Film Hub NI Podcast

Finding audiences for independent film is a process that has many midwives. With the rise and rise of Irish and Northern Irish production, and audiences becoming more diverse and disparate, including audiences in the development process is becoming more and more important.    We were therefore delighted to grab a chat with 'Audience Design with Síle Culley', a Dublin based consultancy he...

We caught up with Maeve Cooke, Director and Stephen McNeice, Special Projects Officer from the mighty Access Cinema to talk about the independent cinema scene in Ireland and how their work develops and supports exhibitors across the island.    We talked about how Access Cinema was established in 1977, how independent cinema has developed and how they bring the wide world of cinema to all arts and...

Hugh (on his own this time) headed up the road to Derry/Londonderry to speak with Eavan King, Film Programmes Manager at Nerve Centre and Christopher Morrison, Programmer of Foyle Film Festival. We talked about the cinema heritage of the Nerve Centre, the creation of Foyle Film Festival in 1987 and the place of film in the creative landscape of the North West.    Today, 10th April 2024, marks the...

With the Academy Awards over, we thought we would release this recording of NI's own Oscar recipients, Tom Berkeley and Ross White, which we made last year as part of Northern Ireland Screen's Masterclass series. In the famous Screen 1 of Queen's Film Theatre, Ross and Tom were generous with their time and shared experiences of festivals, networks, early influences and plans for the...

Sara and Hugh are joined by Isabella Koban of Ghouls on Film the Belfast based, feminist horror film society screening at the Black Box. In a fascinating discussion, Isabella told us about finding escape in cinema in her teeenage years, why she loves programming the horror genre and the community that has grown up around Ghouls on Film since their foundation in 2021. We also got an early update on...

With the Imagine Festival currently screening films that highlight the role of censorship in what and how we watch, we were delighted to invite Dr Sian Barber, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, to join Sara and Hugh in discussing the issue of film censorship and the impact of censorship on the modern film world. We discussed a range of areas, including the recent contr...

In this special episode, Film Hub NI are joined by Joan Parsons, Head of QFT and Mimi Turtle, CEO of Strand Arts Centre to discuss the huge impact of Kenneth Branagh's Belfast on local cinema and local audiences.  We're also joined by LUMI film critic Fionntán Macdonald, to talk about his recent series of blogs on Belfast films. Fionntán has taken a wide range of films, from Odd Man Out...

After too long a break, Sara and Hugh return with a new series of podcasts celebrating the return of Film Hub NI members, doing what they do best, showing great films. First up we're joined from Belfast Film Festival by Michele Devlin, Director and Stephen Hackett, Head of Programming, to talk about the forthcoming in real life return of the Festival. Covering such topics as the premiere of S...

Before COVID-19, UK & Ireland cinema admissions were booming - increasing year on year, with Northern Ireland performing particularly well. Shutting the entire film sector down practically overnight has had a massive impact on every aspect, from production right through to exhibition. Many cinema operators moved to explore online players, distributors moved to show films online – missing out t...

The art of programming film for real life screenings is one which takes much time to learn but how does this transpose into programming online? How have distributors responded during the pandemic? What sort of engagement can cinemas expect? What sort of content do audiences want from this type of platform? Is hybrid delivery the future of cinemas and festivals? Join Hugh and Sara as they try to an...

Ensuring that your in-venue screenings are as accessible to the widest audience possible is a key consideration for most cinemas and community cinemas. As the shift to online viewing has increased substantially during the pandemic, how do exhibitors ensure that these type of screenings are available to as many people as possible? While there are some clear opportunities in terms of reaching audien...

You’ve chosen the platform, you’ve booked the films now how do you reach audiences to tell them? For this podcast Hugh and Sara take a deep dive into audience development and marketing for online work. Joined by Ellen Reay (QFT) and Jo Taylor-Hitchinson (Birds Eye View and freelance consultant), this podcast covers how to keep connected with your audience while screens are dark, what challenges ve...

It is difficult enough to measure the impact of screenings and evaluate audiences in real life, so trying to do this in an online world is even more tricky. For this podcast Hugh and Sara are joined by two experts in evaluation to break it all down into manageable and simple terms. From the perspective of the Film Audience Network, Andy Rae (Film Hub Midlands) and on a wider basis, Andi Jarvis (ex...

If your organisation has been moved to screening online and engaging audiences in this way, what happens next as we move out the pandemic?  As cinemas and venues start to reopen, it is important not to lose the connections made and the experiences gained while working in the online space. Hugh and Sara are joined on this podcast by Andi Jarvis (eximo marketing) to look to future and discuss the ‘e...

There are a variety of new and established online screening platforms available to film exhibitors of all sizes. Choosing the right one for your organisation can be a tricky decision as all have different pricing structures, functions and analytics. Hugh and Sara are joined by Hub members Christopher Morrison (Nerve Centre) and Jim McClean (Banterflix) to discuss their practical experience of usin...

Sara and Hugh talk to Dr Sam Manning about his new book Cinemas and Cinema-Going in the United Kingdom. Decades of Decline, 1945-65 , published in March by the University of London Press. The book analyses in detail the decline of cinema from its post war height to the new realities brought on by social and demographic change. Focusing on Belfast and Sheffield, it's an expert guide that sees...

This week, Sara and Hugh of Film Hub NI speak to Andi Jarvis of Eximo Marketing live from his Bangor hideaway, about how Film Hub NI members can engage and communicate with audiences during this period of shutdown. We explore how social media helps, how to survey audiences, and how to build trust when reopening begins. Find out more about Andi and the work of Eximo Marketing here https://eximomark...

Sara and Hugh talk to Mick Bonner and Rose Baker of Moving on Music about the film programme in their forthcoming jazz and new music festival beginning on the 27th February 2020. We talked about jazz on film, how to track down rare films, and how audiences find excitement in being challenged. Featuring Shirley Clarke's 1961 classic, The Connection , and a documentary on the South African Quee...

Hark do you hear the sleigh bells?  Sara and Hugh take a whistle stop tour of the Christmas offerings from across the Film Hub NI membership, and avoid the topic of whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie.  Happy holidays, one and all!  Support the show Supported by National Lottery funds, Film Hub NI was established in 2013 by Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast in their capacity as NI’s BFI Film Hub Lea...

Sara and Hugh speak to Dominic from Ormeau Community Cinema, Maureen from Ballyclare Picture House Community Cinema and Ellen Reay, Marketing Officer at the Queen's Film Theatre about their activity on the forthcoming Cinema Day 2019.  We also go through each of the 32 screenings taking place across Northern Ireland on the 26th August - a mammoth expression of the diversity and creativity of...

As part of Docs Ireland we were delighted to sit down with Shane Smith, Director of Programming at Hot Docs, North America’s largest Festival and Market for documentary film. The event took place at the Ulster Museum, in front of an audience of doc lovers, doc screeners and doc makers, and touches on the dark arts of making a huge documentary festival come alive, how Shane got started in the indus...

Ahead of the gala screening of their new film,'A Bump Along the Way' at the Belfast Film Festival, Sara and Hugh from Film Hub NI talk to Louise and Bronagh Gallagher. We talk about being a women in the film industry, how a Northern Irish film gets made and the type of biscuits they ate on set.  Support the show Supported by National Lottery funds, Film Hub NI was established in 2013 by...

Sara and Hugh are joined by Michele Devlin of Belfast Film Festival to hear about the upcoming 19th Festival starting on 11th April. Titles such as 'Beats' and 'A Bump on the Way' which are opening and closing the Festival and the great guests that are coming such as Robert Carlyle and Amir Khan.  Also featuring the legendary 'Sara's Round Up'.  Support the show...

Sara and Hugh are joined by, Ruth McCarthy Artistic Director of Outburst Queer Arts Festival and Jim McClean Editor-in-Chief of the BanterFlix movie review website, to discuss the Berlin Film Festival, Netflix, currywurst sausage and much, much more.  We also have Sara's famous round-up of independent cinema screenings coming up.  Support the show Supported by National Lottery funds, Film Hub...

We're joined on this month's podcast by Michael Delaney, Audience Development Assistant at QFT to discuss their Christmas offerings, and argue about Die Hard and It's a Wonderful Life, think about egg nog and round up the Christmas films showing at FHNI members.  Support the show Supported by National Lottery funds, Film Hub NI was established in 2013 by Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfas...