Hatice Ozdemirciler has joined the UK’s Independent Cinema Office (ICO) as head of training and professional development.

Previously, she worked for the European Union’s MEDIA Desk UK first at the UK Film Council then at the BFI.

Her most recent project was running a £2 million business support and skills project for Ravensbourne.

She took the new post in June, in a busy time for the ICO, which has been announced as the BFI’s national partner for exhibitor training for the Film Audience Network. She worked on delivering the fourth edition of the ICO’s flagship European training course, Delivering Your Film Festival, which ran in Croatia.

The ICO is currently recruiting for several training schemes funded by Creative Skillset – from strategic audience development to distribution/exhibition skills for producers – as well as starting a project on Artists Moving Image with funds from Arts Council England. More information is available here.   

Catharine Des Forges, director of the ICO, said: “training and professional development, building capacity in the exhibition sector, is at the heart of what we do at the ICO and it’s an area that needs to grow in order to deliver the huge potential that exists within the sector. We’re very happy that Hatice is joining us at such an exciting time and looking forward to developing new partnerships in the future both nationally and internationally”.