Inclusive Cinema tasks cinemas to take anti-racist action with launch of new guide 

The BFI Film Audience Network’s Inclusive Cinema has launched a practical guide for improving the cinema experiences of ethnically diverse audiences, and staff, which challenges institutions to make good on their Black Lives Matter and anti-racism statements from 2020. 

Inclusive Cinema is a UK-wide project funded by the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) through the National Lottery to support exhibitors in welcoming everyone to participate in cinema, by countering cultural, systemic or physical barriers. The new guide ‘Dismantling Structural Inequality in Your Cinema’ was commissioned from artist and freelancer Sadia Pineda Hameed and focuses on the cinema experiences of ethnically diverse people, with reference to intersections including gender, sexuality, disability, income and class.

From immediately actionable tools, to encouraging inner, reflective and dialogue-based work towards undoing systemic injustice, the guide is intended to create lasting change for future generations, and sustain organisations in a meaningful way, cited by its writer as “the last toolkit that cinemas should need” when it comes to making their spaces truly inclusive of and led-by ethnically diverse people.

Speaking at film exhibition conference, This Way Up, in December 2020, Sadia Pineda Hameed, author of the guide said:  

The toolkit examines the role of cinemas in the context of systemic injustice and focuses on preventing harm towards people of colour as audience members, staff and creators who exhibit their films, and arrives in tandem with Dogwoof’s latest release, charting Martin Luther King Jr.’s mistreatment by the FBI, MLK/FBI, available in virtual cinemas and on demand, from 15 January.  

As audiences connect the dots between the seeds to Black Power rising from the ‘50s and ‘60s, to Black Lives Matter in 2020, the vital reminder is that institutional and structural racism are still endemic issues within our society and culture, requiring multiple strategies and committed action.  

Toki Allison, BFI Film Audience Network Access Officer, who oversees the Inclusive Cinema project, explains:  

“Many cinemas have made statements recognising that structural change is essential after the resurgence of Black Lives Matter bringing racism forcibly into the public consciousness in 2020. This toolkit provides short and long-term actions for organisations to take, to show their true commitment to not only making statements, but taking anti-racist action to create an equitable space for Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse talent, curators, staff and audiences. It’s a comprehensive and inarguably uncompromising document, but it will only be effective if organisations take it, absorb it, recognise the deep work that needs to be done, and get on and do it. I’m looking forward to seeing real change happen, including true accountability from white-led organisations who give up their power and make way for ethnically diverse leaders, makers and curators to share stories in their own ways.” 

Rico Johnson-Sinclair, director and founder of CineQ, and festival manager at SHOUT Festival, was consulted in the creation of the toolkit, and said: 

“There’s been a bit of work in the film industry generally over the last couple of years. And whilst this work is formative, it’s still optional and very base level. While the industry is debating whether or not to even implement systems of equality within their organisations, people of colour from all perspectives are put on the backburner time and time again, in lieu of something, anything else, that seems to take priority due to its rise in the public sphere. As this happens, whole generations of black and brown storytellers, creatives and hard-working film-lovers are cast aside to protect a casually and subversively racist status quo. This toolkit not only helps organisations to acknowledge systemic racism happening in their backyards (within a film industry that was built during a time where the only representation we had was given to us by white people), it also shows us a path to valuable self-learning; to implement change across the team to ensure that as the conversation changes and evolves amongst marginalised people (which it will inevitably do), organisations are able to keep up. Instead of performative, this toolkit champions the formative and sustainable.” 

Alex Misick, programme coordinator at The Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, who have begun the work to structural change in their venue, said: 

You can find the toolkit in the how-to guides section of the Inclusive Cinema website here and/or download it here.

You can find virtual screenings and on demand links to watch MLK/FBI here. 

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Download the full press release

Media Release:

Film Hub Wales awards £52,000 in Covid-19 recovery funds to Welsh cinemas and festivals

Film venues put wellbeing at the forefront of their post-Covid-19 reopening programmes.

Film Hub Wales (FHW) has awarded £52,000 in National Lottery funding, through the BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund, to 15 Welsh independent cinemas and film festivals as they plan for reopening.

Funds will be used to aid recovery, enabling venues to safely restart British and international film screenings, including through cabaret style seating and ‘big screen bubbles’, so that they can reconnect with the most isolated Welsh communities affected by lockdown.

Socially-distanced film activities will take place Wales-wide, creating safe spaces where people can still travel the world via the big screen, at affordable prices. Audiences will be at the heart of decision making, with their feedback valued by venues as they rebuild.

For example, TAPE in Old Colwyn is reinstating Sofa Cinema and will screen Sanctuary in partnership with a new local dating agency for people with learning disabilities. In Barry, the Memo Arts Centre will create ‘big screen Bub-L’ activities with digital and take-away crafts, and in Tywyn the Magic Lantern will ‘re-light the magic lantern’, positioning the cinema as a bold, brave beacon for the future.

Since the pandemic began, many sites have been unable to open their doors to the public. With an uncertain future still ahead, they have been working to diversify their business models, develop robust health and safety procedures and secure critical alternative sources of income.

Hana Lewis, Strategic Manager of Film Hub Wales explains:

Annie Grundy, Co-Director of The Magic Lantern:

Sue Whitbread, CEO of Theatr Gwaun adds:  

Blanche Giacci lives a few streets away from Theatr Gwaun and in normal times would attend screenings at least once a week:

Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences at the BFI adds: 

The BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund is made possible thanks to National Lottery funding, repurposed by the British Film Institute (BFI) via its Film Audience Network (FAN). The fund offers critical relief and business continuity to exhibitors across the whole of the UK. Funds in Wales are administered by FHW via Chapter as the Film Hub Lead Organisation.

Ends
Download the Press Release

Left to right: Galeri Caernarfon, Memo Arts Centre Barry © Jon Pountney, Theatr Gwaun, The Magic Lantern © Mathieu Gasquet, WOW Women’s Film Club © Jon Pountney, Wicked Wales Tir Morfa Awards, Memo Arts Centre Barry WAM © Jon Pountney, Monmouth Savoy © David Broadbent

‘Open your doors’ during lockdown and let your audience watch films – mostly new and unavailable on other digital platforms – on YourScreen.

By promoting YourScreen, you will be earning revenue now and well into the future.

What is it?
YourScreen is your virtual cinema, a short-term solution to keep you going during the pandemic.  It also provides a long-term opportunity to add an extra screen to your film programme – to appeal to new audiences and to generate additional revenue without the overheads.

How does it work?
For every virtual ticket sold, YourScreen will pay you 30%.


Participation is simple:
– They will provide you with a promo code which will give you audience 25% off ticket purchases.
– You promote the films on your website / social media / e-shot.
– At the end of the season they will send you a sales report and an invitation to invoice them for 30% of all purchases made.

If you participated in YourScreen season one, your existing promo code will be valid for season two.

Contact:
Please get in touch to learn more: patrick.yourscreen@gmail.com or visit their website.

Current deal:
Season Four will be available from from 23 July until 19 September

Films available:

• Summer Survivors
  
• Time For Love / Kolej na milosc
• The Outside Story
• Those Who Remained / Akik maradtak
• Window To the Sea / Una ventana al mar
• Calamity / Calamity, une enfance de Martha Jane Cannary
• But Beautiful

Thursday 8th October 2020: A network boasting over 250 members has unveiled their dedicated space celebrating the massive talents represented by the freelance cohort of the UK’s film exhibition and distribution sectors. Dial F for Freelancer is led by film freelancers for their peers, sharing past projects and reaching potential clients. Dial F for Freelancer is the first of its kind and the only dedicated space for freelancers working in film distribution and exhibition.

The current unfolding news regarding the future of film exhibition highlights the pressing need for this platform to exist. Whilst the film industry relies on freelancers, there are currently no formal structures to support them collectively:

“…more than half of the industry workforce are freelancers or mix freelance work with periods of employment. Freelancers are the lifeblood of our industry, yet they don’t have access to the benefits, security or workplace support of permanent employees.” – The Whole Picture Programme Report – The Film and TV Charity, 2020

The Dial F for Freelancer platform has been developed with the needs of freelancers at the forefront to celebrate the sector’s unique skills. The founding members are looking to reduce the barriers and labour to finding paid work by creating an ever-growing network of freelancers.

The grassroots-led project places the platform in the hands of the users rather than a third party. Users control their pitch and profile, choosing the projects of which they’re proudest to showcase. Members of Dial F for Freelancer are also supported with resources, contacts and opportunities to collaborate.

The origins of this concept began during discussions at This Way Up 2019 (the UK’s film exhibition industry conference), a sidebar talk for freelancers led by Toki Allison spoke about the need for an informal network to be created to provide peer to peer support and reduce the feelings of isolation which are prevalent in freelancing. In March 2020 as freelancers began to lose work due to the pandemic, Allison, along with Moira McVean and Jo Taylor-Hitchinson decided to make the network a reality.

Initially a Facebook group set up to support freelancers affected by the onset of the lockdown attracted over 250 members and the trio realised a more formal platform was needed. They were awarded a Community Grant from The Film and TV Charity and have gained further industry support which has allowed them to create the Dial F for Freelancer platform.

The Dial F for Freelancer Steering Group, comprising eight freelancers working in the sector, have worked with a developer to design and launch Dial F For Freelancer to the industry.

This project has been supported by The Film and TV Charity’s Community Grants, a fund from the Film Distributors’ Association, and with further contributions from film distributors, including Altitude Film Distribution, Bohemia Media and eOne. The new platform endeavours to celebrate the wealth of talent and expertise represented across the network, whilst also creating a warm and welcoming space for freelancers working in exhibition and distribution to build their profiles and networks in an effective and easy way. They also plan to build a collective public presence and signpost available support for members.

Jo Taylor, co-founder of Dial F for Freelancer said:

Andy Leyshon, Chief Executive, Film Distributors’ Association said:

Mark Jones, Head of Publicity, Altitude Media Group said:

Timon Singh, Campaigns Manager, Film Hub South West said:

Anthony & Teanne Andrews, co-founders, We Are Parable said:

Anna Navas, Director and Programmer, Plymouth Arts Centre said:

BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund

BFI FAN announces new Film Exhibition Fund to bring UK audiences back to communal film experiences

The BFI has announced the BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund is now open, with National Lottery funding available to exhibitors across the UK. The new Fund will support activity to re-engage audiences with collective, big screen film experiences at film festivals, mixed arts venues, and both community and traditional cinemas. As part of a comprehensive package of support for film exhibitors – including the Government’s £30m Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas in England launched last week – the Film Exhibition Fund will support dynamic cultural programming and activities to engage diverse audiences.

Ben Luxford, BFI’s Head of UK Audiences, said:

How to apply for the BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund

BFI FAN is a unique collaboration of eight Film Hubs managed by leading film organisations across the UK, who will each distribute the funding in their region or nation. 

This BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund will enable FAN Members to deliver a broad range of programming once they restart, ensuring excellent British and international independent cinema is available to audiences all over the UK. Other priorities of the Fund are incentivising exhibitors to embed inclusion and environmental sustainability into their approach to reopening, post shut down.

Key dates:
Applications open: Mon 17 August 2020
Applications close: Wed 30 Sept 2020
Activity window: Mid Oct 20 – March 21

Activity can vary in length, scale and format. Members can apply for up to £10,000 (note that there are slight regional variations on this) and support can cover programming, marketing and associated costs. 

All proposals must also be able to set out how they will address the BFI Diversity Standards and sign up to the BFI Anti-Bullying and Harassment Principles, as well as demonstrate how they will operate safely during Covid-19, reference can be made to the UKCA’s Cinemas – keeping workers and customers safe during Covid-19 Guidelines.    

Due to the limited resources available, and FAN’s commitment to environmental sustainability, drive-ins will not be supported through this fund. Online activity will only be a priority when accompanied by ‘in venue’ work.

Vital support for UK exhibitors impacted by COVID-19

The BFI FAN Film Exhibition is part of a package of support from the UK Government and the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, to enable many independent cinemas to survive the shutdown which hit arts and cultural venues badly and with immediate impact. 

The BFI FAN Resilience Fund opened in April offering £1.3m in emergency funding to exhibitors in critical need as they continued to face months of closure and uncertainty, awarding 130 FAN Members grants ranging from £415 to £23,000 each. The Government’s £30m Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas in England is now open, providing funding to cover COVID-related health and safety costs, and grants to support independent cinemas operate under the restricted conditions and at limited capacity due to social distancing measures. The UK Government has also provided funding to support cinemas in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which will be managed by the devolved Government administrations. Funding available to Film Hub Scotland members includes funding from Screen Scotland.

As part of the industry-wide BFI Screen Sector Task Force, the UK Cinema Association led on publishing guidance on the safe operation of cinemas and mobile cinemas. Working safely during COVID-19 in cinemas, which is regularly updated to meet the latest government guidance, is produced in consultation with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

BFI’s support and recovery strategy for the screen industries

The BFI put in place a package of support for individuals, organisations and businesses across the sector that have been most impacted by COVID-19 (including the BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund, Production Continuation Fund, Sales Company Organisational Fund and COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund with The Film & TV Charity for freelancers) and through the BFI Screen Sector Task Force, it continues to work with industry and Government to develop and implement a robust, sector-wide strategy for recovery.

A number of significant initiatives have resulted from the work of the Screen Sector Task Force, including the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas in England; a Government funded scheme to support independent film and television production struggling to get coronavirus-related insurance; creating guidance for film and television production to restart and cinemas to reopen, both given the green-light by Government and Public Health England; and the quarantine exemption for film and high-end television cast and crew.

Download the full press release here.

Film Hub Members can apply for the Film Exhibition Fund here.

With many cinemas still closed due to COVID-19, we’re continuing to celebrate independent venues and exhibitors across the UK in our series Cinemas that Made Me. Below we spotlight Pauline Williams from Off y Grid (Off the Grid), a multi-venue cinema project supported by Film Hub Wales, that aims to reduce isolation and increase engagement with British and independent film.

The Off y Grid project connects a collection of venues across North Wales, catering to rural audiences and celebrating a sense of place and heritage. They provide seasonal programming, with the venues working together to attract audiences. Project Manager Pauline Williams explains how this great collaborative effort benefits audiences and venues across North Wales, and reminisces about the early cinema experiences that continue to inspire her work today.

What does Off y Grid offer audiences?

More people. More films. More spaces. That’s the aim of the Off y Grid (OYG) project. OYG coordinates a unique partnership between seven venues in North Wales that work together in order to promote independent films, British and world films to audiences in rural areas. OYG also offers an array of classic films as well as celebrating Wales’ heritage through film archives.

The seven centres – CellB, Galeri, Pontio, Neuadd Dwyfor, Neuadd Ogwen, Tape Community Music & Film and Theatr y Ddraig – offer different experiences in terms of their location and spaces but share the same mindset with Welsh language culture, heritage and accessibility being central to the provision. By collaborating, we can offer more challenging films to a wider audience. By sharing ideas, we can create new cinematic experiences in the area.

Funded by Film Hub Wales, the project increases activities across North Wales in areas that often suffer from a lack of funding and a lack of artistic events. Our events forge links with the community and offer an artistic provision, encouraging and broadening horizons through film. As well as showing films we offer extra activities (like Q&A sessions) and we coordinate with film festivals and cinematic events in Wales and beyond.

We collaborate with many regular partners, but we are also ready to broaden our horizons with new partners in order to promote films. Recently we have been arranging a pop-up cinema to local communities with the aim of expanding our provision in this field as well as continuing to develop an audience of all ages in the area.

What was your first job in the film industry, and how did you end up managing the Off y Grid project?

After starting my career at the BBC in Cardiff and being trained to work on drama and television series, I moved on to work freelance before joining Gaucho as a producer and collaborating with the director Endaf Emlyn. The production company was a key contributor in the Welsh film industry, and I was responsible for the production of such successful films as Un Nos Ola, Gadael Lenin, and Y Mapiwr as well as individual dramas and series for television.

It’s my love for film and the urge to share that enthusiasm that drives my energy on the OYG project.

Did film and the cinema have an important impact on you earlier in life?

As a child, attending the weekly film club on Saturday mornings at the Majestic in Caernarfon was a magical experience. There was nothing better than waiting in the auditorium for the lights to go down slowly and the curtain to be fully opened to reveal a giant screen. Being in that darkness feeling as if in another world was such a memorable experience. I remember going with my mother to see Summer Holiday and the colours blinding my eyes. But more than that was the feeling that was stirred inside me by such powerful films.

Later I would regularly go the Coliseum in Porthmadog and Forum in Blaenau Ffestiniog (unfortunately none of these cinemas exist now). Nothing can compare to being partly in darkness and being whisked away to another world. There are no limits to the imagination. Cinema’s influence on my early years was most definitely key to my career choices.

How have those venues affected how you work today?

The experiences I had watching films on the big screen and losing myself in another world in local, community cinemas inspires me to offer similar experiences to today’s audiences. Going to the cinema was a regular, affordable experience and the programming was varied in such a way that meant that audiences could enjoy all types of films, and all on their doorstep.

Watching a movie on the big screen is a magical, enchanting experience. Being part of an audience that experiences a common emotion is an inclusive, mystical feeling. A film can make us marvel. It offers a key to other worlds. It evokes emotions. It is inclusive and transformative.

While Off y Grid venues have been closed due to COVID-19, have you begun any new initiatives to reach audiences at home?

CellB have been working assiduously to maintain and promote Gwallgofiaid (a not-for-profit that provides training for young people) by arranging online sessions with Rhys Ifans as a mentor for a short film making project.

Watch The Three Films Festival online Friday 31st July – 2nd August

In this period of challenge and uncertainty for the creative industries, film Festivals in Wales have responded by coming together to promote the importance of Festivals in our communities and provide a new national and international platform to celebrate young talent in Wales. This initiative has been led by the Wicked Wales International Youth Film Festival in Rhyl and supported by Film Hub Wales as part of the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), made possible by the National Lottery.

First Minister for Wales Mark Drakeford MS/AS says:

Festivals from all corners of Wales have joined together in a new Wales Youth Festival Network WYFN. The WYFN Network is being launched with a new national ‘Three Films Festival’. The Festival will screen up to three films from each of the many established film festivals in Wales and has also welcomed films from S4C, Hijinx and Into Film. The films screened have all been made by or for young audiences aged approximately 15-25. 

The Festival this year will be online and will take place between Friday 31st July and Sunday 2nd August. The programme will include film screenings and an industry programme supported by Film Feels Connected on aspects of filmmaking.

Lorraine Mahoney, WYFN Coordinator says:

Rhiannon Hughes, Director of Wicked Wales Festival adds: 

Mark Williams, Iris Prize Outreach and Education Manager:

The full festival programme is available on the www.wickedwales.com website and WYFN Facebook page.

Follow twitter @wales_youth for regular updates and subscribe to the YouTube festival channel to watch the free online film festival. And visit their facebook Wales Youth Festival Network or Wicked Cinema

Read/download the full Press Release here

UK-wide film programme, Film Feels Connected, brings a whole new dimension to lockdown for film fans

Streaming services added 4.6 million subscribers in the first eight weeks of UK lockdown. As we’ve acclimatised to COVID-19 restrictions, a major season of film from the BFI Film Audience Network has been giving film fans a whole new world of film to explore.

Bringing together more than 50 programmes from UK cinemas, festivals and film societies, the season offers UK film fans new ways to connect with unique, bespoke and diverse film screenings and special events, beyond the tried and tested streaming platforms.

Upcoming highlights include:

• Africa in Motion: Looking Back, Reaching Forward, August 2020. Screenings of classic and contemporary African films, plus discussion to explore and critique, representations of Blackness on-screen.
• Doc‘n Roll Film Festival: We Out Here Festival x Doc‘n Roll, 19-22 August. This partnership between Doc n Roll and Gilles Peterson’s We Out here Festival will present Music docs + Q&As exploring Black excellence and anti-racism in British music history
• Kino Klassika: Klassiki – Cinema on the Hop, May-August 2020. An online weekly curated selection of Soviet, Russian, Caucasian and East European cinema from early silent cinema, to masterpieces of animation, from post-war classics to contemporary Cannes winners. Coming up in August is Tashkent Film Encounters: a season of rare gems from Central Asia.
• Matchbox Cineclub: Tales from Winnipeg 28-31 August. Matchbox present a limited season in collaboration with the Winnipeg Film Group, including rare and exclusive work from John Paizs, Guy Maddin, Kevin Nikkel & Dave Barber. The season and all additional content will feature brand-new SDH/captions for D/deaf audiences.
• Pilot Light TV Fest: Season 5, the Digital Special, 15-16 August. Presenting 23 brand new TV Pilots and web series for audiences to obsess over, as well as meeting the talent behind them with a selection of Q&A’s and video introductions.
• Slapstick Festival: Laughter Out of Lockdown, April-August 2020. All your classic comedy needs from silent short films to Comedy quizzes and Q&As featuring comedy legends Robin Ince, Lucy Porter and Rob Brydon

Film Feels is a National Lottery funded project designed to bring new, off-the-beaten track, films to those who have spent lockdown completing Netflix, searching every corner of Amazon Prime for something a bit different or have had all the Disney+ they can handle.

This summer, Film Feels Connected invites audiences to join in with over fifty online film events; ranging from watch-alongs to live conversations with directors, filmmakers and critics, to film festivals, workshops and at-home creative activities.

Although cinemas were given the green light to open in England on 4 July, many smaller independent cinemas in the UK, unable to open at reduced capacity, are making plans to reopen later in Summer and the early Autumn.

Greg Walker, Festival Director at Pilot Light, one of the Film Feels Connected participating organisations, says:

The team behind Film Feels Connected hope that while the cinemas are dark over the summer, curious film fans will visit the Film Feels website and take a risk on some true cinematic gems. All chosen by respected cinema programmers, film festivals and cinephiles who want to share their passion for cinema.

Visit filmfeels.co.uk to find out about the all the films and events you can join in with over the summer.

Download the full press release here

There is a huge amount of work being done across the sector in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The Screen Sector Taskforce, coordinated by the BFI, is a group of the UK’s leading film, TV and moving image bodies and organisations working together to identify challenges and develop policy recommendations for Government  in response to the COVID-19 crisis.  

Originally brought together in response to the Brexit referendum, the Taskforce membership has grown from 30 to more than 100 senior representatives from film, TV, animation, VFX and video games. It currently operates through five sub-groups focusing on different aspects of the screen sector value chain, which are chaired by leading bodies in this area – distribution and exhibition (chaired by UKCA and FDA) inward investment (British Film Commission), independent film production (BFI), TV production and broadcasting (Pact), and video games (Ukie).  Each working group will develop policy interventions designed to get the sector back up and running as quickly as possible, with these presented to Government as a single package of measures designed to help right across the sector.

Quantifying the cost of re-opening cinemas in line with social distancing and the impact on consumer demand have been priority workstreams for the distribution and exhibition sub-group. This will inform asks to Government designed to mitigate this cost and keep the exhibition sector sustainable in the aftermath of lockdown. This work complements that by the UKCA to develop guidance and safety protocols for cinemas on how to reopen in line with social distancing, which is with UK and devolved governments for consideration.

Here is a list of those involved in the Distribution and Exhibition subgroup:

• Andy Leyshon – Film Distributors’ Association (co-chair)
• Phil Clapp – UK Cinema Association (co-chair)
• Hamish Moseley – Altitude Films
• Shaun Jones – Cineworld Cinemas
• Sambrooke Scott – Creative Scotland
• Justin Ribbons – Empire Cinemas
• Kezia Williams – EOne Entertainment
• Crispin Lilly – Everyman Cinemas
• Pauline Burt – Ffilm Cymru
• Catharine Des Forges – Independent Cinema Office
• Matt Smith – Lionsgate UK
• Kevin Markwick – The Picture House, Uckfield
• Joan Parsons – Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast
• Ian George – Sony Pictures
• Rob Huber – Universal Pictures
• Craig Jones – Walt Disney
• Mark Cosgrove – Watershed, Bristol
• Ben Luxford – BFI
• Stuart Brown – BFI
• Julia Lamaison – BFI
• Tricia Tuttle/ Anu Giri – BFI
• Jennifer Kimber – BFI
• Jack Powell – BFI
• Elizabeth Mitchell – DCMS
• James Butler – DCMS
• Olivia Coxhead – DCMS

If you have a COVID-19 related enquiry, please contact covid-19.queries@bfi.org.uk which acts as a centralised point for all COVID-19 enquiries, and from where BFI can also signpost you to the most relevant advice if necessary.

With cinemas closed due to COVID-19, Into Film are celebrating venues and cinema operators across the UK in a new series, Cinemas that Made Me. Here they pay tribute to a Film Hub Wales member, The Savoy Theatre in Monmouth, Wales, and its Director and General Manager Chris Ryde.

BFI FAN Covid-19 Resilience Fund

Emergency Funding To Help Independent Exhibitors Survive Ongoing Venue Shutdown

National Lottery funding through the BFI Film Audience Network supports members of the UK-wide network in critical need and facing closure

London, Friday 12 June 2020: The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) has allocated emergency funding to independent exhibitors across the UK through the BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund. £1.3m National Lottery funding, plus a £150,000 contribution from the Mayor of London’s Culture at Risk Business Support Fund, has been made available to provide grants to those in critical financial need as they continue to face months of closure and uncertainty. BFI FAN – a unique collaboration of eight Film Hubs managed by leading film organisations across the UK – targeted the fund to help small and medium sized audience-facing organisations with a particular focus on venue-based exhibitors.

Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences, BFI, said:

The Fund has supported 130 FAN Members across the UK with awards ranging from £415 to £23,000 each. These include MacRobert Arts Centre in Stirling, Jam Jar Cinema in Whitley Bay, Magic Lantern in Tywyn, and Bounce Cinema in London, supporting exhibitors who often representing the only cultural offer in their local area. Helping to ensure they can survive is crucial, particularly to provide an offer to audiences to support wellbeing after a prolonged period of lockdown and isolation.

The BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience Fund was administered through each of FAN’s regional and national based Film Hubs, working with the BFI, set up to support exhibitors and festivals which have faced unprecedented challenges, with many at risk of making staff redundant and permanent closure. The Independent Cinema Office (ICO) conducted a survey – Reopening Cinemas the Independent Way – to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the independent exhibition industry. It found only 59% of respondents considered they could reopen with social measures in place, with 63% stating they could survive for only three months. Almost half of the 59% believe they will be able to open in September at the earliest.

The Resilience Fund is part of a package of support the BFI has quickly responded with in order to support individuals, productions, organisations and businesses that have been hardest hit by COVID-19.

The BFI also continues to work closely with industry and Government to develop and implement a robust, sector-wide strategy for recovery. Out of its Screen Sector Task Force, a number of working groups are focused on key areas: inward investment; independent film; distribution and exhibition; and television and broadcasting. The BFI has up-to-date industry advice for the sector at www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/covid-19-answering-questions-screen-sectors.

The UK Cinema Association and the Film Distributors’ Association have been developing guidance to support cinemas reopen. In the first instance it is likely only multiplexes and larger chains and will be able to open once Government guidance allows, with smaller independent venues hoping to follow later in the year.

Comments from some BFI FAN Covid-19 Resilience Fund recipients:

 Dan Ellis, Managing Director, Jam Jar Cinema, (FAN Hub North member) said: “Jam Jar Cinema has become a hub for our community, a key attraction for our high street and most importantly something that local people love, and are proud of, in the town. The reality is that without BFI Resilience funding all of the hard work, audience development and local buy-in would be lost as we probably wouldn’t survive this crisis. This support gives us a fighting chance to reopen and we’re using this time to figure out what we need to do differently, as well as identifying the important bits – the ones that make us who we are – to keep the same in the future. But it’s not just enough to survive, it’s about coming back and being there for the people who use us, need us and are yet to discover us. It’s about cinema for all. It’s about local people, finding local solutions to local problems. It’s about being the best we can be. With this support we hope we can work together with our audiences so that our organisation, our community and our town can thrive once again.”

Natalie Jode, Executive Director, Creative Arts East (FAN Hub South East member), said: “BFI FAN COVID-19 Resilience investment for Creative Arts East will make a significant difference to our survival, both this year and next. This year it will allow us to balance the books, maintain employment for our staff and continue to support our network of 64 community cinema groups with remote training and digital programming.  Crucially, this investment affords us the time and capacity to move out of a financial firefight for 2020-21 and begin looking to and preparing solutions for the medium and longer-term challenges that we are facing alongside our colleagues in the wider arts and cultural sector.”

Jessica Brewster, Director, The Roses Theatre, (Film Hub South West Member) said: “The BFI Resilience Fund is a game changer for The Roses at an incredibly difficult time. As well as ensuring our survival through the next few months, it will give us the staff capacity to innovate our film programme to better serve our communities while the doors are closed, allowing us to reach new audiences and start new conversations around independent film.”

Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, Festival Director & Cinema Co-ordinator, Wicked Wales Film Festival and Cinema, Rhyl (Film Hub Wales member), said: “Having the support and funding from the BFI and Film Hub Wales means a great deal to our team of young volunteers who run the Wicked Pop Up Cinemas at Rhyl Little Theatre in North Wales. With Film Hub Wales support we started our community cinema 3 years ago bringing affordable cinema back to some of the most deprived communities in Wales. This period of lockdown meant losing contact with the audiences we had worked so hard to build up. This funding will enable our volunteers to continue to have a place to work from and an opportunity to reach out to our existing and new audiences ready for when we open the doors again.”

Nerve Centre/ Foyle Film Festival (Film Hub NI Member) said: “BFI Covid 19 Relief Funding will strengthen our resilience to the impact of COVID-19, by helping us to maintain our connection with our strongest supporters our film audiences and the young people who make the Nerve Centre what it is – a hub for youth culture in Derry-Londonderry. We’re a venue that’s open for business, building new ways of reaching out and welcoming new audiences, online and in venue.”

Beth Bate, Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee (Film Hub Scotland Member) said: “DCA is delighted to be a recipient of the BFI FAN Resilience Fund: this vital funding will support our cinema team during a time of immense pressure and change to ensure we can reopen our doors to our audiences as soon as possible, with a programme that’s as diverse and exciting as ever.”

Paul Carr, The Northern Light Cinema, Wirksworth Derbyshire, (Film Hub Midlands Member) said: “We’re a small rural independent cinema tucked away in Derbyshire and although we have a terrific community around us, it’s still easy to feel pretty isolated as far as the cinema is concerned. Independence comes with a price. So the BFI Resilience Fund did more than just throw us a financial lifeline. It connected us back to the big picture, reminded us we weren’t alone and gave us the breathing space, and the confidence, to plan our way back.”

Watermans (Film Hub London Member) said: “We are delighted to have been selected to receive this funding from the Mayor of London, BFI and Film London. Watermans is a small independent cinema facing huge challenges at this difficult time – along with so many others – and this grant will help us to weather the storm. But it isn’t just about keeping a cinema going during hard times; it’s about supporting a place that is at the heart of its community in Hounslow, a place where people meet, make connections, are inspired by talks, festivals and an eclectic selection of film. It’s a place where we welcome people whatever their background and put increasing access to the inspiring world of cinema at the heart of our programming. At a time when life may be difficult for so many in the coming years, places that bind communities in all their diversity will be more important than ever, and this grant recognises the role that a cinema like Watermans can play in that.”

ENDS

Download the Full Press Release here.