Film Hub North

Working across Cheshire, County Durham, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Northumberland, North and East Lincolnshire, Tyne & Wear, and Yorkshire, Film Hub North uses National Lottery funds to provide support and training that helps exhibitors expand their reach, develops local filmmaking talent and, ultimately, ensures that audiences in the North have access to a rich variety of screen culture.

Support

The Film Exhibition Fund supports exhibitors to engage audiences with independent film programmes in a communal setting. Members can apply to Film Hub North’s Pitch Pot, which provides quick-fire micro-grants for one-off events and short screening programmes, and a Bursary Fund, which helps film exhibitors access training opportunities.

Training & Events

Film Hub North hosts regular filmmaker mixers and exhibitor drop-in sessions to promote the funding and support available through the Hub. They also organise regular filmmaker roundtables to allow attendees the opportunity to network with BFI-funded filmmakers and preview their work.

Programming Group

The Hub is led in partnership by the North’s two leading independent cinemas: HOME, Manchester, and Showroom Cinema, Sheffield.

Talent Development

Film Hub North’s BFI NETWORK Talent Executives nurture the professional development of exciting filmmaking talent in the region through training programmes. This includes Script Lab, which offers 10 writers expert guidance and support to turn a short film idea into a ready-to-shoot script, whilst Creative Producer Lab, in collaboration with Film Hub Midlands, helps develop a new wave of emerging producers.

Young People

Northern Exposure Young Film Programmers, is a training programme for aspiring film curators, teaches participants aged 16-25 how the industry works and what goes into hosting a successful screening. After receiving training from industry experts, the curators take over Northern Exposure – Film Hub North’s short film night – working collaboratively to create a brief and programme of films showcasing the best of Northern filmmaking.

Film Hub North also supports young people through BFI Film Academy short courses, the no-budget DIY Filmmaking Challenges, and the BFI Film Academy Micro Short Film Fund – a new film fund grant for filmmakers at the early stages of their careers.

UK-wide BFI FAN Role

Film Hub North hosts different initiatives focusing on Environmental Sustainability and the role the film exhibition sector has to play in tackling climate change. Activity delivered by Film Hub North so far includes the BFI FAN Green Hour and the Green Exhibitors Mentoring, a new online mentoring programme for UK film exhibitors to take the next steps in their sustainability journey.