Last September, Amy Smart, Head of Partnerships at Flatpack packed a small bag and hopped on a flight to Belfast for Independent Cinema Office's New Cinema Conference BFI FAN CON
Amy presented at one of the sessions, Spotlight: Working with communities in Underserved Areas and stuck around to soak up the breadth of knowledge and experience from the other presenters, practitioners and exhibitors in attendance.
Amy has shared with us their programme highlights from BFI FAN CON 2024
Blog written by Amy Smart
This September, I packed a very small bag (as per the dimensions on the Easyjet website) and hopped on a flight to Belfast for ICO’s new cinema conference, BFI FAN CON. Cinemas and film exhibitors from across the UK gathered at the stunning Queens’ Film Theatre across two days to strengthen their professional networks, learn about some of the most exciting FAN projects, and draw inspiration on new ways to reach and engage audiences in a diverse screen culture.
This was not my first rodeo. I have been to many film exhibition conferences over the last 10 years or so, and they had started to feel a bit samey, which is why I was delighted to come away from BFI FAN CON feeling inspired, renewed and full of learnings. The lineup was packed with talks, workshops and discussions on topics such as sustainability and nature restoration, developing new audiences for rep cinema, placemaking and perhaps most importantly, one workshop titled ‘Where Does the Money Come From?’
The conference kicked off with a screening of Cal in Screen 1. Cal tells a story that has been told many times before, but tells it quietly and powerfully about a particular time and place: Northern Ireland in the 1980s. At its heart, it’s a doomed love story, but it’s so much more than that, and I was utterly gripped by Cal’s attempts to come to terms with his involvement in the killing of a Protestant policeman. Newly digitised and available to book, and I highly recommend it.
I was presenting at one of the opening sessions; Spotlight: Working with Communities in Underserved Areas, and was delighted to see so many delegates turn out to hear about the great work the hubs have been doing developing audiences in cold spot areas across the UK (you can read more about that here) and once my session was over I gave myself the time to relax and enjoy the rest of the conference.
Here are some of my highlights;
The Evolving Role of AI in Cinema
Independent AI Practitioner Jocelyn Burnham introduced us to the evolving role of AI in cinema and wider culture, covering current applications for video, image, music and text generation, while also exploring how AIs can be used to create games, interactive experiences and even films (including a sneak peek at the first ever AI generated cartoon series!) The session explored practical topics like using AI for data analysis in a fun and playful way, and it left me feeling less fearful and a lot more curious about AI, and I think that’s a win.
The Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Attending the Cinema
This session was focused on how cinema can help keep us healthy, which I’d never really thought much about before. With excellent presentations from Medicinema and Film Girls Galore, the session explored the collective experience of cinema-going to help our mental well-being and included some fascinating facts on how experiencing film can raise our heart rates, which can equate to 30 minutes of gentle exercise! I’ve always thought of cinema as a passive activity, and this certainly gave me a new perspective on the benefits of the collective viewing experience.
Networking Dinner
I’ve been to many networking events in the past and found myself loitering around the edges of a grey carpeted room, pretending to look at my phone until I clock someone I know or one of the other delegates is brave enough to come and say hi. Not this time. This time, we were treated to dinner in the Great Hall (somewhat reminiscent of Hogwarts, and I was half expecting the Sorting Hat to pop out to sort me into Slytherin House), which was a great way to network and meet new people whilst breaking bread.
There was no seating plan, and delegates just plonked themselves down on the nearest table and started chatting. Throughout the evening, I made some great new contacts and had a chance to catch up with colleagues I’d not seen in years!
“Food brings people together on many different levels. It's the nourishment of the soul and body.” I think that’s also true of cinema. Can’t wait for the next one.
