Cultural Cinema Exhibition

Venue: National Film Theatre, London

Dates: Monday, 4th September – Friday, 15th September 2006

The Independent Cinema Office is offering a unique training opportunity to develop your skills in the business of cultural cinema exhibition. This is a vocational course primarily aimed at those who work in the exhibition sector either in a voluntary or professional capacity, to the practice and skills of film programming.

The course is structured around daily seminars, screenings, group and individual exercises and tutorials. It is lead by ICO staff and includes guest speakers from within the cinema sector. Details of the course outline and speakers from the previous 2005 course are available here for information.

The course will cover the following areas:

  • Cultural film programming
  • Film education
  • Technical aspects of film presentation including new technologies
  • Independent distribution
  • Programming for archive films, festivals, shorts and artists’ moving image work
  • Marketing and PR for specialised film
  • Programming an independent cinema
  • Print rights and clearances
  • Commercial exhibition
  • Film acquisitions and programming for TV

Booking your place:

The course is supported by the Skillset Film Skills Fund under the Continuing Professional Development scheme so participants will need to demonstrate they have at least two years experience, either paid or voluntary, in the film industry. This does not need to be continuous. Priority will be given to those who can demonstrate experience in cinema exhibition whether it be in a venue, festival, film society, statutory body or local authority.

If you do not have two years experience but would like to undertake the course for personal or professional reasons, please be aware that the participant rate will not be supported by the fund and for 2006 is £1657. The subsidised rate for the course is £650.

Bursary support:

Priority areas for 2006 bursary support are for applicants:

  • Who work in independent cinemas
  • For not for profit organisations
  • For candidates from organisations with a turnover of less than 200k per year

Applicants may apply for up to £750 to support their travel, accommodation and access costs and £520 (80%) for their course fees but we would not expect to make the full award in all cases. For travel, accommodation and access bursaries please be advised that generally, 50% of bursary monies will be paid in advance of the course and 50% in arrears and will rely on the presentation of official receipts. Bursary recipients may negotiate for exceptions to this on an individual basis if circumstances necessitate. No monies will be payable however, without official receipts in any circumstance.

Bursaries are available to those who may be facing financial hardship which would inhibit their ability to attend the course. In order to qualify for bursaries under travel and accommodation support, applicants will need to live at least 50 miles from the National Film Theatre, London, SE1, the site for the course.

Bursary awards will be based on the supporting material supplied in the application form, the case made for the need for financial support and thereafter, each application will be assessed against the priority areas listed above.

Places are strictly limited and early booking is strongly recommended. To book your place, download the 'Notes to Applicants' and an application form, and return it by Friday 4th August. Please note that places will only be confirmed once we have received payment for the course. The ICO is unable to accept credit card payments, all payments must be made by cheque.

If you have any queries about the course, or wish to check that it is appropriate to your needs, contact Becky Clarke on 020 7636 7120 or email info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk

Course Tutor: Catharine Des Forges, Director of the Independent Cinema Office

With 13 years of experience across the UK exhibition sector, Catharine is acknowledged as an expert in the field. She completed her MA in Film & Television at the University of London in 1993 and from 1994-7 worked in the BFI’s Regional Exhibition Unit, programming and advising a range of independent cinemas. She was the programmer for the Brief Encounters Short Film Festival for 3 years, worked as an assessor for the Arts Council Lottery scheme and co-devised and jointly lead the BFI’s Cultural Programming Course for 6 years. Catharine has lectured in film at a number of UK universities including the University of London, Nottingham Trent University and the University of Surrey. In 2000 Catharine was appointed Senior Programmer for the BFI’s Programme Unit where she was responsible for touring and curating film programmes. In July 2003 she set up the Independent Cinema Office, the national organisation for the development and support of the UK’s independent exhibition sector, and has been its Director ever since.

This project is funded by the Skillset Film Skills Fund, which is supported by the National Lottery through the UK Film Council and the film industry through the Skills Investment Fund. Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the audio visual industries - www.skillset.org.

If you wish to receive updates about any new training schemes as soon as they are advertised, please email us at info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk