Join us for Young Audiences Screening Days 2025 – an essential event for cinemas looking to attract and inspire young audiences.
Taking place online on Wednesday 9 July and in-person at HOME, Manchester on Friday 11 July, this hybrid event gives exhibitors the chance to watch upcoming releases for young audiences (children to age 25) and take part in curated sessions designed to support their young audience development work.
We’ll be looking at the strategies independent cinemas can deploy to improve the representation of children in their audiences and young people in their audiences and workforce. We’ll also be championing the work of young people in exhibition.
New to Screening Days? Check out our trailer to get a sense of what it’s like.
Not sure if Screening Days is for you? See our eligibility section.
For all other details, scroll down or see our FAQ.
Registration
Which pass should I buy?
- £35 – Organisational pass (Select this rate if you are attending on behalf of an organisation or film society)
- £25 – Freelance pass (Select this rate if you are a freelance worker)
- £10 – Young Person (18-30) pass (Select this rate if you are aged 18-30)
- £10 – Supported pass (Select this rate if you are currently unwaged – which here means if you have applied for or receive Universal Credit, Job Seeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Carer’s Allowance or are a student in higher education)
Email info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk with any queries, especially with any specific access requests, which we’re happy to answer.
Please note that:
- All passes give you both in-person and online access, but please indicate how you will attend in your registration form. If this changes before the event, please let us know at info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk
- We will record all of the sessions at the in person day and share with all delegates afterwards.
- Lunch and all refreshments including evening drinks will be provided free at HOME.
- Passes are not transferable.
- Films in the online programme will be available to stream from Wednesday 9 to Wednesday 16 July.
- Streaming is only available within the UK and Republic of Ireland and our online platform Eventive restricts concurrent streams, so every viewer must have their own pass. See our FAQ for information on device compatibility.
“I had the best time! I was welcomed in, I met new people and it really opened my eyes”
“An excellent day of talks and screenings”
Young Audiences Screening Days 2023 attendees
Sessions
A Sacred Ritual: Building Community with Audiences Under 30
A proudly independent cinema in Manchester, CULTPLEX screens everything from cult films and TV to big-screen gaming, quizzes, gigs, and whatever else seems fun to the programming team. In this session, Greg Walker – Cinema Manager and Programme Lead – will share how half their audience ended up under 28 years old (on purpose, mostly). He’ll get into how CULTPLEX has built a genuine community, treats cinema like a sacred ritual (with popcorn), and keeps things feeling loose, open, people-led – and why they believe cinema is best when it sparks enthusiastic conversation and community, not just quiet passive consumption.
Am I eligible?
We want to welcome as many people as possible to our events while still protecting the work of filmmakers and distributors. Screening Days is for anyone who works or volunteers in a space that shows films and makes a direct contribution to selecting films or attracting audiences for them, including young film programmers (aged over 18) and front of house staff. If you’re in any doubt about your eligibility, just email us.
Support to join Young Audiences Screening Days
Your regional Film Hub may be able to offer bursaries to support your attendance (see links below). If your organisation is not yet a Hub member, it is usually easy to register quickly (and it’s free).
Open call for curated sessions
The ICO is looking for paid guest curators to provide session ideas for this event.
We want to hear from people inside and outside the film exhibition sector who want to develop curated sessions or film programme ideas. You’ll provide the concept and pull together speakers to help illustrate the thinking behind it.
We are looking for presentations, film programmes that can tour to indie cinemas, panels, case studies, provocations, discussions, workshops, debates, Q&As and more. These should be aimed at increasing the number of children and people aged 16–25 who engage with British independent and world cinema in independent venues across the UK.
The deadline for applications is 29 April. We’re holding two Zoom information sessions on Thursday 10 April (12pm) and Wednesday 23 April (7pm).
Read the full open call for all details including how to submit.
FAQ
Is this a hybrid event?
Yes. The first day (Wednesday 9 July) will be delivered entirely online. The second day (Friday 11 July) will be delivered in-person at HOME in Manchester. Films in our online programme will be available to stream from Wednesday 9 to Wednesday 16 July.
We aim to record all sessions, with recordings circulated to delegates after the event.
How do I join online / at HOME?
You’ll be sent all details of how to access films and sessions online ahead of time.
If you’re attending at HOME on Friday 11 July, you can register at our desk at HOME from the morning on. You don’t need to bring anything with you. You will be issued with a badge which is your entry pass into all screenings and sessions.
What's the schedule?
The schedule won’t be available until closer to date, as we’re programming films and sessions now. However, likely timings for Wednesday 9 July (online) are first sessions from 10am until 5pm, evenly spaced throughout the day. For Friday 11 July at HOME, likely timings are registration from 10am with films and sessions running from 10:30am to 5pm, followed by evening drinks until 6:30-7pm. There will be regular breaks throughout the day.
How do I get to HOME?
Are food and drinks provided?
Yes! All refreshments, lunch and evening drinks will be provided free to delegates at HOME on Friday 11 July.
You can purchase additional food and drinks at HOME or from shops nearby.
How accessible is the event?
We aim to provide descriptive subtitles on as many as possible films online and at HOME. We will confirm which films will be available with descriptive subtitles as soon as possible before the event.
Online sessions will be live-captioned. We aim to record all sessions, with recordings circulated afterwards.
For details of physical venue accessibility at HOME, see their website.
Please state any access needs you have in your online registration. We will do our very best to support you and welcome you to the event.
If you have any other queries about accessibility not answered here, please email us at: info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk
How do you curate Young Audiences Screening Days?
We curate the majority of the programme, but also hold a paid open call for guest curators for sessions and film programmes for all specialised Screening Days events (Inclusion and Diversity, Archive and Young Audiences Screening Days).
We do this to open up the events and to connect with practitioners we haven’t worked with before, inside and outside the film exhibition sector, who are doing important work.
Our open call for this event is now open (deadline: 29 April). To learn about future open calls when they’re launched, sign up to our mailing list.
What devices can I watch films on online?
We use Eventive for online streaming. You can watch films on Eventive on a laptop, tablet (e.g. iPad), phone, Chromecast and Airplay from your device, and via HDMI connector to your laptop.
However, please note that you can’t currently watch on devices with a Linux or Chrome based operating system (e.g., Chromebooks). In general, it’s a good idea to test your set up before streaming the films – you can do that on Eventive’s compatibility page.
We offer a support email service throughout the event.
Code of conduct
Whether on or offline, we want our events to be fun, inclusive spaces for film professionals. We expect people attending and working at them to maintain this code of conduct so that they stay that way. Harassment and bullying have no place at ICO events.
Examples of inappropriate behaviours that contravene our code of conduct include offensive comments, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of events, aggressive behaviour, inappropriate physical contact and unwelcome sexual attention.
If someone behaves inappropriately towards you or you witness something inappropriate, please report it to a member of ICO staff or email us. Your complaint will be treated with discretion. We are happy to help and can help report inappropriate behaviour to the authorities where necessary or address the problem ourselves where more appropriate.
We reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone who does not comply with our code of conduct.
This code of conduct applies both in-person and online.
If you would like to speak to an independent organisation about an issue, the Film and TV Charity have a free and confidential 24-hour helpline available on 0800 054 00 00.
Supported by
How to apply
To register for Young Audiences Screening Days, type in the number of the appropriate pass type(s) you would like to order and click ‘Continue’. If wished, you can also make a donation to the ICO.
Criteria
- Screening Days are open to everyone who works or volunteers in film exhibition, including young film programmers (aged over 18).
- If you’re in any doubt about your eligibility, see Am I eligible? or email us at: info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
- Passes are strictly non-transferable.
- The deadline for registrations is Friday 27 June.
See all other details in our FAQ. Email us at info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk with any queries about booking your pass.