BFI FAN CON 2024

BFI FAN CON – Connecting the BFI Film Audience Network

Belfast, 11-13 September 2024

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Join us in September at a new conference for BFI FAN members. Cinemas and film exhibitors from across the UK will gather to strengthen their professional networks, learn about some of the most exciting FAN projects, and draw inspiration on new ways to reach and engage audiences in a diverse screen culture.

The first BFI FAN CON will take place in Belfast at Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT) and Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), offering a brilliant chance for FAN members to get together and explore this exciting, welcoming city with its many cinematic landmarks.

The conference will open with a preview screening on Wednesday, 11 September and be followed by two days of sessions and workshops across Thursday and Friday. On Thursday evening, there will be a conference dinner in the Great Hall of QUB, and on Friday evening, there will be the opportunity to join a specially curated cinematic tour of Belfast.

BFI FAN CON is for all types of FAN exhibitors, from small community cinemas and touring collectives right up to large multi-screen independent cinemas and landmark film festivals. The event is for anyone working or volunteering in any film exhibition role at a FAN member organisation and at any level of their careers. If you’re passionate about your work in film exhibition, we hope you’ll join us at BFI FAN CON!

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First sessions announced!

Preparations for the conference are well underway with the first conference sessions now announced below and more sessions to be announced soon!

Saving our cinema, securing our future
Curated by Strand Arts Centre, Belfast

This session will look at a range of independent cinemas across the UK that have successfully embarked on ambitious renovation programmes to secure their futures. It is designed to be an inspirational, practical session, reflecting on challenges faced and lessons learnt by venues at various points along their redevelopment journeys: Strand Arts Centre, Belfast; Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff; and Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds.

Confirmed speakers
Mimi Turtle, CEO of the Strand Arts Centre, Belfast (speaker and chair)
Wendy Cook, Head of Cinema at Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds
Claire Vaughan, Cinema Programme Manager at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff

Spotlight Panel + Workshop: Working with communities in underserved areas

This session brings some of the learnings and expertise from the BFI FAN Spotlight programme which is investing in culturally underserved communities to improve audience choice and improve access to screenings of independent film. Amy Smart, Spotlight lead for Film Hub Midlands will be joined by two other regional Spotlight leads to talk about how they are approaching identifying community needs, leveraging funding for community screenings and building partnerships. After the panel, the group will split into facilitated breakout groups focusing on specific areas of expertise from the participating Spotlight leads.

Presentations: Updates from the industry & sector-wide initiatives

A chance to get updates and ask questions to representatives of some new and continuing developments in the industry including the newly-established Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, that seeks to uphold and improve standards of behaviour in the sector, and Escapes, the BFI’s national scheme that collaborates with independent cinemas to offer new audiences an opportunity to enjoy the big screen experience and discover cinema.

The health and wellbeing benefits of attending the cinema
Curated by Claire Horrocks, Exeter Phoenix

This session will look at how cinema can help keep us healthy. Drawing on case studies of successful projects that have used cinema as part of a social prescription model, research from hospital cinema sites, and case-studies of other projects that have used the collective experience of cinema-going to help our mental wellbeing, this session will inspire us to think in new ways about the role of film exhibition and challenge us to better articulate the healing power of cinema.

Case studies: Making film festivals more sustainable and inclusive
How can we think differently and more expansively about the role and potential of film festivals? Yi Wang, Director of Queer East in London, will look at how challenging a top-down programming approach by using guest curators has led to greater inclusivity and richer experiences for audiences while Michael Pattison, Director of Alchemy Film & Arts in Hawick, will share how their festival, through their Film Town initiative, has become a multi-dimensional year-round presence that has increased engagement and local opportunity while leading to a more equitable and sustainable organisation for those working in it.

Board game: Environmental sustainability planning

Facilitator and cinema curator Bruno Miguel Castro will lead this session where he’ll introduce the board game “Sustainability in the Arts” that was created within the framework of the CoopAnimArt Erasmus+ programme. This is a fun way to work as a team to think differently about the way your organisation looks at environmental sustainability planning and determine areas for development. Played in small groups, it’s also something that you can bring back and facilitate within your home organisation’s team after the conference.

New audiences for repertory cinema

This panel discussion will look at the new wave of interest in repertory cinema from audiences that’s evident at the box office and the success of initiatives such as Cinema Rediscovered and BFI Film on Film, the success of Letterboxd in fuelling interest and discuss how FAN members can harness this energy to attract new audiences and enrich their programmes.

This is just the start, more conference sessions will be announced soon!

Get tickets

Early Bird Conference Ticket: £80 (All organisations and freelancers). SOLD OUT

Conference Ticket: £100 (To be released after Early Bird)

Small Organisations Conference Ticket: £85

Freelancer Ticket: £85

You can select the Small Organisations Ticket option if you’re a voluntary-run organisation or an organisation with up to 5 employees.

If you’re a freelancer, please check that you are eligible.

There is a limit of 2 delegates per organisation. Email us if you’d like to put additional delegates on a waiting list.

The ticket price includes the Opening Reception and Screening, the conference refreshments and lunches on Thursday/Friday and the Thursday Conference Dinner in the Great Hall. The cinematic tour is not included and tickets are available to book separately for £15.

Book now

Outline schedule

Full programme details are still to be announced but we can guarantee an exciting line-up of speakers and contributors.

Wednesday 11 September

18:00 – Opening reception & a special screening at QFT

Thursday 12 September

09:00-17:00 – Conference Day 1, QFT
19:00 – Conference Dinner in the Great Hall of Queen’s University Belfast

Friday 13 September

09:00-17:00 – Conference Day 2, QFT
Evening – Cinematic Tour of Belfast (Booked separately)

Who can attend?

BFI FAN CON is for anyone who works or volunteers at a member organisation of the BFI Film Audience Network. Organisations can become a member through their regional or national Film Hub.

We hope that a wide range of venues, large and small, from all over the UK will send delegates to BFI FAN CON. We’d like to see people who work in many different areas of film exhibition, from audience development, front-of-house, programming, operations, leadership positions, marketing and more.

Freelancers: There are a limited number of Freelancer Tickets available for freelancers who are currently working on a project with a FAN member, have worked on a project with a FAN member in the last 12 months, are collaborating on the BFI FAN Spotlight project or are working on a Cross-FAN Champion Area.

If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible to attend, send an email to filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk before you book and we’ll be able to help.

Accommodation

We have a limited number of rooms available at Queen’s University Belfast for £45/night on 11th & 12th September. We hope to be able to allocate this accommodation to organisations or individuals that may find it more challenging to afford to attend BFI FAN CON than better-funded organisations. Please indicate if you would like to put yourself forward for one of these rooms when you register.

There are no follow-up questions on eligibility; we will contact you as soon as possible to confirm if one is available, as rooms will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. You can also email us at filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk if you’d like to check availability before you book your ticket.

We have also secured special conference discounts at other Belfast city centre hotels, with rates at the closest hotel from £90 per night. Details will be circulated to booked delegates.

Support to attend

Your Film Hub may also be able to offer bursary support for your attendance.

Travel

Ferry + Train: This is the most environmentally friendly way to travel to BFI FAN CON from Great Britain, so we encourage you to consider it. You can search for and book combined ferry + train tickets on thetrainline.com.

There are regular ferries from Cairnryan to Belfast with Stena Line, which also has a twice-daily service from Liverpool. It’s also possible to travel with Irish Ferries or Stena Line from Holyhead to Dublin Port and then onwards to Belfast by train or bus.

Air: Belfast City Airport is three miles from Belfast City Centre. The Translink Airport Express 600 bus service runs between the airport and Belfast City Centre.

Belfast International Airport is a 30-minute drive from Belfast City Centre. The Translink Airport Express 300 bus service runs between the airport and Belfast City Centre.

See the FAQ for local transport options.

FAQ

How accessible is the event?

QFT is an accessible building adapted to make your visit as easy as possible. You can find detailed access information on the QFT website and watch walk-through videos. The other spaces we will use in Queen’s University Belfast are also accessible. You can find some detailed access information about the Laynyon Building, where the Great Hall is located.

A quiet room at QFT will be available throughout the event.

Live captions, transcription and BSL interpretation can be provided for sessions.

Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements in your online registration.

The Cinematic Tour of Belfast involves moving around the city on a route of up to 2 miles. The route is wheelchair accessible. If you have other questions about accessibility on the tour, please do get in touch.

If you have any other needs or queries about access not answered here, email us at: filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk

When can I see the full programme and schedule?

The first programme details have been released and many more sessions will be announced soon. The full timetable schedule is still being finalised and is not yet available.

What’s included in the conference ticket?

The ticket price includes the main conference sessions, the opening reception and film preview on Wednesday evening, conference refreshments and lunches on Thursday/Friday and the Thursday Conference Dinner in the Great Hall. The Cinematic Tour is not included and can be booked at an extra cost of £15 per person. You can book this nearer the time if you prefer.

Accommodation is not included in the conference ticket.

What is the BFI Film Audience Network?

Find out more about the BFI Film Audience Network and find your local film hub.

How can I get to QFT once I’m in Belfast?

You can find QFT at 20 University Square, just across the road from the Graduate School at Queen’s University Belfast.

The nearest train station is Botanic Station (5 mins walk).

The nearest Metro stops (1 min walk) are:

– Botanic Avenue – College Green stop. Bus 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 29,

29A, 29B, 29C, and Ulsterbus Nos 18A and 519.

– University Road – Queen’s University stop. Bus 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D.

Parking: Limited during the day on weekdays but there’s free parking along University Square and at the car park by the McClay Library from 4.30pm on weekdays and throughout the weekend. There are also parking spaces for disabled badge holders across the road by the Graduate School. These are available for 5.30pm during the week and all day at the weekend.

Book Tickets

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Remember to check your eligibility before booking a ticket.

Read our Code of Conduct

The BFI Film Audience Network want the conference to be a welcoming, collegiate and inclusive space for film professionals. We expect people attending and working at BFI FAN CON to maintain this code of conduct. Harassment and bullying have no place at BFI FAN CON.

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 BFI FAN CON 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.