EDI Action Plan Updates - May 2026

This update includes new demographic data for our staff and Board of Trustees, new Screening Days research, an update on our ICO distribution projects, an update on our work in Film Hub South East, our 2026 Workforce Survey Report, and information on our gender pay gap.

Updating demographic data for our current staff and Board of Trustees

In April 2026, we surveyed our staff and Board of Trustees for their demographic data again.

Gender pay gap

This was collected in April 2026 and will be reviewed and updated in April 2027.

ICO distribution projects

• Our Annual Report 2024–2025 provided a prospectus of what the ICO distribution focuses on, which references our past work with specific under-represented audiences, to help us better articulate our impact and vision (see page 29). This has also been presented in industry slate presentations as well as with prospective partners.
• Our commitment for 2024–26 was to include at least 30% work from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse filmmakers (especially films with Black writers, directors or producers in their creative team) in all our curated multi-film tour packages. Our Uncommon Voices film package exceeded this minimum with 50% Black, Asian and ethnically diverse directors.
• We also committed to prioritising Black, Asian and ethnically diverse filmmakers and disabled filmmakers for our director retrospective tours and single title releases. While the film itself was not produced by disabled filmmakers, our tour of Todd Haynes’ Safe was curated by a disabled-led team – who positioned it through the lens of disabled experience – and watched by majority disabled audiences where it screened.
• Using the model we developed with Cinema Africa! and Maona Arts on the 2024 tour of Mapantsula, we committed to these new actions: advertise widely that we can take on this partnership work, create a target list of potential partner organisations that already work with the audiences we seek (including beyond film) and expand on existing activities with Cinema Africa and Maona to build on our achievements to date. We have approached a variety of organisations to move this work forward, but no project has achieved funding to date.
• At a minimum, ensure descriptive subtitles are available on a touring project title, with aspirations towards audio description. All screenings in our Safe tour played with descriptive subtitles and audio description, with event elements supported by British Sign Language and live captions. All Uncommon Voices screenings took place with descriptive subtitles as standard.

Screening Days

• Commit to showing at Screening Days events at least 30% films from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse creative teams which may include showing more feature films that are not within the current new release schedule or shorts packages. Across 2025–26 Screening Days we showed on average 36% of films by Black, Asian and ethnically diverse directors.
• Add survey questions to subsequent Autumn and Spring events as to how many exhibitors went on to show films from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse creative teams to demonstrate the value of Screening Days as an outlet for these titles. We are actively monitoring this and will offer feedback on results.
• Discuss ways to help exhibitors find new pathways to audiences for Black, Asian and ethnically diverse creative teams in all our events (e.g. case studies on individual titles, talent intros). We have held multiple sessions across the last four Screening Days that offer empowering routes to wider audiences, as well as offering intros to filmmakers and distributors that have led to real terms results in bookings.
• We have undertaken a comprehensive review of the current Screening Days format and marketing and adaptations we can make to encourage more Black, Asian and ethnically diverse attendees and new discussions and have implemented the advisory group and open calls for ideas. This will continue to be a rolling discussion. We get comprehensive feedback from those who attend but we would like to inform our work further by holding a focus group for non-attenders to better understand those not attending. We have completed our focus groups and uncovered the disparity of ethnicity between first-time and return attenders. We are pursuing a marketing strategy that prioritises new first-timers to diversify attendance.
• Produce survey for non-attenders, delivered in channels that non-attenders will see, to understand their main criteria for not attending Screening Days and address these concerns in future events. We have looked closely at the feedback here and while the core offer is not a challenge, we are working towards inviting more new people as well as making the event more welcoming to them to encourage participation in the community.
• Ask for short paid focus group-style responses from first timers (especially those who receive bursary support) to help understand the specific experience of people who don’t regularly attend. We have delivered this and acted upon its findings, as above.
• Develop accessibility criteria for the event with external access consultant to help guide assessment of venues and assist planning process. We delivered this audit with access consultant Charlie Little and embedded it in our venue work.
• We will continue to produce new descriptive subtitles (for D/deaf and Hard of Hearing people) for the event where time allows, with ambitions that distributors will use these materials in their wider distribution plans in reaching all audiences that can use. 56% of our screenings in 2026 were delivered with descriptive subtitles, with around 50% of descriptive subtitles commissioned by ICO for the event. 
• In line with the accessibility criteria for the event, build an accessibility plan for Screening Days including potential for increased budget. There were no significant budgetary shifts to make the event more accessible; our outreach efforts are where our focus lies. 

2026 UK film exhibition workforce survey

In April of 2026, we gathered survey responses across the cinema exhibition industry, seeking to hear from professionals, freelancers, volunteers, and anyone who helps audiences access cinema in public spaces.

With responses from 620 individuals, this report builds on our 2022 workforce survey, allowing us to compare changes across the sector and offering an updated snapshot of who works in film exhibition, their experiences, and their career development needs. The results offer a general understanding of how representative our workforce is of the UK population and are an important tool to advocate for investment and structural change across the industry in response to the evident lack of representation.

Read more about the survey

Tracking who applies to the Film Exhibition Fund (Film Hub South East)

In 2025-26 we began to track the diversity of leadership of the organisations applying to the Film Exhibition Fund. Organisations self-selected these categories. Now into the second year of monitoring, we have the following outcomes:

• 15% of organisations were disabled-led (+5% on 25-26)
• 19% were ethnically diverse-led (-7% on 25-26)
• 63% were women-led (+9% on 25-26)
• 30% were LGB-led (-4% on 25-26)
• 37% were working class-led (+6% on 25-26)

The Fund is currently still open and these figures may change. We will continue to monitor the diversity of organisations applying to and receiving funding in 2026-29 and will set targets in 2027-28 following two years of data collection.

We also contacted organisations we know to be led by and/or reaching underrepresented groups that are yet to apply to the Film Exhibition Fund, which is currently open, to encourage them to apply prior to the Fund closing.

Encouraging new memberships from organisations that are led by and/or reaching underrepresented groups (Film Hub South East)

We committed to undertaking a mapping exercise of exhibitors across the South East to identify and encourage new membership from organisations with Black, Asian and ethnically diverse leadership, as well as those led by disabled people. While this work remains ongoing, we have made progress through proactive outreach and relationship building, offering to meet with diverse-led organisations to discuss Film Hub South East funding opportunities and membership benefits in 2025-26 which have led to continued engagement with open funds in 2026-27. We have recently introduced quarterly membership updates at Hub Meetings, enabling us to track new joiners, monitor engagement trends and identify gaps where further outreach may be needed. We also now have a year’s data set on diverse-led organisations that applied to the Film Exhibition Fund which is being considered during the assessment process.

Approach to collaboration and partnerships in the South East 

We are still carefully considering our strategy for collaboration and seeking partners in the region for mutually beneficial partnership opportunities that are meaningful and not just for short-term or one-off projects.  In order to ensure our approach to collaboration centres on the partner and their priorities we aim to operate co-creation models and incorporate viable methods of working with organisations outside of open fund opportunities.

In the last funding period, we established a new group for short film organisations which have more diverse leadership than traditional venue-based organisations. In alignment with centering on partners’ needs and priorities, in early 2025 we asked the group what support, in addition to funding, they need from the Hub. The greatest appetite was for sessions on local and regional funding, the 33/33/33 film festival income model, and further interest in marketing and venue relationships. In response, we shaped the group’s quarterly meetings around these themes, introducing guest speakers and peer-led discussions to share learning and strengthen sustainability. The meetings also create a space for peer-to-peer sharing; connecting members up experiencing similar challenges and opportunities. There’s the potential for stimulating new film activity in the region with organisations we know to be led by and/or reaching underrepresented groups, through skills development and/or fostering new relationships with cinemas. We commit to researching how this might best work. We would like to speak to established groups and gain an improved understanding of how we can best offer support, how they would like their relationships with venues to be, with our response tailored to their ambitions

Affordable events for young people (Film Hub South East)

The BFI Film Academy Plus programme ended in March 2026. Over the three year period, we reached over 5,400 young people in the South East through film screenings, in person and online events, workshops and networking sessions – all promoted via the Young Film Network. Throughout the programme, we advertised the Bursary pot to support travel and ticket costs for young people, helping 37 individuals and groups to participate in our programme, or wider industry events.

Delivering a lab focused on learning disabled filmmaking talent (BFI NETWORK)

In addition to the May 2025 update we delivered an additional online event in partnership with TAPE Community Music and Film in partnership with the Young Film Network. Participants heard from young filmmakers who had taken part in TAPE’s ground-breaking initiative ‘Supporting Shorts’. The filmmakers explained how they made their short film, Race to the Start Line, and got it screened in Vue and Odeon cinemas nationwide.

Guide for applying to BFI NETWORK funds for applicants who are neurodivergent

The BFI now centrally provide introductions to their funds in alternative formats, including easy read format and British Sign Language and a detailed FAQ. Furthermore, there is access support available to apply to in order to help make an application.

Targeted interventions to support underrepresented filmmakers in the South East

Outline is our programme to develop writing talent in the South East, with a focus on those who are underrepresented in the film industry. For the most recent edition in 2025-26, we supported writers or writer-directors, who identified as women or non-binary in response to underrepresentation in the filmmakers applying for BFI NETWORK funds.

To reduce geographic barriers to participating in BFI NETWORK programmes, we delivered an online series of events for directors, across May and June, on track to reach over 400 directors based in the South East. We are currently reviewing the data for applications and awards to and from BFI NETWORK funds to target the next iteration of Outline to address underrepresentation of writers in 2026-27.

Hosting online events to answer questions for all Film Hub South East open funds

Coinciding with the launch of the BFI Early Development Fund, the BFI NETWORK South East Team hosted two online sessions for prospective applicants. The first covered the ‘dos and don’ts’ of the application process, and the second features a writer/producer duo that had been successful in their application, and who talked through their process.

Film Hub South East also hosted online information sessions for the launch of the Film Exhibition Fund which opened in March 2026, and the UK wide BFI FAN film season Rip It Up.