UK Cinemas build T.L.C for Trans-Led Stories on Screen

The Making of Pinochio © Alchemy Film & Arts
August 2022


A new series of events and podcasts from Inclusive Cinema called ‘T.L.C’ (Tender Loving Care for Trans-Led/Trans-Loved Cinema) are coming to UK screens.

From Orkney to London, cinemas, festivals and independent exhibitors will present film screenings, Q&As and panels on diverse topics related to trans visibility in cinema, thanks to support from the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) awarding National Lottery funding. These events will also be recorded live and made into podcasts.

T.L.C, supported by delivery partner, writer and activist So Mayer, aims to help address the historic imbalance of trans representation on screen. The events will be run by Milo Clenshaw, Alchemy Film & Arts (Hawick, Scotland), Lillian Crawford, Freelance Writer & Researcher (Manchester, England), Beatrice Copland, The Phoenix Cinema (Orkney, Scotland), Rebecca del Tufo, The Lexi Cinema (London, England) with additional podcast elements from Trans+ On Screen. Full events listings can be found on Inclusivecinema.org here.

Megan Mitchell, Inclusive Cinema Project Manager for BFI FAN explains:

There is ongoing underrepresentation of trans voices on-screen and by supporting trans led and trans focused projects like T.L.C, Inclusive Cinema hopes to help address this and inspire other film exhibitors to undertake similar events. Those who will be running events under the T.L.C banner have all come to the project with their own unique insights into what is lacking when it comes to trans voices within cinema, reflecting the diversity of lived experiences of trans people. T.L.C is also for audiences, we want trans audiences to feel safe within cinema settings and be able to recognise their own experiences in what is being programmed and what ends up on screen.

The BFI FAN in a UK-wide network made up of national and regional Hubs which seek to ensure the greatest choice of cinema is available to everyone across the UK. Inclusive Cinema is part of BFI FAN and coordinated by Film Hub Wales.

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

Download the full press release here


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About Film Hub Wales
Film Hub Wales (FHW) celebrates cinema. We support organisations that screen film, from film festivals, to societies and mixed arts centres. Working with over 315 Welsh exhibitors, we aim to bring the best British and international film to all audiences across Wales and the UK. Since Film Hub Wales set up in 2013, we’ve supported over 250 exciting cinema projects, reaching over 480,000 audience members.

We’re part of a UK wide network of eight hubs funded by the British Film Institute (BFI) which form the Film Audience Network (FAN), with Chapter appointed as the ‘Film Hub Lead Organisation’ (FHLO) in Wales.

We are also proud to lead on the UK inclusive cinema strategy on behalf of BFI FAN.

About Inclusive Cinema
Inclusive Cinema is a UK-wide project from the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN). It supports film exhibitors by countering cultural, systemic and physical barriers, with the aim of enabling everyone to participate in cinema. Exhibitors can access training, events and hundreds of resources on inclusivecinema.org – including a guide to dismantling structural inequality.

Led by Film Hub Wales on behalf of BFI FAN, the project champions the network’s aims to bring British, international and independent film to audiences, working towards the BFI Diversity Standards.

About the BFI Film Audience Network
Supported by National Lottery funding, the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN), is central to the BFI’s aim to ensure the greatest choice of film is available for everyone. Established in 2012 to build wider and more diverse UK cinema audiences for British and international film, FAN is a unique, UK-wide collaboration made up of eight Hubs managed by leading film organisations and venues strategically placed around the country. FAN also supports talent development with BFI NETWORK Talent Executives in each of the English Hubs, with a mission to discover and support talented writers, directors and producers at the start of their careers.

BFI FAN Film Hubs are:

  • Film Hub Midlands is led by Broadway, Nottingham working in partnership with the Birmingham-based Flatpack
  • Film Hub North is led collectively by Showroom Workstation, Sheffield and HOME Manchester
  • Film Hub South East is led by the Independent Cinema Office
  • Film Hub South West is led by Watershed in Bristol
  • Film Hub Scotland is led by Glasgow Film Theatre
  • Film Hub Northern Ireland is led by Queen’s University Belfast
  • Film Hub Wales is led by Chapter in Cardiff
  • Film Hub London is led by Film London

About the BFI
We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. Our mission is:

  • To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers
  • To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television archive
  • To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals – delivered online and in venue
  • To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding
  • To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s screen industries

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Tim Richards.

About Chapter
Chapter is one of Europe’s largest and most dynamic arts centres with cinemas, theatres, exhibition spaces, studios, a café, award-winning bars, over 60 cultural workspaces and more.

Chapter has an international reputation for excellence, innovation and collaboration. It offers an ever-changing programme of the best performance, films and exhibitions from Wales and from around the world.

For more information, please contact:

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