Take part in a practical session with Anthony and Teanne Andrews. Co-Founders of audience-focused experiential events company We Are Parable, they have worked in the film exhibition space for almost seven years, creating innovative campaigns and successful event screenings around films such as Black Panther, Yardie and Amazing Grace. Anthony and Teanne will share their methods and best practice learnings in this interactive workshop, designed to help you create dynamic film programmes and develop new audiences.

Reflecting on the CAMEo (2018) Workforce Diversity in the UK Screen Sector report, we’ll be exploring initiatives designed to empower and/or transform industry structures and remove existing barriers to workforce diversity. Is there any evidence to suggest these initiatives are working?

Through its work at the Barbican, Ritzy Picturehouse and other venues, south London film collective T A P E has always focused on programming specifically for the community. In this session,  Isra Al Kassi, Co-Founder / Programmer of T A P E and Marketing & Programme Manager of Catford Mews, Angie Moneke of T A P E and Caroline Wilson of London-based film platform and collective UNDR LNDN will discuss the thinking and practical methods behind their approach to community-led programming – including how to utilise research, grassroots outreach and local talent to generate inclusive, representative and responsive film programmes.

Join Aaqil Ahmed (former Head of Religion at both the BBC and Channel 4) for a panel and workshop on the portrayal of Muslims on screen. Lazy and often offensive, negative stereotypes of Muslims as either terrorists or passive victims of patriarchy abound in film and TV; grossly impacting how Muslims are perceived, and perceive themselves, in the real world. How can we change this narrative and challenge Islamophobia in the media? Participate in this wide-ranging discussion about the importance of portrayal and ownership in on screen narrative.

Come and hear from your fellow exhibitors about the new pricing structures they’ve been trialling to make cinema affordable for everyone. We’re delighted to be joined by Helen Wright from Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF), Grahame Reid from MacRobert Arts Centre and Mars West from Leeds Queer Film Festival (LQFF).

The digital revolution has seen an explosion in Caribbean filmmaking but these films remain mostly unseen in the UK, leaving potential audiences underserved. Caribbean Calling seeks to address this. A dynamic and diverse selection of short contemporary fiction films from the islands, curated by the Twelve30 Collective, it offers a valuable, nuanced understanding of the region and its diaspora that feels especially necessary in the time of Windrush and ongoing debates around migration. In this two-part session, Twelve30 Collective’s Programmers Jonathan Ali and Lisa Harewood will present a screening of the programme followed by discussion with guest speakers.

Led by Matchbox Cineclub, this session will bring together D/deaf access activists, exhibitors and funders to further the conversation around captioned/subtitled cinema access and practicalities. Come along to develop your understanding of the barriers D/deaf audiences face, the progression in accessible screenings, the #subtitledcinema campaign and how exhibitors can produce their own captions for screenings.

To grow and develop a true sense of inclusiveness in your cinema, it must be fostered and properly nurtured at both an individual and organisational level. In this session, Toki Allison, BFI FAN lead for Diversity will host a workshop exploring project ideas (past, present or future) around inclusion alongside a look at our own personal relationships with bias and oppression. We hope the session will spark debate, collaborations and ideas for future inclusive cinema projects.

Journeys Festival International (JFI) is a multidisciplinary arts event celebrating the creative talent of refugee and asylum seeker artists. In this session, JFI will present a case study of their programming of work by and for refugees and asylum seekers, and discuss the importance of understanding the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers and welcoming them as audience members. Expect examples from JFI’s experiences including producing pop-up screenings in community spaces, working in partnership with local organisations and setting up an advisory group with refugee and asylum seeker representatives.

Artist and filmmaker Eelyn Lee will lead a discussion after a screening of her film Britishness to explore the issues and notions it raises around race, identity and belonging; and how the film can be used as a starting point for schools and young people to engage in aspects of British history around Empire and colonialism that they may not be familiar with.

As Gaylene Gould departs the BFI Southbank for adventures new and exciting global projects, we speak to her about her tenure as Head of Cinemas at one of the most prominent venues in the UK, and her reflections on changes to the programme and audiences under her leadership.

Sarah Watson from Oska Bright Film Festival and Carousel will join us for a post-screening discussion, following The Peanut Butter Falcon, on representations of learning disabled people on screen and welcoming learning disabled people to your venue.

Open Space Technology is a format for organising and running meetings designed to centre personal responsibility and promote equality, collaboration and freedom of expression. It will be used in this closing session to help you interrogate the underlying issues connecting all the themes and topics covered throughout the event. With a focus on openness, we hope the session provides you with the tools you need to learn to avoid cyclical, unchallenging conversations and achieve real progress. Led by Umulkhayr Mohamed, a creative and cultural worker and a member of BFI FAN’s D&I Advisory Group.

For over 15 years, 104 Films have been world leaders in disability cinema. For the last four years they have focussed on neurodiverse cinema talent, producing 29 short films from 23 new neurodiverse filmmakers. In this session, Alex Usborne from 104 Films will present their newest slate of shorts and discuss working with neurodiverse film talent and representation of disability on screen.