Connecting Communities Through Film
Since we launched our Spotlight programme we have learnt that cinema is so much more than what happens on the screen. It is about discovering a film that stays with you, meeting people and starting new conversations and feeling welcome in a space. We are proud of the community we have created through Sofa Screenings, Reel25 and the wider community partnerships and festivals we have been involved with.
In response to our growing success and the need we have seen from our audiences to continue to develop a varied and diverse film screenings programme, we are really excited to be starting a new project supported by the BFI Audience Projects Fund, bringing together Create Studios with four fantastic partners: The Parade Marlborough, Stroud Film Festival, Reel Cinema in Chippenham and Trowbridge Town Hall. These are all successful partnerships we have made with local film exhibitors and this next stage is about using our learning and reaching new audiences across Swindon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire; specifically looking at how we can make cinema more inclusive, accessible and relevant to more people.
We’ll be focusing particularly on young people, refugees and people seeking sanctuary, relaxed and accessible cinema experiences, and audiences from lower socio-economic groups. Our key aim is to listen and work with communities, to help shape the cinema experiences they want to see. We’re particularly excited about creating more opportunities for young people to have a voice in programming and develop skills through film. We’ve already seen through our Reel25 young programmers how much can happen when young people are given the opportunity to shape what happens on screen and aim to connect to more organisations and communities that work with youth.
Relaxed screenings are something we’re keen to develop further. Following the success of our ‘Knitflix’ strand, we are always looking at new ways to make cinema more accessible and welcoming, removing some of the barriers that can prevent people from attending, particularly those who may not feel that traditional cinema environments are designed with them in mind. We feel that bringing together our work with young people, many of whom are neurodiverse, will help us shape a programme and experience that is informed by their personal experiences, preferences and ideas, rather than simply making assumptions about what an accessible cinema experience should look like. By giving young people a voice in the development of these screenings, we hope to create something that is genuinely inclusive, relevant and welcoming.
The opportunity to screen films in a wider range of venues is something we’re really keen to explore, helping us take cinema into new spaces and reach new audiences. We’ll also be exploring how film can create welcoming spaces for refugees and people seeking sanctuary, where they can share stories, build connections and find a sense of belonging.
And alongside all of this, we’ll be looking at the barriers that can stop people accessing cinema, from cost and location to the traditional cinema environment itself. Spotlight showed us that there is a real appetite for cinema beyond the traditional offer, but also that the most meaningful audience development happens when you listen to communities and work in partnership with them.
We have lots of exciting ideas for screenings, wraparound activity, outdoor screenings and working with local communities, festivals and events, all with the aim of creating experiences that feel welcoming, relevant and accessible. Ultimately, we want more people to feel that cinema is for them.
See the latest Sofa Screenings programme including the first Stories of Home offer here https://createstudios.org.uk/events/
Watch this Space for a new Stories of Home website featuring all the opportunities through the project