The ICO had a really energetic and exciting start to 2025 with the 12th edition of our flagship training course, Cultural Cinema Exhibition 2025, which ran from 11 to 17 January in London.
We call CCE our ‘flagship’ at the Independent Cinema Office because it strikes to the heart of our mission to champion the broadest range of cinema, and to develop audiences, venues and talent. The course equips participants to create pioneering, globally-minded film programmes, develop inspiring and inclusive venues, and encourage everyone in their communities to engage with thought-provoking cinema.
In the 20-year history of the course, we have seen alumni go on to achieve top jobs at the BFI, Picturehouse, Curzon Cinemas, Watershed, Sheffield DocFest, Altitude, the Barbican and film festivals around the world. It is recognised as a top-tier qualification by industry leaders, marking you out as someone with the knowledge to make a real contribution to the exhibition sector. It is always over-subscribed and this year was no exception and we therefore increased the number of places available.
This edition was one of our best yet, with 18 trainees benefitting from an incredible range of industry leaders from all sides of the sector, allowing them to gain a detailed understanding of the dynamic state of the industry and show them pathways to realising their talent and ambition in cinema programming and beyond.
The eye of a programmer
The course begins with the art of watching film. Accordingly, the delegates watched Sister Midnight, Hard Truths, Memoir of a Snail and I’m Still Here, all exciting upcoming independent releases that are then used as a shared point of reference to frame the programming and audience development conversations during the week.
After a detailed overview of the sector on Day 2 from David Sin, the ICO’s Head of Cinemas, we welcomed a panel of film programmers to discuss what it means to be a film programmer in the current film exhibition sector. Gali Gold (Former Head of Cinemas, Barbican), Sam Groves (Head of Programme, Flatpack Festival), and Remi Hinds (On-Screen Content Manager, Showcase Cinemas) discussed and demystified the variety of different film programming roles and approaches.
Simon Duffy (Programme & Research Manager, BFI) shared insights into how BFI Southbank approached film rights and research for their recent Ousmane Sembene season, a strong case study as rights and materials for global repertory cinema can be challenging.
To close the day, it was now time for the students’ turn to lead; analysing and evaluating the previous days’ screenings in the mindset of a programmer, suggesting pairings and considering the appeal to audiences.
Distribution, communications and audience development
Day 3 opened with Wayne D’Cruz (Distribution Manager, MetFilm), Bryony Forde (Theatrical Sales Director, Altitude), and Ray Ward (Director, Sales & Distribution UK, Sony Pictures Releasing) taking part in a panel drawing back the curtain on distribution and offering skills for developing positive and beneficial relationships for exhibitors.
Marina Anastasi (Theatrical Marketing Manager, StudioCanal) presented case studies showing the diversity of marketing approaches taken on distribution projects, from saturation releases such as Paddington in Peru to specialised releases like The Old Oak.
The marketing focus shifted back to exhibition, with Claire Stewart, Head of Communications at leading independent cinema Watershed, sharing her strategic approach to communicating with audiences, balancing traditional and modern channels to ensure every potential audience member is reached.
We started Day 4 with audience development and methods of welcoming new audiences whilst working within day-to-day realities. After an in-depth introduction from Duncan Carson (Projects & Business Manager, ICO), we were joined by Julia Andrews-Clifford (Director, Electric Palace Hastings) and Andrew Woodyatt (Marketing & PR Consultant), who demonstrated the many forms audience development can take, from young film programmer groups to weeknight ticket promotions and events dedicated to local communities.
Sarah Harvey (Director, Sarah Harvey Publicity) discussed how to develop positive relationships with journalists and build a good PR campaign, whether that be for an individual film, a festival, a one-off screening, or an entire venue.
This introduction complemented a film journalism panel, Simran Hans (Culture Writer & Film Critic), Ella Kemp (Editorial Lead (UK & Europe), Letterboxd) and Leila Latif (Film Critic & Broadcaster) discussing reviewing, writing and working with editors and commissioners (and how to get them hooked on a story).
Beyond the feature film & project work
Day 5 was an opportunity to look in greater detail at connecting with different audiences, in particular those who may be underrepresented or who don’t always have their needs met by cinema spaces. We had a fantastic panel with representatives from across the UK who collaborate with many different communities including David Ellington (Director, VS1 Productions), Sanaa Masud (Broader Project Coordinator, Broadway Cinema) and Selina Robertson (Film programmer, researcher & curator).
Non-traditional mediums and modes of film rounded off the day, Jonathan Ali (Film curator, programmer and writer) discussing experimental film, whilst Robin Baker (Former Head of Cultural Partnerships, BFI) explained the many benefits of screening archival and repertory film and how they can be used to reach new audiences.
The final day of Cultural Cinema Exhibition was all about looking ahead – taking the knowledge imparted and questions raised throughout the course and putting them to practical use in programming. Delegates heard positive predictions from Edward Fletcher (Former CEO, Curzon), Delphine Lievens (Cinema Curator, Barbican Cinema), Carol McKay (Director of Programming, Picturehouse Cinema) and Adrian Wootton (CEO, Film London), before finalising their own hypothetical programmes, each group assembling a line-up which could enhance the programme of an independent cinema:
- Brave Girls – A repertory cinema programme created to reclaim one of Hollywood’s biggest backhanded compliments. The programme came about as a response to recent discourse around Nicole Kidman and Demi Moore’s performances in Babygirl and The Substance, serving as a critique of ‘brave’ as a descriptor for female performances which defy expectations. Potential titles for the programme include In The Cut (Jane Campion, 2003), Maria Candelaria (Emilio Fernandez, 1944) and The Day I Became A Woman (Marzieh Meshkini, 2000).
- Take Two! – A monthly film strand that aims to spotlight upcoming titles, the appeal for which may fall outside of the typical cinema audience. By screening on a regular basis, the plan for the programme would be to build an audience over time that would be more willing to engage with eclectic content. Potential titles for the season include Starve Arce (Daniel Kokotajlo, 2023), The People’s Joker (Vera Drew, 2022) and The Disco, a portrait of Simon Eilbeck (Alex Hetherington, 2024).
- In Context – A monthly film strand that aims to contextualise contemporary releases within cinema history, educating and shedding light on the themes and issues discussed in the films by screening them with additional titles to provide context. Potential titles for the season include On Falling (Laura Carreira, 2024) which would be screened alongside Sorry We Missed You (Ken Loach, 2019) and Union (Stephen Maing, Brett Story, 2024).
- Reel Time – A season of films centred around the concept of time, inspired by Christian Marclay’s The Clock (2010). The season will hopefully include a presentation of The Clock, but will also include a series of screenings that take place when their film is set, for example, Victoria (Sebastian Schipper, 2015) and Cléo from 5 to 7 (Agnès Varda, 1962).
We’d like to thank everyone who made a contribution to the course, both the excellent and engaged participants and the speakers who took time out of their busy schedules to make a contribution. We really hope that our participants stay in touch as a mutually-supportive peer network and we hope to see some collaborations. And, of course, we’re looking forward to inviting many of you back to CCE as speakers in a few years.
Congratulations to our Cultural Cinema Exhibtion Class of 2025
| Charlotte Robinson | Day for Night |
| Daniel Perez Quevedo | Curzon Cinemas |
| David Thompson | Vinema |
| Elspeth North | BFI IMAX |
| Gražina Scuckaite | Cromarty Cinema & Film Hub Scotland |
| Hannah Prouse | BFI |
| Heather Bradshaw | Glasgow Film Festival |
| Joshua Freemantle | Access Community Trust |
| Lewis Eyles | FACT Liverpool |
| Miranda Bentley | BFI LFF & Leeds International Festival |
| Peter Blunden | Romford Film Festival & Romford Horror Film Festival |
| Robert Manley | Film Hub Northern Ireland |
| Rory Bines-Morris | Depot Cinema |
| Sam Sims | Hull Independent Cinema |
| Samuel Rose | James Rowlins-festival director |
| Shireen Taylor | Offline (formerly Glasgow Artists Moving Image Studios) |
| Stephen McNeice | access CINEMA |
| Steven Ryder | Into Film |