Become a Hub member

The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) was set up in 2012, using funds from the National Lottery to support a stronger and more connected approach to growing audiences for British and international film on the big screen.

FAN is made up of eight regional and national Film Hub Lead Organisations (FHLO) across the UK.  These film specialist organisations provide FAN with comprehensive geographic reach across the UK and share the BFI’s aims of increasing the range of screen culture available to audiences and supporting the development of the UK exhibition sector.

FAN is now working to deliver the aims of BFI Screen Culture 2033 which you can read about here: BFI Screen Culture 2033.

Specific BFI outcomes for FAN are:

• Children and young people are empowered to develop their relationships with a wider range of screen culture
• People across the UK can access a wider choice of film and the moving image including stories that reflect their lives.
• Funding helps to tackle social, economic and geographic barriers for screen audiences in new and effective ways.
• Vital skills for the sector that cannot be delivered by the commercial market are developed.
• More people can engage with heritage collections that better reflect the diversity of the UK.

In addition, FAN strives to deliver against the three cross cutting principles for BFI National Lottery funding:

a. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
b. UK-Wide
c. Environmental Sustainability

Film Hub South East is the Hub region for the South East of England and covers the following local authority areas: Bedfordshire, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Luton, Medway, Milton Keynes, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Peterborough, Reading, Slough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Surrey, Thurrock, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham. Film Hub South East is managed by the Independent Cinema Office (ICO), the UK’s national agency for the development and support of independent film exhibition.

Like all of the regional Film Hubs, Film Hub South East works on behalf of the BFI and in partnership with its members to deliver specific outcomes in its region against the priorities listed above.

We welcome membership applications from any organisation that is based in our Hub and that:

• screens films to public audiences or its membership (or has plans to do so within the 12-month period from joining)

and/or

(b)  has a related interest in broadening the range of screen culture available to audiences and in enriching the cultural value of communal film screening activity e.g. screen archives or Local Authorities

If your organisation is not based within Film Hub South East, you may still be eligible to join but this will be at the discretion of the Film Hub Lead Organisation concerned and you should contact them first to discuss why this may be needed

Eligible organisations include (but are not limited to):

• cinemas of any type
• mixed arts venues with cinema provision
• volunteer-run film societies and community cinemas
• touring cinemas and community screen networks
• film festivals
• screen archives
• regular pop-up film events
• academic institutions
• museums and galleries
• local authority departments and agencies
• local and regional development agencies
• community groups and leisure providers

To join FAN, prospective members must share our vision and strategic priorities as set out in BFI SCREEN CULTURE 2033.

In addition, organisations must be formally constituted e.g. as a community interest company or limited liability company registered at Companies House; a charity or trust registered with the Charity Commission; a Local Authority or statutory body; or a voluntary group with a written constitution and bank account.

Film Hub South East membership offers a wide range of benefits and opportunities, including:

• Funding opportunities – schemes for audience development and bursaries for training and development (subject to availability and assessment)
• Development opportunities – access to training & professional development courses and events; peer-to-peer mentoring and support
• Networking opportunities – events, conferences and meetings hosted by the Hub and its partners, and across FAN
• Collaboration opportunities – participation in joint programming and audience development projects, and regional and national initiatives with reach and profile
• Advice and guidance – accessible support about a range of topics including programming and audience development activity
• Audience insight – access to up-to-date research and market intelligence on audiences and film exhibition trends
• Marketing support – promotion through Hub and FAN web sites, mailing lists and social media channels
• Advocacy – the chance to be part of a stronger collective voice for film exhibition and audiences

Please read our guidelines for further details.

No. Private individuals are not eligible for FAN membership in their own right, but are encouraged to sign-up to the Film Hub South East newsletter to keep in touch with FAN news and developments from around the South East and across the UK.

The application process is quick and simple.

• First, please download and read the Membership guidelines
• When you are ready to apply, simply fill in our online application form

We will take a maximum of two weeks to make a decision on your membership. During that time, if we have any questions about your application, we will contact you.

Film Hub South East schemes and opportunities are only open to members.

If you wish to submit an urgent proposal for one of our schemes but your organisation is not yet a member, simply apply for membership as soon as possible and we will review your the application alongside your proposal.

Please ensure you have downloaded and read through the full guidelines in the first instance. If you still have a query, please contact Film Hub South East via
filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk or 0207 636 7120.