Cardiff Animation Festival attends BFI FAN CON 2024
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:
I had a brilliant time attending my first BFI FAN CON in Belfast. I attended a lot of insightful talks, discussions and training sessions and it was brilliant to meet everyone and talk so passionately about film exhibition and festivals.
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.
…the lunches and dinners at BFI FAN CON were a great, relaxed networking opportunity to meet fellow film exhibitors and gain an insight into how everyone approaches their work in a similar role to me – which is something I don’t often get the chance to experience.
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.
The Mark Lewis Jones Collection
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.
Welsh Films Screening in Cinemas this Winter
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:
Since my first film, Third Star, we’ve managed to shoot many of our films in part at home in Wales but in this case, we managed to shoot the entirety of Timestalker there. We doubled the Brecon Beacons as the Scottish Highlands, Penpont House as Georgian England and Cardiff Bay as 1980’s New York! The Welsh crew were outstanding and we had an amazing time. I can’t wait for local audiences to see it on the big screen.
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:
With an emboldened far right once more on our streets, this film offers a powerful, anti-racist alternative to hate. The London Recruits risked their liberty for a better world. They are an inspiration. Shot in Wales and South Africa, the film is a proud Cymru / South Africa collaboration. It’s a showcase for great talent and locations in both countries and is part of a wider cultural and artistic dialogue that sees Welsh / African creative partnerships as vital for a culturally healthy, outward looking, international Wales.
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:
Through our Made in Wales project, we work closely with the rightsholders to promote each release, creating assets such as interviews with talent and editorial articles which showcase Welsh elements such as themes or locations, of which audiences might otherwise not be aware. It’s essential that these films reach communities in cinema environments as they help us to see Wales on screen and the world to see us. We can explore our cultural identity in new ways, giving voice to diverse storytellers and challenging stereotypical perceptions of Wales.
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.
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Hidden Figures: Meet the FHW Members Running Projects in 2024
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…
BFI announces ART OF ACTION, a major UK-wide season celebrating the artistry of real action choreography
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:
After the triumph of EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE and the continued success of franchises like JOHN WICK and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, it’s clear that the thrill of watching ‘real action’ done by stunt performers, as well as stars like Michelle Yeoh and Tom Cruise, still captivates audiences. This season looks at the cinematic artistry, skills and craft involved in creating iconic action sequences and films, as well as engage with the historic roots and cross-cultural influences of the genre. We’ll celebrate the skill and daring of actors and stunt performers and their extraordinary on-screen exploits and provide opportunities to get behind-the-scenes insights into the daring world of action design which will thrill and entertain, and hopefully inspire the next generation of creatives.
Jason Wood, BFI Director of Public Programme & Audiences, said:
Art of Action will be a high-octane crowd pleaser at a moment when we truly need to be supporting cinemas, which provide such vital culture and entertainment to communities across the UK. The BFI Film Audience Network plays a really important role in getting diverse films to audiences and this has been an inspirational and creative collaboration with our colleagues at Watershed, Bristol taking the lead. It’s a greatblueprint for how the BFI can work with partners UK-wide on major projects. Art of Action’s broad historical and international scope presents the films we love alongside brand-new discoveries from silent gems to combat charged women, martial arts to major blockbusters plus a long-awaited re-release of Kathryn Bigelow’s seminal Point Break. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
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.
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What’s on in Welsh Cinemas: Affordable Films for Communities across Wales
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:
Cellb is located in the center of the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, a high mountainous location under the Stiniog quarries with its rich past history in industry, heritage and culture. It was the location for the first ever Welsh language film, Y Chwarelwr, an important film that reflects the lives of the local quarrymen in its community. Its past historic Culture and Welsh language was a vital part of the social and cultural dynamics.
Today, we feel that it’s important to celebrate and to educate our young people about modern heroes such as Emyr and it is with this in mind that we wish to dedicate our Screen 1 to his name. Our youths need role models, whom have flourished in the arts and culture and Emyr is a fine example of a local boy who dreamt big and made a huge impact on Welsh Culture. This is for you Emyr, you have inspired us and we will shine your beacon on to the masses for years to come. Diolch Emyr, Caru chdi.
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:
We are thrilled to work with Film Hub Wales to deliver a series of celebratory cinema seasons across six months. This funding will allow us to build relationships with our communities and discover what people want to see at their local cinema, informing our long-term sustainability. By working with partners across Wales that bring a wealth of lived experiences, we will be able to screen a wider variety of films and facilitate post-screening events that we hope will support discussion, reflection and connection.
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 fund is designed to help cinemas, festivals and community screens to bring the best UK independent and international films to Welsh audiences, in accessible and affordable ways. There’s so much to look forward to this year, which communities simply can’t get from watching a film at home. By heading out to their local cinema space, they’re already part of something bigger within their community and with a host of activities on offer, audiences get a night out for the price of their ticket.
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.
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Sol Cinema attends Sheffield DocFest 2024
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:
I attended a VR workshop and will be exploring new options around that. I was impressed with the software DocFest used for including live audio translations at each panel discussion and I shall explore this for future Sol Cinema events.
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.
Spotlight programme announced by BFI FAN
The programme will see investment in eight local areas across the UK to boost audience choice and improve access to screenings of independent film.
Announced today as part of the latest iteration of BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), SPOTLIGHT sees additional BFI National Lottery investment in eight local areas across the UK to boost audience choice and improve access to screenings of independent film. In addition, each FAN Hub now also has funding available – totalling over £750,000 – to support a wide range of exhibition activity across the UK, and Network is also rolling out significant skills programmes to upskill exhibition professionals. This comes as an external evaluation of BFI FAN is published, highlighting its success in reaching new audiences and broadening access to screen culture.
For BFI FAN 2023 to 2026, the BFI ringfenced £1.85 million National Lottery funding for SPOTLIGHT. It takes a hyper-local approach to developing screenings in eight areas, each identified as having little or no screening provision by their local Film Hubs. The projects will be delivered over three years, in many cases operating in partnership with locally based film organisations, with an end goal of establishing audiences and screening activities that can be sustained and continue once this targeted support ends.
The SPOTLIGHT areas and the partners set to receive support are:
- Film Hub London: Barking & Dagenham and Newham
- Film Hub Midlands: Stoke on Trent and Stafford, in partnership with Flatpack Festival
- Film Hub Northern Ireland: Newry & Mourne, in partnership with Newcastle Community Cinema
- Film Hub North: Sunderland, in partnership with Sunderland Shorts Film Festival
- Film Hub Scotland: Moray Firth area, in partnership with Eden Court, Inverness
- Film Hub South East: Peterborough, in partnership with the Gateway Film Festival
- Film Hub South West: Swindon, in partnership with Create Studios
- Film Hub Wales: Rural Conwy, in partnership with TAPE, Community Music & Film
Ben Luxford, BFI’s Director of UK Audiences says:
The aim of BFI FAN has always been to open up access and opportunity for everyone across the UK to be able to discover and watch a rich variety of UK and international indie film. Given the ongoing challenges the exhibition sector is facing, the value of FAN, particularly the financial support and training it offers, is more vital than ever. The latest FAN evaluation outlines where it has had a positive impact and helped us set the roadmap for this latest iteration – it tells us that having a connected national network which has a localised approach is key to its success. In introducing SPOTLIGHT we want to encourage ultra-local audience development, focussing on a specific area that is underserved and enable the Hubs to take action to improve the offer and engage the local community. As well as benefit to those audiences, we also hope the whole of FAN will gather learnings to make longer-term impact.
Also rolling out in 2024 are a series of BFI FAN skills and development initiatives intended to provide Hub members with access to vital training and learning opportunities. These include REACH: Strategic Audience Development training which has been created by the ICO and run for four previous editions. This intensive course will give its participants an opportunity to build their expertise in growing and developing audiences and is soon to be followed by a new course – Revisiting Your Cinema Business Model – intended to address the pressing need for greater financial and commercial knowledge within cinemas across the UK.
A regular programme of online webinars is also being offered to FAN members across the UK covering a range of topics including environmental sustainability, access, working with young audiences and screen heritage. Later this year will also see the launch of a new BFI FAN Conference, bringing member organisations together to share best practice in reaching audiences with innovative film programmes and develop a more connected community of peers within the Network.
These initiatives come as BFI FAN published an evaluation of its activity between 2018 and 2022 undertaken by Indigo Ltd. The report highlights the success of the decentralised funding model that saw an £8 million investment support over 2,428 projects that added an estimated value of at least £21.2 million to the economy. FAN exceeded its ambitious audience targets, with supported activity achieving almost 2.3 million admissions from 1,514 audience facing projects.
A Tribute to Emyr Glyn Williams
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.
Welsh Cinemas Celebrate Film Hub Wales’ 10th Anniversary
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:
The Eternal Daughter: The Whole Story
The Eternal Daughter comes to cinemas across Wales and the UK in November 2023.
We’ve created a Made in Wales Support Pack for this film, featuring an exclusive video introduction from Welsh actor Carly-Sophia Davies, social cards, programming recommendations and social assets, all of which you can share with your audiences to promote the film’s Welsh connections.
New Three-Year Community Cinema Project to Launch across North Wales
19th September 2023
TAPE Community Music and Film are launching a new cinema project for communities across North Wales, with support from Film Hub Wales.
TAPE Community Music and Film are launching a new cinema project for communities across North Wales, with support from Film Hub Wales.
Specialising in creative inclusion, TAPE have ‘co-created’ the project in collaboration with their Media Club – a safe and supportive space which offers hands on experiences to a cohort of people from across the local community.
‘Neighbourhood Watch’, named by Josh one of the Media Club members, will launch with a screening of locally filmed, BAFTA nominated, comedy Brian and Charles at Llanrwst Family Centre on Friday 22nd September. There will be special guests and some surprises for the audience!
Josh is looking forward to the first event:
I like the idea of bringing the community together through film. I feel proud to be part of this.
Steve Swindon, Creative Director of TAPE explains how the Media Club works and why the project is needed:
We can bring people together through Media Club and work as a team to develop exciting projects which link to a whole range of creative opportunities. Neighbourhood Watch is a hugely exciting project for several reasons. It builds on the film programming work the group has done and the wide range of screenings and events they’ve hosted. It also moves this work into communities across North Wales and connects people in new ways through the workshops running alongside. We can’t wait to get started.
Neighbourhood Watch will bring monthly screenings of UK independent and international film to up to five communities from 2023-26, with potential areas for expansion including Anglesey and Llanfairfechan. The communities involved will have opportunities to develop skills such as booking films and marketing events, whilst also making friends and growing their professional networks. Each screening will have a workshop, guest or masterclass, plus the chance to participate in the development of TAPE’s next feature film project, Below the Waves, which is funded by the Arts Council of Wales.
Hana Lewis, Head of Film Hub Wales adds:
There’s so much innovation taking place across North Wales but we know that communities aren’t always able to access events, whether this is due to the cost of living crisis, poor transport links or lack of local services. Neighbourhood Watch is driven by the community itself, creating an appetite for film on their own doorsteps. TAPE’s Media Club are bursting with creative ideas to make the project work for their community in an inclusive way – which is really important to us. We hope that their work will encourage wider cinema going, supporting nearby cinemas and festivals in the long-term.
BFI FAN is a nationwide programme made possible thanks to National Lottery funding that seeks to ensure the greatest choice of cinema is available to everyone across the UK. In Wales, funds are administered by Film Hub Wales via Chapter. The Neighbourhood Watch project is designed to meet objectives in the BFI’s recently launched 10-year strategy, Screen Culture 2033.
More than £30M is raised each week for good causes across the UK by the National Lottery.