Join us for ID Screening Days 2025 – a hybrid event helping cinemas and exhibitors of all kinds deepen their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Taking place online on Tuesday 9 September and in-person at MAC, Birmingham on Thursday 11 September, ID Screening Days brings you preview screenings and curated sessions designed to make a lasting difference to the audience and workforce of UK film.
We want the work of including everyone to be central to our venues – opening up exciting and inspiring new possibilities for meaningful engagement with your audiences. At this event, we’ll be exploring ways to help you show a broader range of films to a broader range of people, find and support staff from across society and strengthen your venue’s position as an essential asset for everyone in your community.
Got any questions? See our FAQ or drop us a line at info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
New to Screening Days? Check out our trailer to get a sense of what it’s like.
Not sure if Screening Days is for you? See our eligibility section.
For all other details, scroll down or see our FAQ.
Registration
Which pass should I buy?
- £35 – Organisational pass (Select this rate if you are attending on behalf of an organisation or film society)
- £25 – Freelance pass (Select this rate if you are a freelance worker)
- £10 – Young Person (18-30) pass (Select this rate if you are aged 18-30)
- £10 – Supported pass (Select this rate if you are currently unwaged – which here means if you have applied for or receive Universal Credit, Job Seeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Carer’s Allowance or are a student in higher education)
Please note that:
- All passes give you both in-person and online access, but please indicate how you will attend in your registration form.
- The deadline for registrations is Friday 29 August.
- Lunch and all refreshments will be provided free to those attending at MAC.
- Passes are not transferable.
- Films in the online programme will be available to stream from Tuesday 9 to Tuesday 16 September.
- Streaming is only available within the UK and Republic of Ireland and our online platform Eventive restricts concurrent streams, so every viewer must have their own pass. See our FAQ for information on device compatibility.
“Perfectly organised and curated”
“It was great to have speakers with lived experience”
“Fantastic for peer-to-peer learning and information sharing”
ID Screening Days 2024 attendees
Films
Am I eligible?
We want to welcome as many people as possible to our events while still protecting the work of filmmakers and distributors. Screening Days is for anyone who works or volunteers in a space that shows films and makes a direct contribution to selecting films or attracting audiences for them, including young film programmers (aged over 18) and front of house staff. If you’re in any doubt about your eligibility, just email us.
Support to join ID Screening Days
Your regional Film Hub may be able to offer bursaries to support your attendance (see links below). If your organisation is not yet a Hub member, it is usually easy to register quickly (and it’s free).
FAQ
Is this a hybrid event?
Yes. The first day (Tuesday 9 September) will be delivered entirely online. The second day (Thursday Friday 11 September) will be delivered in-person at MAC in Birmingham. Films in our online programme will be available to stream from Tuesday 9 to Tuesday 16 September.
How do I join online / in-person at MAC?
You’ll be sent all details of how to access films and sessions online and register in-person ahead of time.
What's the schedule?
We’re currently programming first films and sessions and will make the final schedule available to you as soon as possible. However, rough timings are registration from 10:15am, with first films and sessions from 10:45 to 11am, with final films and sessions ending 5pm to 5:30pm before an evening drinks reception until 6:30pm.
How do I get to MAC?
MAC is located in Cannon Hill Park, two miles south of Birmingham city centre. It’s served by several local bus routes and is a 12-minute journey by car or taxi from Birmingham New Street station. See a Google map and full travel advice on mac’s Getting here webpage.
Are food and drinks provided?
Yes – all refreshments including lunch and evening drinks are provided on the day. You can also buy additional food and drinks from MAC’s KILN restaurant, KILN Express or MAC Bar. More details and opening times.
How accessible is the event?
See our full page on accessibility support at ICO events.
Please state any access needs you have in your online registration. We will do our very best to support you and welcome you to the event.
We aim to provide descriptive subtitles on all films available online and as many as possible screened at MAC. We will confirm which films will be available with descriptive subtitles as soon as possible before the event. Where possible, films will also be screened with audio description.
Online sessions will be live-captioned and recorded, with recordings circulated afterwards. We aim to live-caption and record all presentations at in-person events, with recordings circulated afterwards.
There will be a quiet space available at mac for anyone who needs it. See a visual walkthrough of the venue and full details of venue accessibility at MAC on their website.
For any other queries about accessibility not answered here, please email us at: info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk
How do you curate ID Screening Days?
We curate the majority of the programme, but also hold a paid open call for guest curators for sessions and film programmes for all specialised Screening Days events (Inclusion and Diversity, Young Audiences and Archive Screening Days).
We do this to open up the events and to connect with practitioners we haven’t worked with before, inside and outside the film exhibition sector, who are doing important work.
Our open call for this event is open until 23 July. Please submit any ideas you have and please send this opportunity to anyone you know who has valuable insights and expertise to offer and who may be interested to participate.
What devices can I watch films on online?
We use Eventive for online streaming. You can watch films on Eventive on a laptop, tablet (e.g. iPad), phone, Chromecast and Airplay from your device, and via HDMI connector to your laptop.
However, please note that you can’t currently watch on devices with a Linux or Chrome based operating system (e.g., Chromebooks). In general, it’s a good idea to test your set up before streaming the films – you can do that on Eventive’s compatibility page.
We offer a support email service throughout the event.
Code of conduct
Whether on or offline, we want our events to be fun, inclusive spaces for film professionals. We expect people attending and working at them to maintain this code of conduct so that they stay that way. Harassment and bullying have no place at ICO events.
Examples of inappropriate behaviours that contravene our code of conduct include offensive comments, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of events, aggressive behaviour, inappropriate physical contact and unwelcome sexual attention.
If someone behaves inappropriately towards you or you witness something inappropriate, please report it to a member of ICO staff or email us. Your complaint will be treated with discretion. We are happy to help and can help report inappropriate behaviour to the authorities where necessary or address the problem ourselves where more appropriate. We reserve the right to refuse in-person entry and/or online access to anyone who does not comply with our code of conduct.
If you would like to speak to an independent organisation about an issue, the Film and TV Charity have a free and confidential 24-hour helpline available on 0800 054 00 00.
Supported by
The event is delivered with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery.
With thanks to our sponsor
How to apply
To register for Screening Days, type in the number of the appropriate pass type(s) you would like to order below and click ‘Continue’. To donate to the ICO on top of your pass, add a ‘Donate to the ICO’ pass and fill in the desired amount of your donation.
Criteria
- ICO Screening Days events are open to everyone who works or volunteers in film exhibition, including young film programmers (aged over 18).
- If you’re in any doubt about your eligibility, see Am I eligible? or email us at: info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
- Passes are strictly non-transferable.
- The deadline for registrations is Friday 29 August.
If you have any queries about your eligibility or booking online, read our FAQ or email us at info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.