Film Society of the Year Awards and National Conference - speakers announced
22-23 SEPTEMBER 2012, INSTITUT FRANÇAIS, KENSINGTON, LONDON
Amanda Nevill, Chief Executive of the BFI will announce the winners of this year’s Film Society of the Year Awards at a very special ceremony on the late afternoon of 22 September. The awards, now in their 43rd year, are organised by the British Federation of Film Societies (BFFS) and celebrate the hard work and achievements of community cinema volunteers throughout the past year. The awards are the highlight of the National Conference for Community Cinemas, which takes place throughout the weekend of 22-23 September at the Institut Français, London.
Kicking off the National Conference on Saturday morning with a fascinating key note speech will be David Cooke, Director of the BBFC. David will be talking about the highs and lows of the often challenging, but important work the BBFC does and how classification has changed over the past 100 years.
The Awards and Conference are part of the National Conference weekend – a two day event bringing community cinemas from across the UK together to enjoy a wide range of activities including panel sessions, film screenings and networking opportunities. The theme of this year’s conference in innovation, inspired by the words of Mark Cousins at the BFFS Student Cinema Conference earlier this year:
‘It’s not so much the content but the form.... It’s the experience itself rather than simply what you show. If you can re-enchant your audience.... then you have something special.’< /i>
Amanda Nevill said: ‘I have total admiration for the volunteers who are helping to keep cinema alive in communities up and down the UK, something that we at the BFI feel passionately about. It’s important that we recognise and celebrate these achievements so I’m delighted to be presenting these awards’
David Cooke said, ‘I’m very pleased to be participating in this important conference. I love film, and film societies have helped me to think about it in a way which broadens and enriches the context of the BBFC's work. We are celebrating the BBFC's centenary this year, and I look forward to discussing both how we can make ourselves useful in the Internet era, and what we can learn from the BBFC's sometimes controversial and often fascinating past.’
BFFS Managing Director, Deborah Parker, said: ‘We’re thrilled that Amanda can join us in rewarding and celebrating the incredibly creative and inspiring work that community exhibitors have been doing this year. And we are equally delighted that David will be giving this year’s key note speech in this celebration year for BBFC; I’m sure he has many remarkable tales to share with us about the history of certification.
The BFFS National Conference is the only national event dedicated to the needs and interests of film societies and not-for-profit community cinemas. It is the annual opportunity for the community cinema sector to get together, share ideas and celebrate the wonderful world of community exhibition.
The National Conference 2012 is sponsored by non-theatrical distributors Filmbank. The Film Society of the Year Awards is sponsored by independent copyright licensing agency Motion Picture Licensing Company (MPLC). Additional sponsors include AVCOM, Sheffield Hallam University and WRS Insurance. Event supporters include the BFI and Institut Français.
To find out more, or to book a place, go to: http://bffs.org.uk/newsandevents/news/National_conference_2012.html
