Resources

Access & EDI

BFI FAN: Accessible Cinema Bulletin | Spring 2025

The latest news and resources on film sector disability access and inclusion.

BFI FAN: Accessible Cinema Bulletin | February 2025

The latest Access Bulletin from EDI Champion Charlie Little.

BFI FAN: EDI in Focus – Inclusive Recruitment with Diversity Scotland

The third session in BFI FAN's EDI in Focus series highlights the key things to consider regarding inclusive recruitment and conscious inclusion in your organisation.

BFI FAN: EDI in Focus – Accessible Cinema for Blind Audiences

Charlie Little is joined by BFI's Inclusion Partner Clare Baines to share their experiences and guidance as partially sighted film lovers.

BFI FAN: Accessible Cinema Bulletin – July 2024

Read the latest Accessible Cinema Bulletin from EDI Champion, Charlie Little.

BFI FAN: EDI in Focus – Intersectional Audiences

Charlie Little, Kyla Harris and Linnea Petterson discuss how exhibitors can implement inclusive and accessible best practices for intersectional audiences.

BFI FAN: EDI in Focus – Advocacy for Accessible Screenings

Access Consultant Charlie Little explores how exhibitors can advocate for standardised, accessible screenings and provisions.

BFI FAN: Access Directory

A new directory with guidance, toolkits, and practical actions for planning inclusive film events for Deaf and disabled audiences.

Independent Cinema Office: Developing Deaf Audiences for Film

A guide to help you understand the challenges Deaf people experience in the cinema and what your cinema or film festival can do to make the experience pleasurable, welcoming and well-presented.

Independent Cinema Office: How do I make my cinema inclusive and accessible?

A reference guideline for independent cinemas to improve access in venues for their disabled visitors.

An Equal Experience: Why Descriptive Subtitling Matters

In this blog for the Independent Cinema Office, Matchbox Cine’s Charlotte Little explains the importance of descriptive subtitles in creating a more equal experience for audiences.

Arts Marketing Association: The Accessible Marketing Guide

A comprehensive guide from the Arts Marketing Association on making your marketing activity and communications accessible to the widest number of people.

Access Forum: Dementia-Friendly Screenings

Watch our online session on making your screenings dementia-friendly, with Glasgow Film Theatre and Montrose Playhouse.

BFI Diversity Standards

The BFI Diversity Standards are a contractual requirement for all BFI funding, including fiction and documentary films funded via the BFI’s partners.

Inclusive Cinema is a UK-wide project developed by the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) designed to support screen exhibitors. Together, we celebrate diversity on screen, in the audience and behind the camera.

Widening Access and Inclusion Online: Marketing & Screenings

Two sessions led by Charlotte Little and Helen Wright that will help you to make your websites, social media and online screening activity accessible to more people

Matchbox Cineclub: How-to Captioning

As part of the Film Hub Scotland Access Forum, Matchbox Cineclub has run ‘how-to’ sessions on how FAN members can make their programmes as accessible as possible.

SQIFF Accessibility Guide

The Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) have produced the Deaf and Disabled Accessibility Guide, intended for use by film exhibitors who want to embed Deaf and Disabled access into their work.

Inclusive Cinema: Dismantling Structural Inequality in Your Cinema

A practical guide for improving the experiences of POC audiences, staff and filmmakers – and other intersections including gender, sexuality, disability, income and class.

Governance and HR

BFI Guidance and Principles for Tackling Bullying and Harassment

Full details of the principles and guidance for tackling and preventing bullying, harassment and racism in the screen industries commissioned by the BFI and supported by organisations across the UK.

BFI Dignity at Work Policy Template

A template policy to be adapted for companies, productions and festivals to compliment the Guidance and Principles to tackle workplace bullying, harassment and racism. Please download and adapt this policy for your organisation.

UKCA: Coronavirus Awareness Training

The UK Cinema Association and the sector skills agency ScreenSkills have launched an online e-learning module and assessment test around COVID-19 for all those working in cinema exhibition.

FAN Guide to Safeguarding

The BFI FAN Audience Network have created a guide to safeguarding for film exhibitors. This includes definitions, tips for working with both children and adults, how to create code of conduct policies and much more information on how to create a safer environment as a film exhibitor.

Marketing

Webinar: Marketing Your Film Festival

This practical session - led by film marketing consultant Emma Jamieson - offers lots of useful insights to help you build your festival audiences.

Webinar: Exhibitor Marketing 101

The first in our new marketing webinar series, this session offers a step-by-step guide on how to begin, enhance and develop the marketing for your venue, community cinema or film festival.

ICO: Data-driven Marketing Online Course

Hear from the industry's leading experts in marketing, plus a selection of case studies from organisations with exceptional experience in using data as a core part of their marketing.

ICO: Marketing for Independent Cinemas

Want to start thinking more strategically about your marketing and communications? Read ICO's downloadable guide.

Screen Heritage

BFI FAN Screen Heritage Resource Guide

This guide gives best practice programming guides for archive screenings, case studies, up-to-date contact details for Film Archives and potential partners, and tips from leading archive programmers.

Sector Research

ICO: Capital Investment for Independent Film Exhibition

A summary of the Independent Cinema Office’s recent survey on the capital funding needs of independent film exhibitors.

BFI FAN: Guide to Working with Young People

Engage young audiences aged 16-30 using this comprehensive guide from BFI Film Audience Network.

Film Hub Scotland End of Year Report 2019-20

Our EOY Report 19/20 covers the period April 2019 - April 2020, and provides an overview of our funded activity, member support and development, and programming activities with our membership.

Mapping Film Exhibition in Scotland June 2016

A report into public screening facilities across Scotland, based on research conducted by Drew Wylie Ltd for Creative Scotland.

Starting Out

Guide to Screening Films

A practical guide for Scotland's Screen Community to plan and deliver film screenings.

Vimeo OTT How-To by Aaron Guthrie

Queens Film Theatre Belfast developed the QFT Player using Vimeo OTT as a way to stream content including theatre and films. Aaron Guthrie has created this brilliant video guide to using Vimeo OTT yourself.

FAN Guidance for Community Cinemas and Non Theatrical Exhibitors

With venues starting to reopen and films coming to the market, the Film Audience Network have compiled a document covering the most important questions, opportunities and considerations if you're thinking of showing films again soon.

ICO Guide to Cinema Marketing

The ICO (Independent Cinema Office) created this free resource to help cinemas and anyone working in film exhibition think more strategically about their marketing and communications.

Sustainability

Culture for Climate Scotland: The Green Arts Initiative

The free-to-join network supporting Scottish arts and cultural organisations to create a sustainable future.

BFI Sustainable Screen Resource Hub

The Sustainable Screen Resource Hub offers 150 tailored resources for screen sector organisations on a diverse range of topics.

Act Green 2023: Cinema Insights

Catch up on Act Green 2023: Cinema Insights, a webinar presented by Indigo and BFI Sustainable Screen, exploring the data on cinema audiences from the Act Green 2023 survey.

Julie’s Bicycle’s Environmental Policy and Action Plans Overview

This guide will take you through the process of producing a policy and action plan for your cultural organisation with how-to guides, tips, templates, examples & useful resources.

Circular Arts Network’s Circular Economy Tool

A listings site for Scotland-based arts practitioners reuse and recycle easily.

Creative Carbon Scotland’s Carbon Management Tools

Creative Carbon Scotland have lots of tools and resources to help you measure, monitor and reduce your carbon emissions - including a free Quick Carbon Management Calculator.

How to build and run a sustainable cinema

Lewes' Depot's Green Ambassador shares their top ten tips for running a more sustainable cinema.

ICO’s Green Cinema Toolkit

The Independent Cinema Office's resource is indispensable for cinemas looking to understand their environmental impact.

Watershed’s Making Your Cinema Greener Guide

Tips on reducing your cinema's carbon emissions from Watershed's Environmental Emergencies Action Researcher Zoe Rasbash.

BFI Sustainability Policy

Read BFI's Sustainability Policy to help guide the sustainable future of your work.

The Arts Green Book

The Arts Green Book : Sustainable Buildings provides guidance for making cultural buildings, including cinemas, more sustainable.

Young Audiences

Family and Young Audiences Film List

A list of engaging family films, and where you can find the rights to them.

Education in Cinema Gazette September 2023

Hear from RIG Arts, Alchemy Film and Arts, Glasgow Youth Film Festival, plus an interview Glasgow Film's Youth Programme Coordinator, Callum Neeson.

Education in Cinema Gazette June 2023

Catch up with the latest Education in Cinema news in Scotland, with a focus on activity in the Highlands (Eden Court, Cromarty Film Festival and Forres Film), plus reports from Hippfest 2023, Leeds Young Film Festival and an interview with GFT's Rosa Cato.