Entertainment

BFI to launch film clubs for aspiring filmmakers from poorer backgrounds

The clubs, which will run through the spring and summer, will help youngsters aged 12-15, the BFI said.
The clubs, which will run through the spring and summer, will help youngsters aged 12-15, the BFI said. The clubs, which will run through the spring and summer, will help youngsters aged 12-15, the BFI said.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has launched a programme of clubs across England to support aspiring filmmakers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The film clubs, which will run through the spring and summer, will help youngsters aged 12-15, the BFI said.

They will include online elements as well as “traditional face-to-face learning where possible,” the organisation said.

Caroline Dinenage
Caroline Dinenage Culture minister Caroline Dinenage has backed a BFI project to support young filmmakers from disadvantaged backgrounds (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The clubs will take place in locations identified as ‘opportunity areas’ by the Department for Education due to social and economic challenges, according to the BFI.

They include clubs open to the public at sites in Blackpool, Bradford and Doncaster.

And clubs at Pupil Referral Units will be offered in places such as Derby, Ipswich and Norwich.

The majority of film clubs will take place during school holidays and at weekends, the BFI said.

The pilot programme is co-funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s youth accelerator fund and the BFI through National Lottery funding.

Caroline Dinenage, culture minister, said: “Learning about film and storytelling should be for everybody and initiatives like this one are absolutely vital to strengthen the screen skills pipeline.”

For more information, visit www.bfi.org.uk/filmclubs