FAN Training Advisory Group

Chris Fell is Leeds Film Manager for Leeds City Council and Director of Leeds International Film Festival. Leeds Film also organises year-round programming including LIFF Presents and Cinema on the Square: its partner team Leeds Young Film (led by Debbie Maturi) runs Leeds Young Film Festival, Independent Directions Film Festival, and projects including the Children’s VR Cinema in Leeds parks and the BFI Film Academy in Leeds and Bradford. Chris has been at Leeds Film since 1999 and before then he was Cinemas and Festivals Programmer at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford (now National Science and Media Museum) where he worked on Bradford Film Festival, Bradford Animation Festival, and Bite the Mango. Chris started in film exhibition in the early ‘90s as a volunteer at Bradford Playhouse & Film Theatre where discovering the films of Krzysztof Kieslowski made him want to work in the sector.

Corrina is the founder of Bechdel Test Fest – London’s ongoing feminist film festival since 2014. She was awarded a Women In Hollywood Trailblazer award in 2017 and was nominated for a Screen Rising Star Award in 2019. She was awarded a place in Film London’s pioneering Breaking The Glass Ceiling Leadership course in 2019. Previous roles include Marketing Manager for Virgin Movies, Comms Manager for Picturehouse Cinemas and Entertainment Distribution and Guest Services Manager for Sundance London. Alongside being a new mother, freelance public art producing and film criticism (for outlets such as Empire Magazine, Sunday Brunch TV and BBC Radio London), Corrina is now a Culture Lead for Hackney Council and produces community arts festivals and initiatives including Black History Season and the Windrush Generations Festival.

Jen Skinner has over 20 years of experience in film exhibition and education, from managing Hebden Bridge Picture House to developing the film education programme at the National Media Museum.

Jen is an ambassador for Into Film and has created resources and led sessions on engaging with young audiences for organisations including Into Film, the ICO, the BFI FAN Network, Europa Cinemas and the CICAE. Jen has previously been an advisor for This Way Up and on the BFI FAN Advice and Expertise scheme.

Jen relocated to the Isle of Tiree in 2014 and set up Screen Argyll. Screen Argyll supports all forms of film exhibition, promotion and engagement throughout Argyll and the Isles. They support screenings, festivals, film education, and community projects. In 2018 Jen started a Development Lab and Film Festival on the Isle of Tiree called Sea Change, this supports women across all sectors working in film.

Nicola Kettlewood is currently manager of Film Hub Scotland, (part of the BFI Film Audience Network) which supports the independent film exhibition sector including full-time venues, film festivals and community cinemas. In over twenty years of working within film exhibition she has held roles in programming, event producing, marketing and film education. Her previous experience includes Deputy Artistic Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival, Head of Learning at Centre for the Moving Image (EIFF and Filmhouse), Producer of Hippodrome Silent Film Festival and has also worked at BFI, MacRobert Arts Centre and Glasgow Film Theatre.

Patrice Robinson is a film programmer from London.

Currently based in the cinema team at the Barbican Centre, Patrice has a strong interest in communities, (community) access to film and the intimacies of the human experience.

Recent activity includes the curation of Snapshots: Caribbean Cinema Up Close for the Barbican and guest programming for the 18^th edition of the trinidad+tobago film festival.

Working in the intersection of audiences and cinema, Patrice is committed to programming and producing events that serve those from under-represented groups.

Sara is currently the Head of Skills Funding Programmes at the British Film Institute, overseeing a multi-million-pound portfolio of initiatives designed to develop and progress a greater diversity of talent across the UK into the screen sector. She also works closely with UK Government departments supporting skills policy ambitions.

Sara is passionate about supporting fair and equal entry to work across the cultural industries regardless of one’s background, previous educational achievement, or personal circumstance. Having previously held senior roles at ScreenSkills and Creative & Cultural Skills, she has led the development and delivery of national sector skills initiatives that have aided new and diverse talent to progress into creative careers. She has also worked with hundreds of employers to help them learn about and adopt fair access and inclusive recruitment practices. During her time at Arts Council England, Sara co-created the £15 million Creative Employment Programme, which she subsequently went on to deliver, supporting thousands of unemployed young people into work across the arts, and later created and led the delivery of the award-winning Discover Creative Careers Week.

Chief Executive of Broadway Cinema, Nottingham from 2008 until retiring in June 2023. Joining in 1990, Stephen was originally appointed to set up the Finance and Development departments for the then newly established media centre, leading the development and implementation of successive Business Plans. Managed over £8m of phased capital developments to expand and improve facilities, raising investments from ERDF, National Lottery, regional agencies and sponsorships. Oversaw merger with film training organisation Intermedia and the establishment of Broadway as the lead organisation for Film Hub Midlands in a partnership with Flatpack. Established Broadway as an ACE NPO to become a key regional centre that supports the training and development of creative talent who use new technologies in their practice. Led Broadway through a 14-month period of closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, securing Cultural Recovery Funding, introducing remote working and a restructuring of the organisation, leading to a successful reopening in May 2021.