Young Audiences Screening Days 2023

From Tumblr to TikTok, young people are using new means to uncover their next favourite film. Ignoring old hierarchies or methodologies — historical periods, national cinemas and film movements — this is an aesthetics-first approach to film discovery. By collaging cinematic imagery as a form of self-expression on Instagram, collating Letterboxd lists according to hyper-specific themes, or ‘aesthetics’ like ‘dark academia’, ‘lonely people in neon cities’, ‘the “good for her” cinematic universe’. How can cinemas respond to this ‘on vibes only’ approach in programming and marketing? Charlotte Ashcroft, Festival Co-Director of London Short Film Festival, will show — through her own programming and comprehensive examples — why redressing how you speak about films and offer them to young audiences can drive new audiences to your venue.

Whether you want to revamp your kids offer, or start welcoming families for the first time, this workshop will provide a platform to find your route to a consistent attendance, without having to host expensive workshops or rely on studio release schedules. You’ll leave with lots of road-tested tips from experts on inexpensive adaptations to your spaces and programme that convince parents to trust their kids will have a great time with you (and that kids see you as a fun time!).

The last few years has seen a growth of schemes and programmes that give young people new access to careers and opportunities in exhibition. But how can we make these opportunities sustainable or a part of your regular working life? We’ll hear case studies of experiences in this area, before moving to an honest discussion about what’s working well and where focus is needed, as well as a space for sharing aspirations and potential collaborations. An opportunity to network with other early career cinema and festival workers and plot for the future!

How do you establish yourself above the digital noise and curate events that appeal to the many different sub-groups of youth audiences? In this session, South African-based film curator Mbali Mashaba, Founder of Behind Her Lens Visuals and Reel to Reality Festival, looks at three approaches to curation that have made real connections with audiences, without relying on established organisations or huge marketing budgets. She’ll lay out case studies of cinema organisations working with emerging artists, brand collaborations and multi-disciplines that can work at any level and reach a wide range of young people.

Led by writer and filmmaker Michael Lee Richardson, this session will draw on his experience as a youth worker working with LGBTQ+ young people for over a decade, and look at how independent cinemas can meaningfully engage with schools and LGBTQ+ youth and community groups to make the cinema a safer and more welcoming space for everyone. Using case studies from Michael’s work programming for the SQIFF schools programme and Pride House Glasgow, it will highlight some of the most pressing concerns for LGBTQ+ young people today – using these as a jumping off point to explore some of the current issues around film programming for this audience (including increased scrutiny of LGBTQ+ identities) and suggesting ways to overcome them.

How do you promote an international film which isn’t dubbed and straight from Studio Ghibli? In this session, T A P E Collective – who have helped grow younger audiences for subtitled films through their curated programmes and distribution projects such as Cette Maison, Lingua Franca and the forthcoming Shabu – will talk about new ways to think about younger audiences and subtitled films, backed by data and their experience working with venues. Even if you’re regularly showing subtitled films at your venue, there are insights here that will help you grow the proportion of young people attending.