Making it in the UK screen sector

An upcoming event will explore how the UK film and screen industries including creators, funders and businesses can work towards improving inclusion and diversity.

Taking place on Thursday 12 April at Leicester’s Phoenix Cinema ‘Making it on and off screen: work, inclusion and diversity in UK film’, will host a screening of the documentary The Acting Class which looks at class barriers to access in the film industry followed by an audience Q&A with filmmakers Deirdre O’Neill and Mike Wayne, who will be joined by Birmingham-based actress Aimee Powell.

The event is led by Leicester’s CAMEo Research Institute in partnership with the BFI and Leicester’s Phoenix cinema.

The Acting Class, awarded best UK Feature at the 2017 Labour Film Festival, looks at the barriers preventing working-class talent from breaking in and staying in the acting industry and features leading UK acting talent including Christopher Eccleston, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Maxine Peake and Samuel West talking about their experience.

The event starts at 6.15pm with a presentation by Dr Doris Eikhof, Deputy Director of CAMEo examining key findings on the current state of workforce diversity from a new report undertaken by the CAMEo Research Institute for Cultural and Media Economics at the University of Leicester, and commissioned by the BFI through its National Lottery Research and Statistics Fund.

The event also marks the publication of CAMEo’s report Workforce Diversity in the UK Screen Sector Evidence Review, the most complete picture to date of research into workforce diversity in the screen sector (film, television, games and animation programming).

Dr Doris Eikhof, Deputy Director of CAMEo, said: “We’re very excited to be bringing a screening of The Acting Class to Leicester – an important documentary that is a perfect accompaniment to our research for the BFI. Our Workforce Diversity in the UK Screen Sector Evidence Review report provides a solid foundation for diversity policy and practice in the UK screen sector.

“We are delighted to be co-hosting the event at the Phoenix in Leicester, a perfect venue for a public discussion about inclusion and diversity in the UK screen sector and film industry.”

John Rance, CEO of Phoenix Leicester, said: “Phoenix is based in one of the UK’s most diverse cities and as such we’re delighted to be hosting this event with the University of Leicester and the BFI.

“Diversity in film and art is central to everything we do, so it’s valuable to have this opportunity to discuss how our sector can better represent the wider population. Going forward, we will continue to work closely with the BFI to address diversity issues as part of their strategy for UK film.”

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