The Film Hub Midlands region covers Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland and Lincolnshire.
Broadway Cinema in Nottingham, in partnership with Flatpack Projects in Birmingham, is the Film Hub Lead Organisation for the Midlands. Thanks to National Lottery funding, it works with film exhibitors of all types across the region to build new audiences for British, independent and specialised film, supporting them with funding opportunities, advice & guidance, training, programming support and networking opportunities.
From 2023-2026, Film Hub Midlands are working with partners and exhibitors across Staffordshire on a jam-packed programme of screenings and events designed to grow film audiences across the county as part of Spotlight initiative.
Support
Project support is available to members through the following;
Film Exhibition Fund, which opens for submissions twice a year (spring and autumn) for activity taking place from April to the following March. The Film Exhibition Fund is intended to support BFI FAN Members in reaching new and diverse audiences and offering the best independent film and broader screen experiences to their local communities in line with one or more of the BFI FAN priority outcomes. The fund is highly competitive and usually oversubscribed, so it’s important to approach the Hub about planned projects to stand the best chance of success.
Pitch Pots Fund, which is open for submissions year-round, is available to help support a risk or try something new. Whether you are new to film exhibition and want to put on your first screening or an established cinema or community screen who wants to trial a new type of programming, Film Hub Midlands want to help audiences engage with the widest range of film in as many places as possible.
Bursaries are available to members to support training and professional development opportunities throughout the year.
Training & Events
Every year during Flatpack Festival, Film Hub Midlands hosts Film Camp, a one-day training event designed to gather film exhibitors from across the Midlands to share their wealth of experience and collectively explore fresh approaches to programming and audience development. They also run regular preview screenings, training and networking events on a variety of topics requested by the membership.
Programming Group
The Programming Group is a network of cinemas from the Midlands who meet regularly online to share knowledge on programming specialised film, box office insights, marketing strategies and to feedback on festivals & preview screenings.
Talent Development
The BFI NETWORK Midlands team nurtures the professional development of the extraordinary filmmaking talent in the region, building a confident, diverse creative community of directors, writers and producers and allocates National Lottery funding to film productions.
Young People
BFI Film Academy Plus offers young creatives in the Midlands a range of accessible activities, workshops and events, from filmmaking to film programming, to help support and grow young people’s passion for screen culture, as well as broadening the work to develop routes for young people to develop sustainable careers in the sector.
UK-wide BFI FAN role
On behalf of the wider BFI Film Audience Network, Film Hub Midlands manages Broader Screen, a research project aiming to investigate the strategies, implications and opportunities of integrating immersive technology, technology-driven storytelling projects and evolving narrative forms (‘broader screen content’) in cinema exhibition venues.
Visit the website
