£33.5m BFI Pledge supports audience development at Showroom Cinema and Film Hub North

On Wednesday the BFI announced the first details of £33.5m pledged to Audiences over the next three years in the BFI National Lottery Funding Plan 2026-2029, representing a 20% increase from 2023-2026, to support the UK exhibition and distribution sectors.

All 10 strategic partners managing BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) activity UK-wide have been renewed – including Film Hub North at Showroom Cinema in Sheffield and HOME in Manchester – and will collectively receive £10.8m over the next three years to deliver audience-facing work, representing a 9% increase on the previous three-year period from 2023-2026.

Over that period, FAN has funded over 1,000 audience-facing projects in over 1,500 locations across the UK. Film Hub North activity has included the Cine North initiative which provides access to screen culture in 35 villages across Northern England.

Each BFI FAN Hub will continue to deliver the SPOTLIGHT programme in newly identified areas across the UK, boosting audience choice and improving access to independent film where there is currently very limited public access to film screenings. Film Hub North’s SPOTLIGHT areas for 2026-2029 are Hull (in partnership with Hull Independent Cinema), plus Blackburn with Darwen, Rochdale and Oldham.

This hyper-local approach to audience development creates new opportunities for communities to enjoy access to screen culture where previously there was little or none. The programme has facilitated the development of several new community cinemas, supported the launch of new festivals, with the intention to provide a future legacy for audiences.

In addition to delivering SPOTLIGHT, FAN will continue to invest in local exhibitors and deliver professional development opportunities to its members. Over £3.3m of National Lottery funding has been ring-fenced over three years for Hubs to support a wide range of audience-facing exhibition activity across the UK: Film Hub North’s Film Exhibition Fund and Pitch Pots are currently open for proposals.

Victoria Firth, CEO of Showroom Work Station, said: "This renewed investment from the BFI is fantastic news for filmmaking and film viewing across the North of England, and a recognition of the valued work of the Hub over the past three years.

“As a lead organisation for Film Hub North, we're proud to support a project that's making such a difference to both independent filmmakers and to film exhibition, particularly for communities who might not otherwise have access to such bold and diverse programmes. This funding means we can continue and develop our activity, at Showroom and across the region, and we're excited about what talent the next three years will bring."