Guides for dismantling structural inequality in your cinema and preventing bullying and harassment

Full details of the principles and guidance for tackling and preventing bullying and harassment in the screen industries commissioned by the BFI and supported by organisations across the UK.

Emma Watson discusses the new anti-bullying and harassment principles

A new set of principles and zero-tolerance guidance were developed with organisations across the film, television and games industries in response to urgent and systemic issues.

 

The guidance was developed by the BFI in partnership with BAFTA and in consultation with organisations including guilds, unions, industry member bodies and key agencies as well as employees and freelancers across all roles.

 

  • Principles

    A set of principles to tackle and prevent bullying and harassment in the screen industries.

  • Guidance

    A practical workplace guide for the prevention of bullying and harassment in the screen industries.

Download easy-to-print PDF versions of the principles and guidelines at the bottom of this page.

Dignity at work policy

This is a template policy for companies, productions and festivals to complement the Guidance and Principles to tackle workplace bullying and harassment.

FAN Guide to Safeguarding for Film Exhibitors

The BFI FAN Audience Network have created a guide to safeguarding for film exhibitors. This includes definitions, tips for working with both children and adults, how to create code of conduct policies and much more information on how to create a safer environment as a film exhibitor.

This is a live document compiled by Moira McVean, FAN Young Audiences Manager.

The Film and TV Charity

The Film and TV Charity launched services in 2020 to support workers who have experienced or witnessed bullying. Working with specialists from the mental health services and the film sector to create specific support. All services are free and anonymous.

  • Spot helps you to register experience and organise your thoughts. It belongs only to the person who created the record and is 100% anonymous
  • Bulling Pathway Advisors are fully dedicated to providing specialist guidance, and helping to take the next step that is right for you
  • Anti-Bullying Directory holds a wealth of industry resources and helpful organisations

Find more on their site here

Respectful Workplaces in the Arts

Respectful Workplaces in the Arts is a national Canadian campaign to build a sector-wide culture of fairness, dignity and respect. They have some great online resources together to shape safe and healthy work environments, free from all forms of harassment.

Online Abuse

  • A Toolkit for the Cultural Sector has been put together by The Space, a pragmatic guide shaped by conversations with a steering committee of artists and arts sector professionals. Read it here
  • How to Create a Safe Space on Social Media is a great article by Everyday Feminism on how we can make social media inclusive of a wide range of needs. Read it here
  • An example of a good safe space policy can be found on Cinema For All’s website here

This toolkit by Sadia Pineda Hameed is, foremostly, a practical guide for improving the experiences of POC (people of colour) audiences, staff and filmmakers – and other intersections including gender, sexuality, disability, income and class.

Whilst the harm and discrimination POC face in the arts both as workers and audiences is firmly rooted within institutional and systemic injustice, preventing immediate harm is the key priority – and that begins with immediate, though not as radical, reform.

This goes beyond representation, and towards creating a space built for all people rather than for primarily white audiences. Whether your cinema is in a rural part of the UK, or in a densely populated city, ethnically diverse audiences are there and it is your cinema’s role to serve them.

Read here

 

Learn more by watching the essential conversation below from This Way Up 2020, about the practicalities of systemic change. Sadia Pineda Hameed (she/her) discusses the consultation and development period during the writing of her work, Dismantling Structural Inequalities in Your Cinema, Sadia will address how ‘guides, toolkits and consultations’ must be treated as forms of accountability, as opposed to band-aids!

CCA Glasgow’s Alex Misick speaks about their approaches to partnering with ethnically diverse organisations, and how they are working towards a culture shift. This session is chaired by Tara Brown (they/she), Co-Director of Wotever DIY Film Festival, Fringe! Queer film & arts festival programmer and most recently Film Programmer for Bernie Grant Art Centre.

  • Guidance: A practical workplace guide for the prevention of bullying, harassment and racism in the screen industries (BFI) Download
  • Set of principles: to tackle and prevent bullying, harassment and racism in the screen industries (BFI) Download
  • Dignity at work policy (BFI) Download
  • Prevention of bullying, harassment and racism guidance – action list for the film and television industries (BFI) Download

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