If you have watched a classic film at a community cinema, enjoyed a first look at a new international film at a local film festival or watched a new release at a multiscreen independent cinema, there is a strong chance each of these film exhibitors is a BFI FAN member.
BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is marking three years of growth with the publication of Reflections, a review covering its activity through to 2026, as a new funding cycle backed by National Lottery Good Cause funding begins and runs to March 2029.
The review lands as UK exhibitors gather at the independent Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle for BFI FAN CON, which is taking place from September 7-9.
BFI FAN’s 2,100-plus members span the UK, and include cinemas of every size, alongside film festivals, multi-arts venues, community screens, collectives and film archives. The network has generated more than 1.65 million admissions at over 53,000 screenings, and supported over 1,200 projects nationwide, from Scotland and Northern Ireland to Wales and England.
That grassroots connection to local communities is what sets BFI FAN apart: members respond to local interests and help ensure people across the UK have fair access to a broad range of film experiences.
The network’s core priorities include widening the range of films available to UK audiences, increasing opportunities for children and young people to engage with film, breaking down barriers to access, building professional skills across the exhibition sector, and improving environmental sustainability.
Membership is free for any organisation that regularly screens films to its community. The network is led by eight Film Hubs, one in each nation and region of the UK. Each Hub is run by an organisation with deep experience in film exhibition, supporting other FAN members in its region and ensuring National Lottery funding is allocated according to local needs and on-the-ground expertise.
Among the Reflections case studies is Cellb, a venue in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales. Despite its beautiful setting in Snowdonia National Park and a strong Welsh-speaking community, the town faces significant youth unemployment and deprivation.
At Cellb, young people shape and deliver every aspect of the venue’s programme, a model built around ownership, responsibility and community pride. Young Programmers aged 12 and up help select films and lead a regular youth screening strand.
Another case study centres on one of BFI FAN’s Spotlight initiatives – a programme that takes a hyper-local approach to building screenings in one area identified as having little or no regular provision within each region covered by the eight Film Hubs.
In the Scottish Highlands, the Spotlight project focused on building capacity for community cinemas, establishing a peer network of exhibitors, and increasing independent film screenings.
Over three years, several supported organisations launched their own cinemas or started screening activity from scratch. The project culminated in February 2026 with the inaugural Elgin Film Festival, and its network lives on as the Highlands Screen Network, now coordinated by the Cromarty Cinema.
For its second edition (the first was in 2024), BFI FAN CON is providing independent exhibitors a platform to share practical approaches to audience growth, access, inclusion, sustainability and new business models.
This year’s conference adds an international flavour, with European exhibitors joining panel discussions alongside case studies and insight from operators across the UK. Speakers include Julian Ross, head of film programming at Eye Filmmuseum Amsterdam and a former International Film Festival Rotterdam programmer; Joanna Stankiewicz of ZAMEK Cultural Centre, Poland; and Barbora Tóthová of Caring Cinema/Kino Usmev, Slovakia.
Sergio Chavez of Tynset Kommune, Norway, and Samir Azrioual of Cineville, Netherlands, will present international case studies that show new models for attracting audiences and incorporating data-driven approaches.
“BFI FAN is powered by a truly UK-wide collaboration of partners,” says Ben Luxford, BFI director of UK-wide audiences. “The work it delivers within communities across the UK is vital to giving people opportunities to see and enjoy the broadest possible range of cinema wherever they live.”
“Independent cinemas and screening venues are highly valued by local audiences, often being the only cultural venue within their area,” he adds. “Allocating BFI National Lottery Good Cause funding, eight BFI FAN Hubs in each of our regions and nations empower local venues and groups to deliver exciting and inspiring film programming, benefiting communities and promoting inclusivity and accessibility for all.”
Contact: BFI Film Audience Network
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