BFI FAN CON 2024
Last month Flatpack’s Amy (Head of Partnerships) and Juwairiyyah (Project Administrator) each packed a very small bag (as per the dimensions on the Easyjet website) and hopped on a flight to Belfast for ICO’s new cinema conference BFI FAN CON.
Cinemas and film exhibitors from across the UK gathered at the stunning Queen’s Film Theatre across two days 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 line-up was packed with talks, workshops and discussions on topics such as sustainability & nature restoration, developing new audiences for rep cinema, placemaking and - perhaps most importantly - one workshop titled ‘Where Does the Money Come From?’
The conference kicked off with a screening of Cal. At its heart a doomed love story, yet simultaneously so much more than this, the film quietly and powerfully situates us in Northern Ireland in the 1980s. We were utterly gripped by Cal’s attempts to come to terms with his involvement in the killing of a Protestant policeman. Newly digitised and available to book, we highly recommend it.
Yours truly presented at one of the opening sessions: Spotlight: Working with Communities in Underserved Areas. I was delighted to see so many delegates turn out to hear about the great work the hubs have been doing developing audiences in cold spot areas across the UK (you can read more about Spotlight here). And with that out of the way, I was free to relax and enjoy the rest of the conference. Read on for a few of our programme highlights:
Amy’s highlights
The Evolving Role of AI in Cinema
Independent AI Practitioner Jocelyn Burnham introduced us to the evolving role of AI in cinema and wider culture. We explored current applications for video, image, music and text generation, how AIs can be used to create games, interactive experiences and even films, and we got a sneak peek at the first ever AI-generated cartoon series! The session covered practical topics like using AI for data analysis in a fun and playful way and it left me feeling less fearful and a lot more curious about AI. I think that’s a win.
The Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Attending the Cinema
This session was focused on how cinema can help keep us healthy, something I’d not previously thought too much about. With excellent presentations from Medicinema and Film Girls Galore, the session explored how the collective experience of cinema-going can help our mental wellbeing - including some fascinating facts on how experiencing film can raise our heart rates, equating to 30 minutes of gentle exercise! I’ve always thought of cinema as a passive activity, so this certainly gave me a new perspective.
Networking Dinner
I’ve been to many networking events in the past where I’ve found myself loitering around the edges of a grey carpeted room pretending to look at my phone until I clock someone I know or one of the other delegates is brave enough to come and say hi. This was a very different story. We were treated to dinner in the Great Hall, which was somewhat reminiscent of Hogwarts. I was half expecting the Sorting Hat to pop out and sort me into Slytherin House. It was a great way to network and meet new people whilst literally breaking bread. There was no seating plan and delegates just plonked themselves down on the nearest table and started chatting. Over the course of the evening I made some great new contacts and had a chance to catch up with colleagues I’d not seen in years! “Food brings people together on many different levels. It's the nourishment of the soul and body.” I think that’s also true of cinema.
Juwairiyyah’s Highlights
New Audiences for Repertory Cinema
Having both attended Cinema Rediscovered and curated a film screening for Brixton Community Cinema this year I found this session very insightful. Watershed’s Cinema Programmer Steph Read and Brixton Community Cinema founder Abiba Coulibaly explored a new wave of audience interest in repertory cinema. I found the increase in young people’s engagement particularly interesting, as well as hearing about the various strategies employed to market these films. The latter included references to pop culture, Letterboxd as a social channel and drawing upon retro archival designs to increase audience interest.
Making Festivals more Sustainable and Inclusive
As we’re currently working on developing our guest programming strand at Flatpack, it was super interesting to hear from Michael Pattinson from Alchemy Film and Arts in Hawick and Yi Wang from Queer East. The session reflected on how festivals can challenge existing top-down programming models and offer year round benefits to communities. It was great to see tangible examples of how guest programming can have an impact on reaching new audiences and expand programming possibilities at Queer East, as well as hearing Michael Pattinson critique colonial outreach models and offer more equitable alternatives.
If you want to learn more about BFI FAN CON or other events and resources on offer as part of BFI's Film Audience Network visit The Bigger Picture website.