Independent Cinema Office

Independent Cinema Office The national organisation for the development and support of independent film exhibition in the UK.
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The Independent Cinema Office (ICO) is the national support organisation for independent exhibitors of all kinds including cinemas, film festivals and film societies. We act as programming advisors, distributors, consultants, development agents, and providers of training and other services. We have spent almost a decade developing successful models in this sector, building capacity to bring a wide

r range of films to a wider range of audiences. In the last 9 years 87% of the exhibition sector has engaged with at least one of the ICO’s services. We have delivered partnership projects with some of the biggest arts centres in Europe, for example the London Children’s Film Festival at the Barbican, as well as some of the smallest festivals and film societies in the UK. Complementing our wide ranging connections with the exhibition sector, we also have excellent working relationships with all UK distributors (including a sub-licensing archive deal with Studio Canal), a range of international sales agents and a number of independent producers. We have worked in partnership with organisations such as the FDA, First Light, BAFTA, Europa Cinemas, the Guardian Culture network, Cineworld, Frieze, and the Tate. We have extensive regular contacts in both the film and art press and all our distribution projects have received extensive national press coverage. Our training programmes include speakers from organisations as diverse as the Royal Opera House, Radio 4’s Front Row, the Berlinale and Warner Brothers. Our relationships have thrived through our reputation for delivering high quality, successful projects. The ICO is a unique organisation in specialised cinema – our business model is based on an integrated approach whereby our work with distributors allows us to secure previews for screening days; our consultancy work enables us to gain insight into different business models which we can then share in our one to one surgeries; our training programmes draw on our relationship with the commercial industry and our distribution projects benefit from our relationship with cinemas, film festivals and film societies. Our distribution projects have achieved growth of 300% over 8 years for specialised film in the UK, success achieved through experimentation and experience – understanding what tools are required at the beginning of projects to make them succeed.

BFI FAN members are invited to join a special Open Session as part of the REACH: Strategic Audience Development programm...
21/06/2024

BFI FAN members are invited to join a special Open Session as part of the REACH: Strategic Audience Development programme, taking place on Friday 28 June.

Yi Wang, Director of Q***r East and Joan Parsons, Head of Culture and Arts at Queen’s University Belfast, will be presenting case studies on how they have successfully developed audiences through Branding and Memberships respectively.

Register now: https://tinyurl.com/REACH-Open

In less than two weeks, we'll be heading to Watershed in Bristol for ID   2024! We have now confirmed the final programm...
07/06/2024

In less than two weeks, we'll be heading to Watershed in Bristol for ID 2024! We have now confirmed the final programme for the event, and registration for in-person attendance closes today, Friday 7 June.

We’ll be having honest conversations and hearing from experts so you can show a broader range of films to a broader range of people, find and retain staff from across society and be seen as an essential part of your community for everyone in it.

𝗞𝗘𝗬 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦

🔸You can choose to join just online (19 June), or both online and in-person at Watershed (21 June)
🔸Films will screen online from 19 - 26 June
🔸Sessions will be recorded or have notes taken at them
🔸Passes cost up to £35, with a £10 pass available for people aged 18-30 (including young film programmers and front of house staff)
🔸In-person registration closes today, but you'll still be able to register for online attendance up until 19 June

We hope to see you there! https://lnkd.in/eiUFNQaR

We've confirmed the final programme for ID Screening Days!Joining the line-up:🎞️ The Taste of MangoIn her debut feature ...
05/06/2024

We've confirmed the final programme for ID Screening Days!

Joining the line-up:

🎞️ The Taste of Mango

In her debut feature documentary—a personal meditation on family, memory and identity—director Chloe Abrahams probes at raw questions her mother and grandmother have long brushed aside, untangling painful knots in her family’s unspoken past.

🎞️ Orlando, My Political Biography

A cinematic letter to Virginia Woolf, telling her that Orlando has emerged from her fiction to live a life she could never have imagined. Featuring a cast that brings together 26 contemporary trans and non-binary people to embody the character.

🗣️ Case Studies in Working with Communities

Audience development work is much easier when you have a clear sense of the priorities of the group or community you’re trying to reach, and even easier if you’re a member of it yourself. In this session, we present two case studies from Harriet Taylor of (Bristol) and Devon Daley of Feel Good Film Club (Derby), who are working with both established and pop-up venues and how they have taken a curious, detailed approach to building events that are highlights for the communities they’re working with.

🗣️ Widening Socio-Economic Inclusion in our Film Workforce

How can we make sure the organisations we are building reflect the socio-economic backgrounds of the people in our community – and what are all the reasons it’s important? In the light of the Creative Industries Policy and Research Group report on audiences and the workforce showing that six out of ten workers in the creative industries come from middle class backgrounds, what are the practical steps we can take to build a film exhibition workforce where people from varied backgrounds can make an impact on audiences?

Get your pass by Friday 📅 https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/screening-days/id-screening-days-2024/

05/06/2024

Know a cinema, film festival or community venue who have made a profound difference to their community with National Lottery funding?

Nominate them by 17 June!

Have you ever wanted to fulfil an exciting new ambition at your community cinema? Have ideas for a film festival, specia...
31/05/2024

Have you ever wanted to fulfil an exciting new ambition at your community cinema? Have ideas for a film festival, special event or outreach project?

Cinema For All’s micro bursary scheme Platform is here to help! Receive a £1000 bursary to make your project a reality; you can get creative with your Platform project and use it to try something new, achieve your next ambition or develop your audiences. Find out more and apply: bit.ly/4aeN40o

Early bird passes are now on sale for this year's Cinema Rediscovered! Taking place in Bristol from Wednesday 24 – Sunda...
30/05/2024

Early bird passes are now on sale for this year's Cinema Rediscovered! Taking place in Bristol from Wednesday 24 – Sunday 28 July, programme highlights so far include Le Samouraï (1967), Charles Burnett’s long-lost feature The Annihilation of Fish (1999), The Bill Douglas Trilogy (1972-78) and John Sayles’s Lone Star (1996).

Get your pass at Cinema Rediscovered - early bird ends Wednesday 5 June: https://tinyurl.com/mwan3nzc

Paid opportunity! 🚨 The BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is looking for people to suggest & develop session ideas for...
23/05/2024

Paid opportunity! 🚨 The BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is looking for people to suggest & develop session ideas for BFI FAN CON 2024 (a film exhibition conference taking place in Belfast this September).

A few areas your session could cover:

🔸 The way you successfully initiated and delivered a project funded by the BFI Film Audience Network

🔸 A distinctive aspect of your organisation’s work that you feel could inspire the wider membership of the BFI Film Audience Network

🔸 Effective ways you think member organisations could meet the objectives of the BFI Film Audience Network: empowering children and young people to engage with wider screen culture; increasing access for people to a wider choice of films, including stories that reflect their lives; effectively tackling social, economic, and geographic barriers for audiences; engaging more people with screen heritage; and reducing our carbon footprint.

Find out more about BFI FAN CON and the open call on The Bigger Picture: https://tinyurl.com/52n6uneh

Funded

We've confirmed the first sessions for ID Screening Days! Plus, Bushman joins the film programme 🎞️𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮C...
22/05/2024

We've confirmed the first sessions for ID Screening Days! Plus, Bushman joins the film programme 🎞️

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮
Crip Cinema Archive is documenting disability on screen. We'll explore what makes an authentic disabled story, and aim to give attendees greater confidence in programming these films, as well as some examples of where this approach has made an impact with disabled audiences.

𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀
Watching films is only one way audiences can interact with your space. How can you show wider solidarity to the people in your communities? Using examples from across the cultural sector, we’ll look at the benefits and challenges of becoming more radically open.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗮
While ‘relaxed’ screenings are becoming more common, cinemas can do more to make neurodivergent people feel comfortable & included in their regular screenings. We'll hear from practitioners who've taken the journey of defining what a space that supports neurodiversity looks like.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀
How can film organisations responsibly contribute to conversations that matter? In this workshop session, we'll consider the groundwork needed to make positive and active decisions in programming and platforming discussions that audiences are seeking from film organisations.

𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻
The story of Paul Eyam Nzie Okpokam, a Nigerian man wandering the streets of '60s San Francisco having left the Peace Corps. The Civil Rights movement is reaching its peak, but few Americans Paul meets know of Nigeria’s raging civil war.

ID Screening Days takes place online on 19 June, and at Watershed (Bristol) on 21 June.

Book your pass by Friday 7 June: https://lnkd.in/eiUFNQaR

We've confirmed three new films for the ID Screening Days programme!MilisuthandoSet in past and present South Africa, Mi...
21/05/2024

We've confirmed three new films for the ID Screening Days programme!

Milisuthando
Set in past and present South Africa, Milisuthando is a poetic coming-of-age essay documentary on love and what it means to become human in the context of race, explored through the memories of writer-director Milisuthando Bongela – who grew up during apartheid but didn't know it was happening until it was over.

The Queen of My Dreams
After the sudden death of her father, Azra flies to her ancestral home in Pakistan to be reunited with her grieving mother. Through Bollywood inspired flashbacks, Azra is transported to 1960s Karachi, sparking a connection between her mother’s wild youth in a more permissive era of Pakistani life, and her own world in ’90s Canada.

The Stimming Pool
The stories of a B-Movie film club host, a young woman taking part in a diagnostic test, an office worker masking their autistic nature and an enigmatic dog spirit weave imaginatively in and out of each other, entering the illuminating possibilities of a world informed by neurodiverse vision.

We hope you'll be able to join us for this year's event, whether in Bristol or online. The deadline to sign up is Friday 7 June. Book your ticket here: https://tinyurl.com/w99hux45

Get involved in a new FREE sector-wide audience survey from Indigo Ltd this month.Act Green is designed to help cultural...
07/05/2024

Get involved in a new FREE sector-wide audience survey from Indigo Ltd this month.

Act Green is designed to help cultural organisations find out what audiences think about the climate crisis and what role they think organisations should play.

Your involvement will contribute to a robust cinema cut of the data and allow Indigo to provide the sector with a cinema-specific findings webinar, focusing primarily on cinema audiences and how their responses compare to those from the wider cultural sector.

Register to take part: indigo-ltd.com/actgreen

JOB OPPORTUNITY 🚨 We're looking for an Events & Communications Officer to join our Film Hub South East team!You will ass...
01/05/2024

JOB OPPORTUNITY 🚨 We're looking for an Events & Communications Officer to join our Film Hub South East team!

You will assist with delivering a broad range of events aimed at developing the skills of emerging filmmakers & film curators in the region. Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/4ct228hd

A retired Georgian teacher sets out to reunite with her estranged trans niece in Crossing - the compassionate third feat...
30/04/2024

A retired Georgian teacher sets out to reunite with her estranged trans niece in Crossing - the compassionate third feature by director Levan Akin and the first film to be confirmed for the ID programme!

17 & 19 June
Online & Bristol
Book: tinyurl.com/ypdaeyak

In our latest blog, the ICO team highlight some of the titles from this year’s Berlin Film Festival that we’re most exci...
10/03/2024

In our latest blog, the ICO team highlight some of the titles from this year’s Berlin Film Festival that we’re most excited to see reach UK cinemas over the coming year, including new work by Mati Diop, Levan Akin and Jane Schoenbrun.

Read about their picks here: https://tinyurl.com/4x4mj9me

Applications are now open for our Partnership and Revenue Success for Film Festivals training course! https://bit.ly/ICO...
13/02/2024

Applications are now open for our Partnership and Revenue Success for Film Festivals training course! https://bit.ly/ICO-PARS

Now in its second year and recommended by 100% of previous participants, this residential training course is a complete guide to transforming your sponsorship opportunities and generating more revenue for your film festival.

This year's edition of the course will take place from 16-18 April in Oslo, Norway. The course is open to film festivals worldwide. The deadline to apply is 27 February.

Calling all film festivals! Take our survey on the Financial Health of Global Film Festivals and share your thoughts on ...
12/02/2024

Calling all film festivals! Take our survey on the Financial Health of Global Film Festivals and share your thoughts on the difficulties festivals are facing at the moment: https://bit.ly/3Hms9fE

In today's challenging climate, it’s more important than ever for film festivals to work collaboratively, sharing challenges and ideas.

We've created this survey to lobby for greater awareness and encourage more economic intervention by public funders, national institutions, and regional government.

Please help spread the word!

Want to bring in new audiences to your venue or festival? Applications are open for REACH: Strategic Audience Developmen...
03/01/2024

Want to bring in new audiences to your venue or festival?

Applications are open for REACH: Strategic Audience Development, a project-driven training programme for film exhibitors who want to build their expertise in growing and diversifying audiences. This is a BFI FAN training course open to all FAN members across the UK.

Find out more and apply by Wednesday 24 January: https://bit.ly/REACH-2024

Feeling motivated for the year ahead? We're currently offering a 25% discount across our entire online learning platform...
02/01/2024

Feeling motivated for the year ahead? We're currently offering a 25% discount across our entire online learning platform, which includes courses on environmental sustainability, programming, digital marketing, community cinemas and more.

Sign up by 31 January: https://bit.ly/3H3KVIJ

In our latest blog, we heard from Hannah Strong and Hanna Flint, co-founders of the LFF Critics’ Support Fund – a crowdf...
10/11/2023

In our latest blog, we heard from Hannah Strong and Hanna Flint, co-founders of the LFF Critics’ Support Fund – a crowdfunded campaign they set up this year to help writers from low-income households cover the costs of attending LFF.

They discussed why they wanted to set it up and their hopes for its future: https://bit.ly/3svzXrR

In our latest blog, the ICO team highlight some of their favourite titles from this year’s 67th BFI London Film Festival...
30/10/2023

In our latest blog, the ICO team highlight some of their favourite titles from this year’s 67th BFI London Film Festival; including new work by some familiar faces, as well as several exciting debuts: https://bit.ly/3FCKowF

We've confirmed the final programme of 25 films for Autumn Screening Days. The final line-up includes ONE LIFE, ALL OF U...
24/10/2023

We've confirmed the final programme of 25 films for Autumn Screening Days. The final line-up includes ONE LIFE, ALL OF US STRANGERS, FOUR DAUGHTERS, THE NATURE OF LOVE, LA CHIMERA, THE HOLDOVERS, and much more!

Visit our website to view the full programme and book your pass: https://bit.ly/3sapxNZ

The deadline to register is this Friday, 27 October

We are thrilled to launch the International Film Festival Network (IFFN), a new membership-based community of film festi...
04/10/2023

We are thrilled to launch the International Film Festival Network (IFFN), a new membership-based community of film festivals.

Our aim is to foster new partnerships between festivals by promoting best practice and strategic innovation in programming, reaching audiences, and developing strong organisational structures that encourage the discovery and celebration of the art of film.

As a member, you'll have access to an array of benefits including:

🔹 An invitation to attend an International Film Festival summit hosted in person
🔹 Invitations to member meetings at major festivals
🔹 Invitations to regular online discussion sessions
🔹 Access to best practice case studies and resources
🔹 Access to online networking with the group
🔹 Facilitation of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing
🔹 Early-bird access and discounts for ICO training opportunities

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3tiDHgi

We'll also be holding two online information sessions via Zoom:

🔸 11am, Friday 6 October - https://t.co/qzJKbed1Em
🔸 4pm, Tuesday 10 October - https://t.co/3FQHNhA9HF

[times are London/BST]

The ICO team have arrived at  in Chester for Inclusion & Diversity  !We've got a packed day of films & discussions lined...
28/09/2023

The ICO team have arrived at in Chester for Inclusion & Diversity !

We've got a packed day of films & discussions lined up, all designed to help make a lasting difference to who is included in the audience and workforce of UK film.

Final programme confirmed for ID  !Taking place on 26 & 28 September, it's set to be a great space for having honest con...
13/09/2023

Final programme confirmed for ID !

Taking place on 26 & 28 September, it's set to be a great space for having honest conversations and building momentum for real change. Not got your ticket yet? You have until this Friday to sign up: https://bit.ly/ID_SD23

The final additions are: TISH, a moving portrait of social documentary photographer Tish Murtha; a case study with Mint Chinese Film Festival on running a diverse festival in a rural context; and a panel discussion on community activism with East & South East Asian audiences.

Help us advocate for the cinema sector!The deadline to complete our survey on the financial health of the theatrical exh...
08/09/2023

Help us advocate for the cinema sector!

The deadline to complete our survey on the financial health of the theatrical exhibition sector is this Tuesday.

The survey is designed for members of staff at cinemas who make managerial and operational decisions and have oversight of organisational finances. If you haven't had a chance to do so yet, please take the survey or share it with relevant colleagues: https://bit.ly/3Zb02YV

How is your cinema doing financially? Following the recent closures of key venues, we want to check in with cinemas to a...
30/08/2023

How is your cinema doing financially? Following the recent closures of key venues, we want to check in with cinemas to assess the current financial health of the sector and feed in data to the current DCMS Committee inquiry.

Complete our survey now: https://bit.ly/CinemaSurvey23

We will use the information to advocate for any necessary measures. We will share the overall findings in a report published on the ICO website. No venue will be identifiable in this reporting, everything shared here is anonymous and confidential.

The survey is designed for members of staff at cinemas who make managerial and operational decisions and have oversight of organisational finances.

The greater the response, the greater our ability is to advocate for the sector. We hope you can help us by filling in the survey and/or spreading the word!

The deadline to complete it is Tuesday 12 September.

YOUR FAT FRIEND joins the ID   programme!British documentarian Jeanie Finlay’s (Seahorse) engaging, eye-opening and emot...
29/08/2023

YOUR FAT FRIEND joins the ID programme!

British documentarian Jeanie Finlay’s (Seahorse) engaging, eye-opening and emotive film – winner of the Sheffield DocFest Audience Award 2023 – follows blogger-turned-author Aubrey Gordon as she interrogates her relationships with food, her body,
family, and society at large.

Drawing on her lived experience as a q***r fat woman, she asks society to embrace it as an alternative way of being – rather than as a taboo subject to be downplayed, ignored or centred on bodies viewed as cautionary tales – challenging the fantasies peddled by a diet and wellness industry worth $26 billion a year.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3R79iLE

Book your pass by 15 September 🗓️
Aged 18-30? Get a pass for £10 🎟️
Join us at Storyhouse, Chester or online-only 🌐
More films & sessions to be announced soon 📽️

GIRL joins the ID   programme!The feature debut of award-winning British-Nigerian playwright and filmmaker Adura Onashil...
22/08/2023

GIRL joins the ID programme!

The feature debut of award-winning British-Nigerian playwright and filmmaker Adura Onashile, GIRL tells a heartfelt story about a mother & daughter struggling to start a new life.

Find out more and get your ticket: https://bit.ly/ID_SD23

Book your pass by 15 September 🗓️
Aged 18-30? Get a pass for £10 🎟️
Join us at Storyhouse, Chester or online-only 🌐
More films & sessions to be announced soon 📽️

Join the ICO Board of Trustees! 👋We are recruiting for new board members, and are especially interested in hearing from ...
18/08/2023

Join the ICO Board of Trustees! 👋

We are recruiting for new board members, and are especially interested in hearing from people under 30 as well as those who reflect more widely the communities we serve in audiences across the UK.

Apply by 22 September: https://bit.ly/44wV8qW

Address

9 Bickels Yard, 151-153 Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey
London
SE13HA

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+442076367120

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