This is a guest blog by Hannah McHaffie.

A national organisation operating out of the heart of Sheffield, Cinema for All is at the forefront of supporting UK volunteer-led community cinema and film societies. The organisation has been supporting community cinema for over seventy of the ninety-two years that film societies have in Britain – they are one of the originals.

Today they are an invaluable source for anyone wanting to start cinema events or a film society within their community. Whether you’re a student wanting to start a film club or a retiree looking to start a local film society, there are multiple ways that Cinema for All can help you start the journey.

Support and Advice

Cinema for All provides support and advice to help cinema event organisers develop their screening events. Even better, a huge amount of these services are completely free to access – their website is filled with articles and case studies from programming cinema, to equipment, to accessibility. Whatever obstacles you’re facing, Cinema for All can help and support you through them.

To access this information and find out more about what Cinema for All can provide, just pick up the phone and start that relationship. On top of their free resources, there is also the opportunity to become a member. The annual membership comes with exceptional discounts on equipment hire, access to the Cinema for All film booking scheme, and connections to others doing similar work across the country.

Equipment Hire Scheme

Discounted dramatically for members, Cinema for All provides hireable equipment to enable new starters to trial their events and screenings ahead of launching their group, club or society. Fitting a space for cinema screenings can be costly and complex – making it a very risky investment for new groups who are yet to bring audiences through the door. Cinema for All’s Equipment Hire Scheme bridges this gap and makes getting up and running that much easier.

Equipment rental for new members is free for test screenings, so by becoming a member of Cinema for All, you avoid this financial risk. This is just one of the many admirable ways that the organisation supports new and emerging community cinema – it’s rare and rewarding.

Booking Scheme

If you are new to cinema exhibition you may be feeling daunted by the overwhelming and often unexpected number of processes and legal requirements you must complete before screening films in public spaces. Film licences and rights requirements make programming and screening films difficult. Cinema for All know this better than anyone else and that’s why their members get access to a catalogue of over 800 titles.

For a one-off fee, you can rent the film and screen it, safe in the knowledge that when it comes to all licencing and legal requirements, Cinema for All has done the hard work for you. Their Booking Scheme helps to provide peace of mind to its members with free postage and packaging.

Materials

Cinema for All has teamed up with the education and cinema focused organisation Into Film to provide resources for young people who want to either fuel their own passion for discovering cinema, or who are seeking advice on how to screen their own cinema events.

This collaboration demonstrates a desire to not only engage young people but encourage them to have a stab at cinema exhibition. Cinema for All also provide lots of advice about Starting A Community Cinema, along with advice and information about all aspects of what this process would involve. There are also numerous case studies which paint a wonderful picture of the ever-changing landscape of community cinema in the UK.

2018: Launchpad & Sustain

Cinema for All has recently revealed their 2018 plans to continue to work and develop community cinema ventures, old and new. Launchpad is a BFI funded initiative to ensure that aspiring community cinema exhibitors are supported through two £150 bursaries towards their first two test screenings and, simultaneously, receive intensive coaching on a variety of aspects, from marketing to volunteer recruitment.

Sustain sits alongside Launchpad and provides mentorship to existing community cinema groups along with a bursary towards improving weaker areas within the skillset of the group – perhaps to fund a course to develop marketing skills or maybe to fund a visit from an industry professional who could advise further. Both new initiatives are further evidence of Cinema for All’s ongoing triumphant commitment to UK community cinema, established and emerging.

Annual Conference & Film Society Awards

Every November, Cinema for All national members are invited to Sheffield for their annual conference and awards. The conference itself is always abuzz with shared passion and dedication to community cinema and having so many individuals in one place with the same goals and cinematic ambitions for their communities is something quite special.

The conference itself consists of masterclasses, talks, Q&As, and film screenings – it is an intense weekend of information, knowledge-sharing, and screening inspiration. You can read more about the 2017 conference here. The weekend is topped off with the Film Society of the Year Awards; a joyful celebration of hard work, innovative thinking, and captivating screenings – all from a volunteer-led army of community cinema event enthusiasts. I’ve had the personal honour of being at the awards several times and it’s a very special award ceremony.

Conclusion

If you are considering starting, expanding or developing cinema events in your community then your first stop should be the Cinema for All website. It’s extraordinary that one small team in a Sheffield office can have such a huge impact on community cinema across the country. Regardless of what Hollywood might have us believe, cinema begins in communities. Whether it’s renting DVDs from your local library or spreading the word of certain films over coffee on the high street, communities keep cinema alive.

Join EventTribe – an online community for all event organisers – to start discussions and ask questions.