Anne-Marie Dames

Coming from a background of television production and enthusiasm for film, Bournemouth-based participant, Anne-Marie Dames took part in Beyond Boundaries 360 cohort in 2021. 

Anne-Marie successfully partnered with BEAF – Bournemouth Emerging Arts collective – to produce and curate an event targeted at harnessing the growing Polish community in the area, which she felt were underserved. 

Her ‘BOSKINO’ evening comprised of a screening of ‘The In-Laws’ (2020), with a post-screening discussion, delivered in both English and Polish, in addition to communal sharing of Polish cuisine. 

The event was a sell-out, with Anne-Marie now in conversation with other Hub member organisations to further BOSKINO in her new locale of Southampton. 

Meeting other creative people and that the weekly sessions kept my project on track. The Hub team were very helpful, inspiring, encouraging, insightful and accessible.

Gary Thompson

Gary Thompson built on his already successful series of events at The Cube to launch Inspired, a weekend-long takeover of Watershed, showcasing films by Black and POC creatives and offering a whole range of events to inspire filmmakers to find their path into the industry. The inaugural Inspired was supported by Watershed, BFI FAN, BFI NETWORK and BFI South West Academy (awarding funds from National Lottery funding) and included a sold-out premiere screening of South West backed BFI NETWORK short film Pickney with a Q&A with the writer-director Michael Jenkins and lead actor Ajani Cabey (Image ©Rickey Thompson.) 69% of overall Inspired attendees surveyed had never been to Watershed before. 80% felt they were introduced to a new type of film and 73% were inspired to watch more films like the one they have seen. 100% of surveyed audiences rated their experience of the event a very good/good. The event has since happened annually with a growing range of partners and sponsors. Cables & Cameras was also successful in securing funding for a new development programme for budding documentary filmmakers DOC2DOC from the BFI Doc Society Ripple Effect Fund, a National Lottery funded initiative that enables and empowers communities, networks and organisations to build their own inclusive vision for the independent UK documentary sector from the ground up.

“We need more representation like this!”

Lorena Pino 

Building on her previous experience working for a film distribution company in Venezuela, freelance programmer Lorena Pino started her film exhibition journey in the UK volunteering for Bath Film Festival. In 2017, she started organising one off film events in her own community at Trowbridge Townhall in Wiltshire under the banner of Getting Together Through Film using cinema to build bridges between communities and explore topics like migration and identity.   

In 2020, Lorena took part in Beyond Boundaries 360%, a BFI FAN supported skills development programme aimed at voices that are underrepresented in the sector. 

In 2021, with a larger award from the BFI FAN Film Exhibition Fund, Lorena Pino’s collaboration with Trowbridge Townhall expanded from one off community events to a more regular film programme including new independent films and rep cinema.  

With new investment from the government’s Future High Street Fund, Trowbridge’s historic Town Hall is planning to bring an even richer mixed arts programme of activities in the future to its community in collaboration with Lorena. 

This was an eye-opening experience, an invaluable networking opportunity with both fellow participants and highly qualified specialists who delivered varied workshops; sharing their professional experiences in the complex distribution and exhibition sector. One of the best parts for me was organising our own film events.

Sauda Kyalambuka

African Voices Forum (AVF)’s Sauda Kyalambuka and everyone involved in recently putting on a packed screening of Queen of Katwe at the Malcolm X Community Centre, with partners Come the Revolution, Into Film, Bristol is the New Black and Watershed.

This was an uplifting get together to watch the beautifully shot, true story of a young Phiona’s struggle to escape the poverty of Kampala’s Katwe district using her talent for Chess. It’s a classic Disney film tinged with surprising realism, and with free popcorn and the opportunity to suggest ideas for future screenings and the potential for a new film club in St. Pauls, this was a great community event.