Screening Days

Young Audiences Screening Days 2022

08/06/2022 - 10/06/2022

Depot, Lewes

Join us for Young Audiences Screening Days 2022 – an essential event for cinemas looking to inspire and attract young audiences.

Taking place online on Wednesday 8 June and in-person at Depot, Lewes on Friday 10 June, this event gives exhibitors the chance to watch upcoming films for young audiences (16-30) and take part in curated sessions designed to support their young audience development work. Read about all films and sessions in the programme and see the final schedule.

Registration

Registration for this event is now closed. If you have any queries about your pass, email us at: info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk

“All first rate – I learned so much”

“Incredibly insightful”

Young Audiences Screening Days 2021 attendees

Sessions

The Memeification of Your Film Business: Engaging Young Audiences through Social Media Marketing

In an age of cultural inside jokes, meme marketing is one of the most authentic and captivating ways to engage with young people. Traditional marketing works for traditional arthouse audiences, but how can social media deliver real value? In this session led by Shelby Cooke from young film programmers group Film East, you’ll discover how these techniques are scalable for all organisations, how to hone a voice that sits alongside your existing brands and how memes can bring in real audiences.

Welcoming Working-Class Young People

Whether working in film exhibition or attending independent film events, working-class young people face barriers that are often overlooked by many in the film industry. In this interactive session, academic, EDI consultant, and former film festival chair (SQIFF) Leanne Dawson discusses the low-cost and no-cost practical changes that film organisations can make to get audiences over the threshold and to help working-class people thrive in their early career in film.

Mentorship that Works

Mentorship takes many forms but it can be a powerful way for dialogue to happen across the divide. For mentees, it can be a powerful step up and help them feel included. For mentors, it offers a tangible intervention. In this session led by BFI FAN’s Youth Audiences Manager Moira McVean, we’ll hear from organisations who have implemented different models of mentorship and what the practical steps are to making it work for everyone involved.

A Beginner’s Guide to Youth Engagement

Whatever bringing young people into your venue means to you, there are some underlying principles that make some projects connect, while others flop. This session is led by Julia Andrews-Clifford who has set up a network of 35 young audience initiatives across the South East taking as unique approaches as the communities they are based in. Along with case studies from young people on their projects, it’ll help you define and focus your approach to build vibrant, long-lasting connections with local young people.

Your Cinema: A Platform for New Talent

What if your independent cinema was a place not just to watch films, but a hub for those who make them? To coincide with our screening of Film4’s Foresight programme (designed as a tool to engage new people in filmmaking), we take a look at cinemas that have successfully developed filmmaking talent strands and brought new young people into their cinema in the process.

Game On! How Video Gaming Can Bring Young People to Your Cinema

It’s not just films that look better on the big screen: gaming is another major way of inviting people into your cinema. Now one of the UK’s top three pastimes for under 30s, gaming can build bridges and create a palpable sense of fun in your venue. But how can you host gaming events in your venue? We speak to two people making major gains on doing so, at a scale for any budget.

Developing Audiences for Anime

Anime films are a big hit with under 30s, but if you’re not an otaku, how can you work out which titles are going to work in your venue, how to reach their audience and how to make fun events around animations for adults? In this session, we look at developing audiences for anime with Scotland’s All the Anime, one of the UK’s most successful anime platforms, and hone in on their new release The Deer King.

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 front of house staff and young film programmers (aged over 18). If you’re in any doubt about your eligibility, just email us.

Support to join Young Audiences Screening Days

If you would like to attend Young Audiences Screening Days but the costs may prevent you from doing so, your regional Film Hub may be able to help in the form of bursaries for members (see links below). If your organisation is not yet a Hub member, it is usually easy to register quickly and it’s free.

COVID-19 Safety

All speakers and ICO staff will take a lateral flow test 24 hours prior to the event, and if possible, encourage you to do the same. If you feel unwell in any way, please do not attend the event. Currently, it is optional to wear a face covering at Depot and social distancing is not mandatory. However, as a welcoming and inclusive venue, they encourage the wearing of face coverings in any situation where it will help put others at ease. Depot is operating an enhanced cleaning regime, and windows are open throughout the building for maximum ventilation. More details. We will provide updated advice on COVID-19 safety closer to the event. If you have any queries in the meantime, email: info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.

FAQ

Is this a hybrid event?

The first day (Weds 8 June) will be delivered entirely online. The second day (Friday 10 June) will be delivered in-person at Depot in Lewes, though we aim to livestream sessions to delegates who prefer to take part at home. We hope to make all films from the programme available online, though there may be one or two titles we can only play at Depot.

How do I join online / register at Depot?

We’ll circulate all details of how to access films and sessions on Eventive and/or Zoom to delegates joining online ahead of time. If you’re attending at Depot on Friday 10 June, come to our registration desk (close to box office) on the day. You will be issued with a badge which is your entry pass into all screenings and sessions.

What's the schedule?

How do I get to Depot?

Depot is (very!) close to Lewes train station. For a map and travel advice, see Depot’s website.

Can I get food and drinks on-site?

Refreshments and lunch will be provided at Depot on Friday 10 June. There will be a drinks reception after the final films and sessions of the day.

How accessible is the event?

We aim to provide caption subtitles on all films available online and as many as possible played at Depot. We will provide specific details of which films can be viewed online/ will be played with captions at Depot before the event. Online sessions and livestreams will have live captioning and will be recorded. For details of venue accessibility at Depot, see their website. If you have any other queries about accessibility not answered here, please email us at: info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk

How do you curate Young Audiences 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 our specialised Screening Days events (inclusion and diversity, archive, and young audiences). We do this to open up the events and to connect with practitioners we haven’t worked with before, both inside and outside the film exhibition sector, who are doing important work.

Our open call for this event closed on 28 April. To learn about future open calls when they’re launched, sign up to our email list.

If you have other ideas or suggestions about Screening Days, you can either send them to info@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk or if you prefer to submit anonymously, to our Screening Days Advisory Group.

What devices can I watch films on online?

For this event, we are working with Eventive. You can view 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 entry to anyone who does not comply with our code of conduct. This code of conduct applies both in-person and online. 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.

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