Welcome back to your monthly round-up from the ICO, featuring the latest opportunities for your cinema, festival or film society and industry highlights from the UK and beyond.
ICO News
- The first six titles for Spring Screening Days 2026 have been announced, including Tuner, a smart sonic crime caper starring Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall, and the latest coming-of-age gem from Alcarràs director Carla Simón, Romería. In-person passes are almost sold-out, book now to join us at BFI Southbank, London on 14 and 15 March and online from 16 to 22 March.
- Bookings are open for Uncommon Voices: Exploring Class in New British Cinema, a programme of short films on the working class experience in modern Britain. To screen at your venue and discuss in-person speaker opportunities, email bookings@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk. (You can catch it in Barking as part of PictureEast Film Festival 2026 on Saturday, 31 January.)
- The ICO are seeking blog pitches from industry voices offering insight into film exhibition. To be commissioned, read over our blog guidelines and share a brief outline your idea with info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
- Looking for new opportunities? Check out our Jobs Board to find a range of open roles.
Resources, Opportunities and Events
- Save the date, BFI FAN CON 2026 will take place from 7 to 9 September! After 2024’s successful inaugural event, the second conference for BFI FAN members is coming to Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne. You can help shape the conference programme by submitting an idea to the Open Call before 9 March.
- Explore the world of social media with the final REACH open webinar on 2 February. Part of the REACH: Strategic Audience Development training course, all members of BFI FAN across the UK can gain insight into which platforms have the strongest film communities and how you can access them.
- BFI and BFI FAN are partnering with Historic England to deliver online Carbon Literacy courses for FAN members UK-wide. The interactive online course takes place in February, is entry-level and action-focused, and on completion, you will be certified as Carbon Literate.
- Expression of interest applications to become the first UK Town of Culture are now open until 31 March.
- The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme kicks off on 6 February, screening Japanese cinema across 34 cinemas nationwide until 31 March and featuring select Q&As with the directors of Blue Boy Trial, Teki Cometh, and Adabana.
- Film Hub North have produced a DIY Retrofit Guide for UK Film Exhibitors. Outlining actions you can take to increase the energy efficiency of your building, the resource is designed to support those who have limited capacity for large capital works.
- Invisible Women have confirmed dates for the third IW x T A P E Curatorial Retreat, taking place 26 to 31 October 2026.
- The third edition of Forum Without Barriers: Accessible Cinema is available to book now. The international event dedicated to cinema accessibility takes place both online and in-person at the ZAMEK Cultural Centre in Poznań, Poland.
Good Reads
- Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer reflects on a year of cinema-going in the January edition of Feedback Loop: Where Do We Go from Here?, evaluating each month of film and the balance between popular media and smaller titles.
- Art Review remembers Béla Tarr in an introspective ode to his work, reflecting on his legacy and ambition.
- The Élysées Lincoln Cinema’s recent interior redesign quickly went viral, and joint owners and brothers Louise and Samuel Merle discuss what this recognition has meant for the independent cinema.
- Awards campaigners discuss the 2026 BAFTA longlist, praising the recognition given to I Swear, The Ballad Of Wallis Island, and Hamnet.
- David Hudson offers extensive notes on the 2026 Berlinale lineup for Criterion.
- Touring the country with his new film BULK, Ben Wheatley speaks to The Skinny on returning to micro-budget B-movies.
- Are movie theaters cool again?, asks Vox as FilmTok sees younger audiences prioritising in-person movie-going.
Header image: Our Land, courtesy of MetFilm, screening as part of the Spring Screening Days programme.