Download our annual report:
ICO Annual Report 2025 – 2026 PLAIN TEXT version
Our vision is for all communities to have access to a thriving independent cinema culture by championing the broadest range of cinema, and to develop audiences, venues and people.
We continue to provide essential advice, services and support, while passionately advocating for exhibitors throughout the UK and internationally. We are immensely grateful to the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, for their ongoing support, as well as to all our sponsors, partners and clients, and the friends who champion our work. You make what we do possible – thank you.
We hope you enjoy reading the report in full, but here are some of the highlights from our work this past year:
- ICO’s 30 client cinemas welcomed over 1.1million people, generating more than £8 million in UK box office revenue. We supported multiple venues to grow 5–8% ahead of the market, and delivered a strong 15–20% market share on major international titles such as Sirat and Holy Cow.
- We strengthened our national advocacy, contributing to DCMS ministerial roundtables, meeting MPs and policy advisors, and submitting evidence to the Secretary of State to champion increased investment in arts and culture.
- Through our 2026 Exhibition Workforce Survey, we collected robust evidence on who makes up the cinema workforce and the realities of their pay, skills and working conditions. We are using this evidence in our advocacy work with policymakers and funders, to help direct investment to where it will most improve equity, working lives and long-term sector sustainability.
- We attracted 742 unique delegates from 333 unique organisations to our Screening Days film preview events. Our dedicated Audience Development Days, launched at Screening Days in 2023, has rapidly become a national forum for innovation and exploration in reaching and engaging audiences.
- As the lead body for Film Hub South East, the BFI’s regional audience‑development network, we invested £266,276 in 50 exhibition organisations to deliver cultural cinema projects that reached 59,463 people.
- Our film exhibition training programmes supported 439 participants from 363 organisations across 14 countries, with 100% of attendees recommending our courses.
- Learners completed more than 4,500 lessons on our Online Learning Platform.
- We broadened the stories seen on UK screens, with the release of Uncommon Voices: Exploring Class in New British Cinema, championing today’s working-class filmmakers, and brought Todd Haynes’ Safe (1995) back to cinemas with renewed attention to its disability themes.
- Our jobs platform received over 216k visits, circulating 360 roles to 10k+ subscribers and widening access to paid opportunities.
- Through our enquiries service, we supported over 1,100 exhibitors, providing guidance on licensing, film rights, routes into cinema careers and more.
- The ICO blog continued its growth, a trusted resource helping venues strengthen their skills and confidence. Its practical advice and programming inspiration drew 20,267 views.
- We supported 850 young people through our Young Film Network South East programmes, broadening access to screen industry knowledge and helping them take first steps towards film careers.
- As the BFI’s partner for developing new and emerging filmmakers in the South East, we supported 1,271 people across 17 locations, building skills, confidence and creative networks.
- We continued to deliver our ED&I Action Plan, which included: commissioning audience consultants Indigo to undertake a comprehensive review of who attends our Screening Days events, developing accessibility standards to be implemented at all our events, tracking the diversity of who applies to the FHSE Film Exhibition Fund and a focus on encouraging applications from producers who identify as working-class.
- We supported 13 emerging filmmakers via the Miles Ketley Memorial Fund, including The Stimming Pool co-directors Robin Elliott-Knowles and Georgia Kumari Bradburn.
Over the past year, we have worked hard to strengthen our voice and position ourselves as the leading advocate for independent cinemas across the UK.
Catharine Des Forges
Director of the Independent Cinema Office
If you have any questions about the contents of the report, would like to learn more about our work, or are interested in exploring potential partnerships, please email us.