Timetable at a glance
Wednesday 11 September
18:00 – Opening reception & a special screening at QFT
Thursday 12 September
09:00-17:00 – Conference Day 1, QFT
19:00 – Conference Dinner in the Great Hall of Queen’s University Belfast
Friday 13 September
09:00-17:00 – Conference Day 2, QFT
Evening – Cinematic Tour of Belfast (Booked separately)
Opening Night Screening & Reception
Wednesday 11 September
Reception: 6.30pm
Screening: 8pm
BFI FAN CON opened with a reception at QFT. The reception was followed by a screening of the new restoration of Pat O’Connor’s Cal supported by our partners Northern Ireland Screen.
Cal (1984) is a landmark film in the depiction of the Northern Irish Troubles and one that cemented QFT’s reputation as the home of Irish film in Belfast. Produced by David Puttnam, the titular character Cal (John Lynch), a young man on the fringes of the IRA, falls in love with Marcella (Helen Mirren), a Catholic woman whose husband, a Protestant policeman, was killed one year earlier by the IRA. The film stunned the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, with the then much less-well-known Helen Mirren, unexpectedly winning that year’s Best Actress Award.
Thursday Morning
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Led by Hugh Odling-Smee (Film Hub NI) in the Café Bar, QFT
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Location: QFT Screen 1
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Location: QFT Screen 1
Session Details
Have you wondered how cinemas could help reverse the decline of nature in the UK? Have you considered how you could incorporate nature more in your environmental policies? Perhaps your cinema could help one of our endangered urban species whilst also building communities and engaging potential audiences. Join the RSPB Belfast Window on Wildlife along with freelance community coordinator and film exhibitor Olivia James in this introduction to how film exhibitors can positively incorporate nature. Bring along your ideas, questions, suggestions and examples and get involved (or sit back and be inspired).
Curated by Olivia James
Speakers
Tádhg MacCannadh (Tim McCann), Visitor Experience Manager, RSPB Belfast Window on Wildlife
Tádhg grew up on the shores of Lough Neagh and has always had an affinity with nature. From summer eves spent at Castor Bay with his grandfather to autumn walks along the salmon river with his mother, he has always known how special this place we call home is. Having worked for almost 15 years in the environmental sector, 13 of those with the RSPB, Tádhg has 16 brought new audiences and communities to an organisation once considered a bastion for twitchers. He is currently leading the resurgence of Belfast’s Window on Wildlife with its inclusive events programme incorporating nature, the arts, culture and heritage. His most recent event ‘Tá an dúlra inár dúchas – It’s in our Nature’ featured in Ireland’s national press and was praised for its content, inclusivity and how it made nature accessible to new audiences. Tádhg also brought awardwinning film The Nettle Dress to Belfast for its Northern Irish premiere, featuring a Q&A with the director Dylan Howitt. This was extremely well received and has opened the doors for the RSPB to engage audiences with future performances across their reserves network.
Olivia James, Freelance Community Coordinator and Film Exhibitor
Olivia started out in film, video and sound production but fell into community cinema in 2012, running a film club for excluded communities in Birmingham city centre through Open Cinema. This led her down a different path into community led cinema work 15 and since she has worked extensively in access and inclusion, both in venues and non-venue based organisations, in film exhibition. The financial hit of Covid 19 meant that she began exploring work in different sectors and in 2022 she began working for the RSPB in community led work and has identified opportunities across both sectors, whilst still working in the West Midlands managing a community cinema project for Black Country Touring. Olivia has a great love for nature and film and in her spare time enjoys experimenting with 35mm black and white film photography eco-processing using Rosemary from her garden.
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Location: QFT Screen 2
Session Details
As film archives across the UK work to ensure their screen heritage collections better reflect the UK’s diverse communities, many are addressing the new shared challenge of collecting today’s digital moving image works and ensuring these histories are preserved for future generations. This session will consider how exhibitors can partner with archives on these contemporary collecting programmes, exploring opportunities for engaging new audiences in this work and providing a critical access point for communities to share their stories and learn from others.
Speakers
Jemma Buckley, Project Manager, Our Screen Heritage, BFI
Jemma has worked in the film exhibition sector for almost 20 years, with a broad range of experience across audience 17 development, training, education, and fundraising. She has a strong interest in audience development projects that enable people to access and engage with screen heritage material, developing in-venue programmes encompassing education sessions for school children (Rio Cinema) to community reminiscence sessions (Picturehouse Cinemas). At the British Deaf Association, Jemma devised and managed ‘SHARE: The Deaf Visual Archive’ digitisation and access project, culminating in the theatrical release of Power in our Hands (2016). Jemma joined the Independent Cinema Office in 2016 project-managing a number of screen heritage audience engagement programmes including Britain on Film on Tour, New Towns, Our Town and Right of Way, as well as working across training and professional development programmes for the exhibition sector. Jemma joined the BFI in April 2024 to manage ‘Our Screen Heritage’, which seeks to explore new ways for the public to access the BFI National Archive and its collections.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/our-screen-heritage-programmeDr Elspeth Vischer, Project Coordinator, Northern Ireland Now
Dr Elspeth Vischer is a filmmaker, researcher and project coordinator based in Belfast. Elspeth is the project coordinator of the Northern Ireland Now Project with Nerve Centre and Northern Ireland Screen. Northern Ireland Now is a community contemporary collecting project that aims to tackle underrepresentation in the traditional film archives of Northern Ireland through collaboratively creating a video collection with 12 diverse community groups. In her films, Elspeth is interested in making non-fiction and experimental work that prioritises counter-hegemonic perspectives. Elspeth recently graduated from a creative-practice PhD at Queen’s University Belfast, the creative component of which was a feature documentary entitled Let Us Be Seen about grassroots feminist activism in Belfast and how this operates.
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Location: Film Studio
Session Details
Amy Smart, Film Hub Midlands; Rob Manley, Film Hub NI; Emily Steele-Dias, Gateway Film Festival; Gražina Ščučkaitė, Film Hub Scotland; Louise Norbury, Create Studios; Moira McVean, Film London
This session brings some of the learnings and expertise from the BFI FAN Spotlight programme which is investing in culturally underserved communities to improve audience choice and improve access to screenings of independent film. Amy Smart, Spotlight lead for Film Hub Midlands will be joined by two other regional Spotlight leads to talk about how they are approaching identifying community needs, leveraging funding for community screenings and building partnerships. After the panel, the group will split into facilitated breakout groups focusing on specific areas of expertise from the participating Spotlight leads.
Speakers
Amy Smart, Partnerships Manager, Film Hub Midlands
Directorial dreams led me to study film at university, where I quickly realised I prefer (and am far better at) kicking back and enjoying the fruits of someone else’s labour. My journey into film programming began at Midlands Arts Centre when my enthusiasm for film landed me a job as Cinema Producer. I’ve worked for a variety of cinemas and festivals in the Midlands since then, including SHOUT Queer Arts Festival, London Indian Film Festival and Artrix, loving every minute of it. In 2016 my passion for the big screen bagged me a job at Flatpack Projects, heading up the organisation’s year-round activity under the banner of Film Hub Midlands. If you ever need to get a hold of me when I’m not running screenings or visiting local exhibitors, chances are you’ll find me at the cinema.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/our-screen-heritage-programmeEmily Steele-Dias, Film Hub South East Spotlight Lead, Gateway
Film FestivalEmily Steele-Dias is a freelance producer, curator, and artist based in Peterborough. In 2017, she founded Cine-Sister CIC, an 19 organisation dedicated to showcasing films by women filmmakers. In 2019, Cine-Sister CIC launched the Gateway Film Festival, which celebrates a wide range of cinema while fostering connections within the local community. Gateway partners with various local groups and organisations to create a broad, eclectic programme that fuses film with other art forms such as dance, music, and poetry, engaging a wide range of audiences across the city. In 2023, Gateway was selected to run the Film Hub South East branch of the BFI Spotlight project developing new long-term screening programmes with partners around Peterborough. Emily is also an internationally screened filmmaker, with her work focusing on heritage and untold stories, and works as Participation Producer at Jumped Up Theatre facilitating dance and youth projects.
Robert Manley, Spotlight Facilitator, Film Hub NI
Robert Manley’s passion for film has driven his 15-year journey as the founding chairman of the award-winning Newcastle Community Cinema (NCC). Under his leadership, this volunteer-led, non-profit organisation has transformed from monthly screenings into a cultural hub with a dedicated venue and manager. Robert has overseen NCC’s growth, including the annual Full Moon Film Festival, drive-in events, and immersive experiences, solidifying its reputation as a beloved institution in Newcastle, County Down. Rob is also the driving force behind Shindig Arts, known for curating innovative, accessible events that foster meaningful shared experiences. Rob’s diverse portfolio highlights local and emerging talent in Northern Ireland, supporting professional development and providing valuable platforms for artists to thrive. As Film Hub NI representative for the BFI FAN Spotlight initiative, Rob is on a mission to expand independent cinema access across Northern Ireland’s Newry and Mourne district, working to boost audience choice and improve screening opportunities for underserved communities across the district.
Thursday Afternoon
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Location: Film Studio
Session Details
The pandemic and the subsequent arrival of the cultural recovery fund, alongside the challenges of the economic climate which are still with us all, brought a focus to the financial frailties of the independent cinema sector and the difficulties of ensuring economic sustainability in organisations. The first iteration of ‘Revisiting your Cinema Business Model’ has been running for six months, and course leaders Steve Mapp and David Sin will be here to have an open conversation with delegates about learnings from the course so far, challenges and solutions and the ways we can develop new models of economic sustainability.
Speakers
Steve Mapp, Cinema Consultant
Retired in June 2023 from being the Chief Executive of Broadway Cinema, Nottingham since 2008. Joined Broadway in 1990, 24 originally appointed to set up the Finance and Development departments and with experience of planning and business development, stakeholder and change management, governance, fundraising, team working and project management including raising £8m of capital investment from public and private sources to expand and improve facilities. Oversaw a merger with Intermedia (film & video training and production) and secured Broadway as the lead organisation for Film Hub Midlands in a partnership with Flatpack. Established Broadway as an Arts Council NPO that supports innovation, training and development of creative talent who use technologies in their practice. Currently a cinema consultant and contributor on the ICO Training Advisory Group and Revisiting Your Cinema Business Model.
David Sin, Head of Cinemas, Independent Cinema Office
David has worked in the independent film sector for over 25 years, as a programmer, distributor and consultant. His career has included spells as Director of Cinema at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), where he acquired and released films by directors such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jia Zhangke and Roy Andersson and launched J-Horror in the UK with Ring; as Head of Content at the BFI overseeing the Institute’s distributed films; and as the first Coordinator of Lincolnshire Cinemas, which became a model for rural cinema provision.
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Location: QFT Screen 1
Session Details
Using some principles from relaxed and accessible screenings, Midnight Memphis will facilitate an accessible networking session which is open to all delegates who have an interest in or are engaged in access work. This can include any workers who currently work with or aim to work with people who experience barriers of any kind and/or workers who experience barriers themselves and who wish to connect with other workers in the sector. There’ll be a chance to sign up in advance for one of the limited number of spaces and to indicate any access requirements and personal goals for the session.
This session was curated by Midnight Memphis.
Facilitators
Midnight Memphis, Film Exhibitor and Access Worker
I’m Midnight, founder of Daydream Cinema, an autistic-owned film exhibition organisation focusing on relaxed and accessible screenings, events and programming opportunities for neurodivergent and disabled people.
My background as a cinema worker in the sector for around 20 years has developed my knowledge and experience in cinema access, operations, marketing, projection and programming.
I have many years’ experience working Front of House in arts organisations and cinemas including Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle. This helps me to understand the broader intersectional barriers audiences face in attending venues and the barriers employees face in work and industry settings.
I also currently work as Exhibition Officer and Relaxed Cinema Project Lead for Beacon Films, a Newcastle upon Tyne based film production company which supports the talents and creativity of neurodivergent and disabled filmmakers and exhibitors.
I use this experience, and my own as a multiply neurodivergent and disabled person and carer for other disabled people, to inform my work.
Nicola Kettlewood, Manager, Film Hub Scotland
Nicola Kettlewood has worked in film exhibition and film education for over twenty years in a number of different organisations and is passionate about encouraging diverse audiences to engage with cinema. She was previously Deputy Artistic Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival and Producer of the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival. During her time as Head of Education at Filmhouse and EIFF she expanded opportunities for young people to develop their film skills and knowledge, as filmmakers, programmers and audiences.
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Location: Screen 1
In this session, Matchbox Cine’s Charlie Little will contribute their thoughts to the recent industry exploration of cinema subtitle glasses, sharing a perspective of lived experience and accessible film exhibition expertise before going on to discuss the inclusive practice of reliable descriptive subtitled screenings. Guest speaker Paul Lofting of Paramount will be invited to discuss Paramount’s UK-wide campaign and initiative to roll out preview screenings with descriptive subtitles and BSL training for cinema staff.
Speakers
Charlie Little, Access Consultant, Matchbox Cine
Charlie Little (she/they) is Matchbox Cine’s in-house access consultant, working across the film exhibition sector on access and inclusion for Deaf and disabled audiences. They have lived experience of deafness and sight loss and are passionate about accessible cinema experiences for all. Charlie has programmed for festivals such as BFI’s Busting The Bias and has written extensively on disability representation. They advise an array of charities and exhibitors, such as Reclaim The Frame and Take One Action! Film Festivals, and they are Film Hub Scotland’s EDI Champion. They are also a member of the BFI’s Disability Screen Advisory Group.
Paul Lofting, Director of Sales, Paramount Pictures UK
Paul has been a film industry executive for 30+ years with deep experience in both exhibition and distribution. He is currently Director of Sales at Paramount Pictures UK.
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Location: Screen 2
A chance to get updates and ask questions to representatives of some new and continuing developments in the industry including the newly-established Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, which seeks to uphold and improve standards of behaviour in the sector, and Escapes, the BFI’s national scheme that collaborates with independent cinemas to offer new audiences an opportunity to enjoy the big screen experience and discover cinema.
Speakers
Jen Smith, Interim CEO, CIISA
Jen Smith is Interim CEO of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) responsible for developing its remit, operating model and governance structure.
Jen was responsible for a host of ground-breaking initiatives whilst working at the BFI, gaining international recognition for the BFI Diversity Standards, achieving Autism Friendly Status for BFI Southbank, partnering with Changing Faces on the impactful #Iamnotyourvillain campaign and ensuring that the full range of diversity data on who the BFI funds and employs is published annually. Jen led the creation and publication of the screen sectors’ first ‘Set of Principles and Guidance to Prevent Bullying and Harassment and Racism’.
Jen previously held a range of strategic roles with the housing sector and prior to that worked as a researcher in Parliament. Jen is a member of the Institute of Regulation and an ACAS accredited mediator. Jen is also a member of BAFTA, Patron at the Royal Albert Hall, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an advisor to the UK Muslim Film Charity.
Delphine Lievens, Freelance Distribution & Exhibition Consultant
Delphine Lievens is a freelancer in UK independent film distribution and exhibition. She has previously held roles as Head of Distribution at Bohemia Media, a UK distributor with a specific focus on diverse voices, at Gower Street Analytics as a Senior Box Office Analyst, and at Altitude Films as a Theatrical Sales Executive. She has been working on elevenfiftyfive’s Escapes project since its launch, co-ordinating sign-ups and providing support for participating cinemas. Delphine also works on other projects including supporting the theatrical releases of diverse and independent films in the UK, alongside project management and distribution consultancy.
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Location: Film Studio
Bringing together the worlds of marketing science and placemaking, experienced agency brand strategist Bernadine Brewer will look at how organisations of all sizes can go beyond film-by-film marketing and utilise these concepts to build and deploy a meaningful brand story. Using simple frameworks, this session should make you think differently about how your brand can connect with your communities and audiences, inspiring loyalty and repeat visitation.
This session was curated by Bernadine Brewer.
Bernadine Brewer, Freelance Brand Strategist
Bernadine is a brand strategy leader, with 20 years of experience in marketing & communications. She has developed brand and campaign narratives for household names from Mastercard to Pizza Hut, as well for residential, cultural and retail precincts.
After a successful career working in top tier advertising agencies around the globe, Bernadine now leads the strategy function for Tapestry Place Studios – a place-shaping brand consultancy. She works to bring together concepts from the world of brand building, marketing science and placemaking to weave stories that deepen the connection between people and the places they choose to spend their time.
She has a personal passion for cinema, leading her to study a Masters in Film Studies at university. In bringing her unique expertise and perspective to the world of independent cinema exhibitors, her career comes full circle.
Reception & Conference Dinner
Thursday 12 December
Attendees and speakers came together to network at the halfway point of BFI FAN CON with a reception in Canada Room and then dined in the historic Great Hall of Queen’s University Belfast.
Friday Morning
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Location: Screen 1
Session Details
This session will look at how cinema can help keep us healthy. Drawing on case studies of successful projects that have used cinema as part of a social prescription model, research from hospital cinema sites, and case-studies of other projects that have used the collective experience of cinema-going to help our mental wellbeing, this session will inspire us to think in new ways about the role of film exhibition and challenge us to better articulate the healing power of cinema.
Curated by Claire Horrocks, Exeter Phoenix
Speakers
Claire Horrocks, Film Programmer, Exeter Phoenix
Claire Horrocks has over a decade of experience working in Film Exhibition and is currently Film Programmer at Exeter Phoenix, curating Studio 74; Exeter’s only independent cinema. Claire also produces Two Short Nights Film Festival, Exeter’s annual Big Screen in the Park and many specialised film seasons. Claire is on the advisory panel for distribution company Film eXe, was an advisor for Film London’s Young Audiences and BFI FAN SWWM and has shortlisted for festivals such as Encounters, Animated Exeter and Cork Film Fest. Alongside film her work in film Exhibition Claire helps steer the Exeter Phoenix Short Film Commissions and has executively produced over 100 regional short films. She is also a trustee for Paignton Picturehouse.
Beth Keane, Head of Service Design & Impact, MediCinema
Beth has worked in the film industry since 2014. It was through her marketing role at Lionsgate UK that she discovered MediCinema and knew she wanted to get involved. She started volunteering for MediCinema in 2016, before joining the central operations team three years later. Beth has helped to design new services, plan and manage special screenings and generally keep the service running! She has recently moved into the newly created role of Head of Service Design and Impact where she oversees MediCinema’s strategy for evaluating the impact of its services. Beth is most proud of the work she has done with patients and families to capture their authentic and powerful MediCinema stories.
Paul Giggal, Chief Operating Officer, MediCinema
As COO of MediCinema, Paul is responsible for all aspects of the charity’s operations and service delivery, ensuring they are providing the most efficient and effective services for the patients and families, and making a real impact on their health and wellbeing. A key focus at the moment is the charity’s growth with new services and a clear strategy to build more MediCinemas across the UK. From working in his local cinema as a teenager, to studying film and media at university, to starting as a volunteer at MediCinema, cinema has always been a passion for Paul and he truly believes he is in his perfect job!
Tasha Jagger, Film Journalist & Founder, Films Girls Galore
Tasha Jagger is a film journalist based in Sheffield. Her bylines include Little White Lies, Glamour, NME, Movie Marker and so on. She is also the founder of Film Girls Galore, a Sheffield female film club.
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Location: Film Studio
Session Details
Facilitator and cinema curator Bruno Miguel Castro will lead this session where he’ll introduce the board game “Sustainability in the Arts” which was created within the framework of the CoopAnimArt Erasmus+ programme. This is a fun way to work as a team to think differently about the way your organisation looks at integrated sustainability planning and determine areas for development. Played in small groups, it’s also something that you can bring back and facilitate within your home organisation’s team after the conference.
Facilitator
Bruno Miguel Castro, Curator & Facilitator, Imagine Futures
Bruno Castro has been a film curator and project manager since 2010. He is the face of curating and programming at Alvalade Cineclube, a film society he founded in Lisbon (Portugal). He specialised in documentary cinema at KINO-DOC. He is a trainer for the International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas (CICAE), a jury at the Berlin and Sarajevo Film Festivals and a mentor at SOFA (School of Film Advancement). He’s based in Liverpool, where he founded Imagine Futures CiC, which will kick off the Heartbeat Cinema project soon. He’s curating the ‘Collateral Points’ international film programme, screening new Portuguese cinema in the UK, Finland, Georgia and Spain in 2025.
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Location: QUB
Session Details
This session aims to bring an understanding of and minimise the everyday barriers experienced by D/deaf people. It’s aimed at organisations and individuals who want to gain an understanding of deaf awareness, gain life skills to improve their communication and improve their organisation’s accessibility.
Delivered by British Deaf Association
Speakers
Naomi Fujitani, British Deaf Association
Delivered by the British Deaf Association, this session aims to bring an understanding of and minimise the everyday barriers experienced by D/deaf people. It’s aimed at organisations and individuals who want to gain an understanding of deaf awareness, gain life skills to improve their communication and improve their organisation’s accessibility.
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Location: Film Studio
Session Details
How meaningful is your community engagement and your project evaluation? Are the ways you currently work helping you to understand potential barriers for audiences from underserved socioeconomic backgrounds and what you can do to address them?
This workshop will look at how we evaluate engagement and participation, and how we can open up current models to be co-created with people and communities. We’ll focus on how people-centred evaluation can provide new perspectives to inform your work, understand the impact of what you do on a deeper level, and develop initiatives that are both relevant and wanted by communities.
During the session you will be encouraged to reflect critically on failures – as well as successes – and consider next steps for developing participatory projects and their evaluation, bringing together the voices that often get missed on a tick-box form.
Curated by Linnea Pettersson
Speakers
Linnea Pettersson, BFI FAN Champion for Socio Economic Inclusion
Linnea is a freelancer working in cinema and film exhibition. She has spent several years working in programming, audience development and project management, with a focus on young audiences. She is now working on projects aimed at improving access for people facing barriers to cinema, as well as developing campaigns and events to support upcoming film releases.
Morvern Cunningham, Local Cinema Network Facilitator, WHALE Arts
Morvern Cunningham (she/they) is a freelance creative, currently co-facilitating the Creative Community Hubs Network in Edinburgh alongside the Local Cinema community cinema initiative. Up until last year, Morvern was also Creative Lead at Culture Collective, a network of 26 participatory arts projects across Scotland, shaped by local communities alongside artists and creative organisations. They are also a FailSpace champion, amplifying the toolkit developed by the AHRC-funded research project exploring how the cultural sector can better recognise, acknowledge and learn from failure.
Elizabeth Costello, Trustee, Leigh Film Society
Elizabeth’s passion for film started at a very early age. Growing up with four brothers and a sister, they would spend evenings as a family watching films together. In 2013 Elizabeth wanted to do something that brought together her love of film and community. At the time Elizabeth wasn’t aware of film societies and set up Tyldesley Film Club in a local café based on the same premise as a book club. The idea was to watch films together and then discuss them afterwards. This soon became very popular, and it was decided to move to bigger premises and take on a wider programme of film delivery. This 2014 relaunch included a name change to Leigh Film Society and the creation of an ethos for how they wanted to use the film screenings, maintained for the last 11 years:
- Fighting against social isolation
- Creating opportunities for young people
- Supporting community cohesion
In September 2022, Leigh Film Factory was launched – a cinema built entirely by volunteers with a green ethos. Leigh Film now has its own independent cinema, offering all forms of accessible, inclusive and affordable screen culture.
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Location: Screen 2
Session Details
Irish film has become a global force to be reckoned with over the past few years and this is no small part to the commitment and passion from independent distributors who place significant value on audience engagement from the outset. Join Gill Cooper (Wildcard Distribution – titles include KNEECAP, and LYRA) and Robert McCann-Finn (Breakout Pictures – titles include THE QUIET GIRL and THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN) as they discuss the state of the cinema industry across the Island of Ireland and give us a sneak peak at some upcoming releases.
Speakers
Gillian Cooper, Head of Theatrical, Wildcard Distribution
Following an MA in Film Studies in UCD, Gillian Cooper joined film marketing company usheru and was part of its original team from 2015-2017. Gillian then went on to join Wildcard to begin her career path in distribution, working as their Head of Theatrical. Wildcard is one of Ireland’s leading distribution companies, having released the Oscar-nominated Wolfwalkers and box office successes Black ‘47, The Young Offenders and Cardboard Gangsters. Wildcard recently moved into producing, with their first production, Kneecap, going on to be the first Irish language feature to screen at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Audience Award. Kneecap is now in Irish and UK cinemas. Gillian oversees acquisitions for production & distribution and works closely with the Wildcard team and its partners in developing the release campaign for each title.
Robert McCann Finn, Co-Founder, Break Out Pictures
Robert McCann Finn co-founded film and event distribution company Break Out Pictures with Nell Roddy in 2018 with a dedication to supporting emerging and established creatives. The duo bring their unique knowledge and creativity to every project through innovative and bespoke campaigns and release strategies. Finn is a highly experienced film professional with over a decade’s experience working across the theatrical and exhibition Irish and UK landscape. Before forming Break Out Pictures he worked with Element Pictures Distribution, heading up sales and publicity in the Irish market across a diverse slate of films including The Guard (which grossed over €4m at the box office), Lenny Abrahamson’s Oscar winning Room, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster and Cartoon Saloon’s much celebrated Song of the Sea. Break Out Pictures has seen its own major successes with Oscar-nominated The Quiet Girl, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Mrs Robinson, which is currently in cinemas.
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Location: Screen 1
This panel discussion will look at the new wave of interest in repertory cinema from audiences that’s evident at the box office and the success of initiatives such as Cinema Rediscovered and BFI Film on Film, the success of Letterboxd in fuelling interest and discuss how FAN members can harness this energy to attract new audiences and enrich their programmes.
Speakers
Mosa Mpetha, Curator, Cinema Africa! & Hyde Park Picture House
Based in Leeds, and from Liverpool & South Africa, Mosa Mpetha is a film curator of Black, African and Archive films. Mosa co-founded Black Cinema Project, an evolving space for Black people to gather and watch and discuss films with care; and she curates Cinema Africa! a permanent African film strand at Hyde Park Picture House screening 3-5 films a month in partnership with local African communities.
Mosa is a supporter of and advocate for DIY exhibitors, she is involved in the Scalarama Leeds Film Festival, she created the Leeds Film Network and mentors new programmers. Mosa has a passion for archive films and in particular the preservation and protection of African heritage. She is a part-time digital projectionist and is undertaking training in print projection.
Abiba Coulibaly, Film Curator, Atlas Cinema & Brixton Community Cinema
Abiba Coulibaly is a film curator with a background in critical geography. She programmes for Film Africa, Open City Documentary Festival, and Magnum Photos Film Festival which she also founded. Her projects Brixton Community Cinema and Atlas Cinema are experiments in what democratising access to cinema could look like. She has recently joined the Royal Academy of Art’s School of Architecture as an Associate Lecturer, continuing to combine her film practice with questions of spatial and civic equity as exemplified by her recent London Festival of Architecture commission to design, build and programme an outdoor cinema in Brixton, Views on the Atlantic.
Steph Read, Cinema Programmer, Watershed
Steph is the Cinema Programmer at Watershed in Bristol and has worked there since 2022, after completing a placement in the programme team as part of a Curating MA. They also contribute to Watershed’s repertory film festival Cinema Rediscovered, including programming a strand of American ‘DIY’, low-budget films as part of the 2023 edition. Alongside their role at Watershed, Steph is also a trustee of the Bristol Palestine Film Festival.
James Bell, Senior Curator of Fiction Film, Film on Film, BFI
James joined the BFI National Archive as Senior Curator of Fiction in 2021 following many years as Features Editor at Sight & Sound. Previously he was Series Editor of the BFI Compendium books, working on titles like 39 Steps to the Genius of Hitchcock (2012) and Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film (2013). He is regular programmer of BFI Southbank’s Deep Focus film seasons, which have included focuses on pre-Code Hollywood, psychological Westerns, films by Black women directors, and Golden Age Japanese Melodrama. He has also been a contributing programmer to several major BFI projects, including 2023’s Cinema Unbound: The Cinematic Worlds of Powell and Pressburger season. James was a lead programmer on the BFI’s inaugural Film on Film Festival, held in 2023.
Friday Afternoon
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Location: Screen 1
Session Details
Ever wondered how money from the government and the National Lottery reaches film exhibitors? This session will shed light on the pathways through which public funds are made available for film and how they reach exhibitors. Led by the BFI’s Jack Powell, it will explore how the BFI works with DCMS and the National Lottery on policy and funding.
With a new government in post, the session will also consider what changes there might be on the horizon and how exhibitors can contribute to future advocating efforts.
Speakers
Jack Powell, Director of Policy & Public Affairs, BFI
Jack Powell is Director of Policy & Public Affairs at the British Film Institute (BFI). In this role, Jack works with his team to manage the BFI’s relationship with UK Government, Westminster and government stakeholders across the devolved nations and English regions – helping represent the needs of the sector to policymakers. Jack also works across the BFI’s National Lottery Strategy and Funding Plans, which set the terms for how the BFI distributes National Lottery funding. His team also work across international relations and environmental sustainability. Prior to the BFI, Jack worked as Policy & Communications Manager for the Creative Industries Federation.
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Location: Screen 2
Session Details
This interactive session explores the evolving role of AI in cinema and wider culture, covering current applications for video, image, music and text generation, while also exploring how AIs can be used to create games and interactive experiences. Covering key concepts in AI, the session will discuss practical topics like prompt engineering fundamentals and using AI for data analysis. Designed for all knowledge levels, this session aims to provide a foundation for understanding AI’s potential in cinema and offers strategies for continued self-learning and personal innovation. A laptop and headphones are encouraged but not required.
Speaker
Jocelyn Burnham, Independent AI Practitioner and Trainer
Jocelyn Burnham is one of the UK’s leading independent artificial intelligence consultants, trainers, and speakers for the culture and heritage sector.
She has been commissioned by organisations including Arts Council England, RADA, Tate, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Kew to produce bespoke AI workshops and consultation projects and has spoken on the topic at conferences organised by the British Library, the Arts Marketing Association, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and others. Her writing on artificial intelligence and culture has been published in multiple sector titles, including Arts Professional and Clore Leadership.
Jocelyn was previously the Communications Manager of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK and the Marketing Campaigns Manager of Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival. She also worked as a freelance journalist, publishing with Time Out London and USA Today and has previously worked as a film programmer for a small cinema in Norfolk.
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Location: Film Studio
Session Details
Lara Ratnaraja, Independent Cultural Consultant; supported by David Williams, Film Hub South East
This is an opportunity for Global Majority BFI FAN programmers, marketers and cinema workers to come together to share, celebrate and support each other in inclusive practice in the BFI Film Audience Network and discuss ideas on how we move forward on current models across the sector.
Speakers
Lara Ratnaraja, Independent Cultural Consultant
Lara Ratnaraja is an independent cultural consultant who specialises in culture and diversity, innovation, leadership, collaboration, and cultural policy and placemaking within the cultural, the HE and digital sectors. She also co-produces a series of cultural leadership programmes for people from diverse backgrounds linked to geographical place and curates a digital conference called Hello Culture. During lockdown she was part of a group of Critical Friends for the ICO.
Projects include working with the eight Welsh National Arts Companies to develop a cultural framework for diversity co-designed with creative stakeholders and residents and working in Aberdeen for Robert Gordon University, co-designing a cultural framework with private and public stakeholders.
In 2023 she also delivered a diversity leadership programme (sign of the Times) for sign/the University of York and co-curated Let’s Talk! at New Art Exchange (nae), programming and delivering talks on colonisation, complicity and cultural queerness.
She was also involved with the development, stakeholder management and evaluation of a Southbank collaboration with Apple, which delivered a programme for black artists in London, Birmingham and Manchester, bringing in regional and national stakeholders to develop a road map for both follow-on engagement and also future partnerships.
Lara is on the board of Compton Verney and the Co-Chair of Coventry Biennial. She is on the UK Council for Creative UK and the Equality Monitoring Group for Arts Council Wales.
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Location: Screen 1
Session Details
We all know that audience demographics have changed significantly post-COVID and research from The Audience Agency tells us that family groups are the fastest growing audience and increasing their cultural activities overall. We’ll look at that research in this session and hear from Exeter Phoenix and Cinemagic Film Festival in Northern Ireland about how they’ve successfully engaged children and family audiences and developed a sustainable practice.
Speakers
Kirsten Geekie, FAN Young Audience Champion, Film London
Kirsten Geekie is a family and young audience film and education programmer with experience curating and delivering programmes, festivals and film resources for young people on behalf of the BFI and Into Film. She recently established a brand-new family and education programme for BFI IMAX and managed school screenings at London Film Festival. Kirsten also has a background in festivals and cinema management having worked for EIFF, Sheffield Doc Fest, LSFF, East End and the Documentary cinema DocHouse.
Claire Shaw Cinemagic Marketing and Press Officer
She has worked for 20 years as Press and Marketing Officer and delivers the full spectrum of Press, Marketing, Public Relations, Sponsorship, and Event Management activity across all platforms. Claire has an excellent relationship with the media and an excellent track record in securing extensive media coverage for Cinemagic activity with a particular interest in audience development and engagement. She is a member of the Film Hub NI steering group and a member of Belfast City Council Festivals Forum and works closely with public and private funders, managing a variety of sponsorships and media partners. Annually Cinemagic’s marketing and public relations strategy generates £500,000 AVE equivalent. Her media relations include experience working with a range of governmental departments nationally and internationally, for Cinemagic Belfast, Dublin, London, New York, LA, and most recently Jordan. Media relations managed by her have included publicity generated around The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Visit to Northern Ireland in Cinemagic’s 30th Anniversary Year, publicity on visits by the First and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland to Cinemagic Los Angeles and Cinemagic Belfast, and a visit to Cinemagic Dublin by the President of Ireland Mary McAleese.She manages all the marketing and press for every Cinemagic programme targeted at young people from festivals to film productions, to education and skills development initiatives.
Oliver Mantell, Director of Evidence & Insight, The Audience Agency
Oliver leads on sector evidence for The Audience Agency, providing insights into cultural audiences to support colleagues and the wider sector, including the Cultural Participation Monitor and Audience Spectrum. He shares insights through conferences, publications, ‘Sector Evidence’ in Audience Answers, and the TEA Breaks monthly event series, as well as through training. He
also delivers specialist consultancy, especially around sector and audience evidence. Oliver has worked at The Audience Agency since 2012. He previously worked as a freelance arts research consultant and in similar roles at a regional audience development agency in Yorkshire. He is also a board member for Grimm & Co, an apothecary to the magical and children’s writing charity in Rotherham.
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Location: Screen 2
This session will look at a range of independent cinemas across the UK that have successfully embarked on ambitious renovation programmes to secure their futures. It is designed to be an inspirational, practical session, reflecting on challenges faced and lessons learnt by venues at various points along their redevelopment journeys: Strand Arts Centre, Belfast; Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff; and Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds.
Curated by Strand Arts Centre, Belfast
Speakers
Mimi Turtle, CEO, Strand Arts Centre
Mimi established Strand Arts Centre as a new charity in 2012 to take on the tenancy of the picture house as the commercial tenants ceased trading. In 2016 she was recognised as one of Northern Ireland’s Rising Star Leaders receiving Business First’s ‘Top 40 Under 40’ award. In 2017 she graduated from Ulster University Business School with a First-Class Advance Diploma in Financial Sustainability for Third Sector Organisations. She was highly commended in the category of Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the Co3 Leadership Awards 2019.
Claire Vaughan, Programme Manager for Film & Cinema, Chapter Arts Centre
Claire is the Programme Manager for Film and Cinema at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, leading on cultural programming for the Film Hub for Wales and takes on freelance programme duties for festivals. In 2020 she began the Reframed Film project to ensure that programmers were informed about online content in order to curate and promote their programmes in Lockdown. She is also a co-founder and Director of Shift Cardiff, a research and development experimental music space in Cardiff and the art collective Carnedd Caerdydd based in Cardiff Bay.
Wendy Cook, Head of Cinema, Hyde Park Picture House
Wendy has been Head of Hyde Park Picture House since 2006. In that time, she has overseen the development of key partnerships for the venue, growing its programme and audience. From 2014 to 2023 she managed HPPH’s long-term refurbishment project with the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other partners, following which the cinema reopened with a second screen, greatly improved access facilities and a new flexible learning space. These changes have brought the much-loved historical building in line with contemporary community needs as well as creating a sustainable and secure future in which HPPH can continue to adapt and grow.
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Location: Film Studio
Session Details
Lara Ratnaraja, Independent Cultural Consultant; supported by David Williams, Film Hub South East
This is an opportunity for Global Majority BFI FAN programmers, marketers and cinema workers to come together to share, celebrate and support each other in inclusive practice in the BFI Film Audience Network and discuss ideas on how we move forward on current models across the sector.
Speakers
Lara Ratnaraja, Independent Cultural Consultant
Lara Ratnaraja is an independent cultural consultant who specialises in culture and diversity, innovation, leadership, collaboration, and cultural policy and placemaking within the cultural, the HE and digital sectors. She also co-produces a series of cultural leadership programmes for people from diverse backgrounds linked to geographical place and curates a digital conference called Hello Culture. During lockdown she was part of a group of Critical Friends for the ICO.
Projects include working with the eight Welsh National Arts Companies to develop a cultural framework for diversity co-designed with creative stakeholders and residents and working in Aberdeen for Robert Gordon University, co-designing a cultural framework with private and public stakeholders.
In 2023 she also delivered a diversity leadership programme (sign of the Times) for sign/the University of York and co-curated Let’s Talk! at New Art Exchange (nae), programming and delivering talks on colonisation, complicity and cultural queerness.
She was also involved with the development, stakeholder management and evaluation of a Southbank collaboration with Apple, which delivered a programme for black artists in London, Birmingham and Manchester, bringing in regional and national stakeholders to develop a road map for both follow-on engagement and also future partnerships.
Lara is on the board of Compton Verney and the Co-Chair of Coventry Biennial. She is on the UK Council for Creative UK and the Equality Monitoring Group for Arts Council Wales.