Film Programmers (2 roles)

Salary: £32,563 - £40,945 (dependent on experience)

The Independent Cinema Office is recruiting for two new Film Programmers.

The Independent Cinema Office (ICO) is the UK’s support organisation for independent cinema. We offer film programming services to cinemas, bring films into distribution and are the main provider of events, training and advice for the independent cinema sector. We work with the main funding bodies in film exhibition, are a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity.

We work with 29 film programming clients in the UK across 53 screens, including organisations as diverse as the Watershed in Bristol, Malvern Theatres in Worcestershire and Borderlines Film Festival, the UK’s largest rural film festival.

We deliver Screening Days, a national and regional showcase for cultural cinema for film societies, community cinemas and cinemas.

We distribute cultural films, delivering a range of contemporary and classic titles.  In 2024 we released South African classic of guerilla filmmaking Mapantsula in partnership with Cinema Africa! and Maona Art and we have a history of championing work that has been under-sung and underseen over the last 20 years.

The ICO is based in central London – however, we are a UK-wide organisation and our activities take place across the UK as well as in Europe.  Our turnover is just under £2 million a year and we have 20 members of staff.

About the roles

These roles are a fantastic opportunity to join a vibrant, friendly and creative team working on a diverse range of projects with regional and national partners and an excellent chance for candidates seeking to develop their career in film programming and audience development. We work with venues collaboratively and our programming services are about finding and supporting new audiences wherever they may be, in venues across the UK. You therefore need to have an understanding and interest in audience development, as well as an enthusiasm for bringing the widest range of work to audiences in a creative way. We work with many different kinds of partners across the UK – cinemas, festivals, film societies; local authorities and national bodies; distributors and education and training providers.

The ICO is a small arts organisation and the individuals we are seeking must have a passion and enthusiasm for cinema in all its forms as well as the ability to develop relationships and work with a diverse range of individuals and organisations with diplomacy and enthusiasm. Communication and people skills are as important as a knowledge and love for film and a deep interest in cinemas.

You need to be extremely cine-literate, an avid viewer of world cinema, both classic and contemporary and be able to demonstrate an interest in, and knowledge of, current concerns in independent cinema.

You must be willing to work hard and try your hand at anything as well as be able to prioritise your own time, be calm and unflappable, work to deadlines and contribute to the team. You must be articulate and ready to undertake your own administration.

In return, we can offer responsibility, opportunities for training and development and the chance to work with a friendly, creative team at the forefront of independent cinema exhibition in the UK. We provide access to a Health Matters Assistance Programme (HMAP) – a confidential information and counselling service for employees and to Occupational Health services; a dedicated HR consultant for staff support; access to a SMARTPensions scheme; annual train ticket loans; cycle loans; flexible working practices; flexibility around childcare hours/needs; invites to events and festivals, and other benefits.

Our offices are in London (near London Bridge) and in line with our hybrid working policy this post would require you to work in the office three days a week (two of which would be Monday and Tuesday) and two days remotely.

Please note: We recently posted an ad for an individual Film Programmer ad – this ad replaces that one and we are seeking two new Film Programmers total.

How to apply

Please read the Job Description and complete the application form (both can be downloaded below). Return the completed application form to info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk by 09.30am GMT on Monday 24th March 2025.

If you would like the documents in a different format please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate this.

If you would like to find out more about what the role entails please come to our Zoom webinar with Director of the ICO, Catharine Des Forges, and Film Programmer, Jade Turner. The webinar will be held from 11.30-12.15pm on Wednesday 12th March 2025. We will use a webinar format which means you will be able to ask questions anonymously and only ICO staff will be seen. Please register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hqlsDz2RSvy0KddDhH9F6g

Equality, diversity and inclusion

At the Independent Cinema Office, we are an equal opportunity employer, and we believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more creative, innovative and gets better results. We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities in the UK and we want to see these reflected on our screens. We also want our workforce to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, ethnically diverse, and disabled candidates as they are underrepresented within the ICO.

Along with application form we also request you complete our Equality and Diversity monitoring information.

Completing this form will help us in monitoring our efforts towards achieving an inclusive and diverse workforce.

How the recruitment process works

We know sometimes the process of applying for a job can feel like sending applications into a black hole and can be unnerving when you don’t know what will happen. We’ve put together a document which explains a bit more about our recruitment process, what will happen during each stage of the process and what we’d like from you. This can be downloaded below:

Document downloads

• Job Description – Word Document
• Application Form – Word Document
• How our recruitment process works – Word Document
• ICO pay bands 2025-26 – Word Document

If you would like the documents in a different format, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate this.

The closing date for this position is 24/03/2025 at 09:30