanks our partners in exhibition and across BFI FAN, with funding from The National Lottery via the BFI. Join us for a look back at just a fraction of what we’ve achieved together over the last decade.

Watch video messages from our members below, along with a special ten year video edit, plus our press release, ten year highlights and social stories: