Spotlight: Create Studios, Swindon

As part of the new BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) wide initiative Spotlight, Film Hubs were invited to make a strategic intervention in parts of the region that currently have little cultural cinema infrastructure. Swindon’s Create Studios was awarded a £147,000 over 3-years to lead Spotlight in Swindon, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire to nurture partnerships and grow the opportunities for people to access film screenings. The focus has been on nurturing partnerships and capacity building, along with facilitating the direct delivery of public screenings and events with local organisations and festivals. The ambition is for this intervention to make a tangible difference and that after this period there will be a sustainable plan in place for ongoing screening activity in an area that is currently underserved. Highlights in 2023-24 included the launch of Create Studios’ Sofa Screenings, a new Reel25 Young Programming scheme (involving 15 participants) and a taster session for organisations and individuals wanting to put on film screenings. Create Studios' Sofa Screenings have currently had over 30 individual events including The Old Oak with an Q&A with Rebecca O’Brien. In addition, they collaborated with Stroud Film Festival to put on screenings in Gloucester’s food banks, which saw 228 people attend.

Other events that Create Studios have hosted include the following film festivals:

Festival of Tomorrow: screened Moon with Astronaut in reserve Meganne Christian
Old Town Festival: screened Baby Driver in a church
Swindon Literature Festival: Paterson
Swindon Pride: Priscilla – Queen of the Desert
Signal Youth Festival: Ferris Bueller screening and film directing workshop
Swindon Film Festival: selection including Ed Wood

Other community projects with local partners have included:

The Parade Swindon- Project using mixed media for young people with autism
The Palestine Solidarity group- Major screening & Intro
The Harbour Project – screening of Elemental for refugees and asylum seekers
Heritage Open Day- screening Men on the Mend, Fire & Steel- local filmmaker intro and discussion

The REEL25 Young Film Programmers’ Group at Create Studios has been very popular for 18-25 year olds who are passionate about film or who are studying or have stuided film or a related subject.

REEL25 highlights include:

Ladybird screening: Prom themed event
Horror season with intros and Q&As

A brilliant opportunity to gain hands on experience of film programming and independently develop skills around exhibition and events. As well as learning Reel25 is a great environment to explore your love of film with other young people.

Eve, REEL25 member

If you are based in Swindon, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire and are interested in putting on film events or are a film exhibition space or festival looking for support to expand on your current public film offer, reach out to Spotlight Project lead Louise Norbury to explore possibilities – email: Louise@createstudios.org.uk

Based at Create Studios in Swindon and working closely with the Film Hub South West team, the main purpose of this role is to build relationships with existing and emerging festivals, cinemas and community organisations and to nurture youth-led programming to develop and deliver cinema screenings in the area.