The second of a series of discussions designed to create and respond to the need for exchange amongst film exhibitors across the UK.
Bringing together a panel of representatives from independent cinemas from across the UK, this FAN Conversation looked at programming strategies (in-venue and online) for diverse titles that might be perceived as being ‘risky’ or ‘too challenging’ in a context of shrinking resources, seismic shifts in film distribution models and an abundance of content to pick from.
It also explored what risk taking means to a range of FAN exhibitors and distributors working in different contexts with different operating models. There was also practice based insights on the highs and lows of offering audiences a diverse range of films and different approaches to growing the market for such films; from venue specific initiatives to UK wide festival led touring offers and umbrella initiative.
The session will also tackle how non-mainstream films could stand a better chance through targeted incentives and closer collaboration across the film value chain; whether that’s sharing market and audience insights, exchanging perspectives or creating more effective models that respond to the shifts in audience consumption of films.
The session was chaired by Delphine Lievens (Senior Box Office Analyst) and included guests Paul Gallagher (GFT Programme Manager), Bryony Forde (Theatrical Sales Director), Federica Pugliese (Programme & Marketing Manager, Catford Mews) and Sonali Joshi (Day For Night).
Speakers
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Delphine Lievens is a Senior Box Office Analyst for Gower Street Analytics, working with film distributors and exhibitors across a number of international territories. Previously she was a Theatrical Sales Executive at Altitude Film, working on a variety of critically acclaimed films including MOONLIGHT and I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. She enjoys discussing current trends in the global screen industries and the urgent need for more diversity both on and off screen in film.
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Paul Gallagher is the Programme Manager at Glasgow Film Theatre, where he is responsible for the year-round programming of the cinema’s 3 screens. Playing a wide range of titles and seasons from the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, Paul works with GFT colleagues and a variety of distributors and programme partners from major companies to independent producers. Having been in the role since 2018, Paul was previously the Marketing Manager for Glasgow Film, overseeing the Marketing teams for both the cinema and the annual Glasgow Film Festival. His favourite directors include Hirokazu Kore-eda, Sofia Coppola, Alfred Hitchcock, Krzysztof Kieslowski and Martin Scorsese. He is also a keen reader and coffee drinker.
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Bryony has been working in theatrical sales since 2014 for independent distributors Icon (It Follows, The Nice Guys) and STX (American Animals, I Feel Pretty), she became Sales Director for Altitude in 2019 working on titles including Horrible Histories, Rocks and Minari.
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After graduating at Edinburgh University with a MSc in Film Exhibition, Federica worked at Eden Court Theatre, Scotland’s largest multi-arts venue and the Inverness Film Festival from 2017 to 2019, and has worked in a variety of roles for other film festivals including Edinburgh Short Film Festival and Milano Film Festival. Alongside her work at Really Local Group, she collaborates regularly on producing and curating independent projects with Edinburgh-based hub Cinetopia, and has recently joined the programming team of Lago Film Fest, one of Italy’s leading short film festivals.
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Sonali Joshi is a curator, access specialist and subtitler, and Founder/Director of Day for Night and Aperture: Asia & Pacific Film Festival. Her interests cover Asian cinema, Latin American cinema, and architecture and cinema. Sonali holds a PhD in Cinema Studies (University of Glasgow).
Sonali began her career in film programming at Cornerhouse in Manchester before moving into film distribution in Paris and leading the translation subtitling department of a former post-production house in London.
She went on to found Day for Night with the aim of enabling broader access to underrepresented areas of cinema through curatorial projects, specialist distribution and access (subtitling for the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing and foreign languages; audio-description). She has worked on various international projects, spending extended periods in Asia, most recently in Tokyo, working on a major curatorial project on architecture in Japanese moving image which will launch in the UK this autumn. As a distributor, she has represented films by acclaimed directors including Dominga Sotomayor, Anocha Suwichakornpong, Fiona Tan and Pema Tseden.