Reel Equality

Category:

Case Studies

Region:

Film Hub Midlands

Focus Areas:

Diversity

April 18th, 2016

Project website Project Twitter
#reelequality

Project overview

Summary

The stories we tell on the big screen should reflect the diversity of human experience. The Reel Equality Film Club wants to see the film industry increase and diversify its representation of women to produce an equal representation of human stories in film. This would contribute towards the achievement of real-world equality between people whatever their gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation or circumstance.

Project aims

Provide an equality-focused alternative to mainstream cinema

Inspire and facilitate demand for change

Demonstrate the value of gender diversity in film and film programming

Headlines

Two successful seasons of anti-sexism film screenings

Large ticket sales, with 90%+ tickets sold in advance

Development of relationships with commercial venues

Won Best New Film Society at the Cinema for All Awards 2015

Films

Four initial screenings as part of the first season of Reel Equality – Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lemon Tree, Gloria, and Tomboy.

Reel Equality have since gone on to screen Difret, Made in Dagenham, Suffragette, and Wadjda.

Key Partnerships

The charity Equation led on the project with support from Film Hub Central East, partner venues have included Broadway Nottingham, Savoy Cinema, New Art Exchange, Screen 22, and International Community Centre.

Budget in brief

Film Hub Central East awarded Reel Equality with £2,000, with the remaining budget generated through the charity Equation and ticket sales.

Learning outcomes

What worked

grassroots approach

working with charity outside of the industry

online strategy – facebook, youtube, twitter

What has been difficult

a variety of venues, with screenings taking place at different venues across the city can lead to challenges with audiences.

press coverage

Testimonials

What audiences said

We used the opportunity at our last screening for gathering general audience feedback on the season. The most common responses to what audiences like about the club was its ‘friendly atmosphere’, ‘film quality’ and ‘the cause’.