BFI Film Audience Network and Young Audiences

Kirsten Geekie will present on the current support for developing young audiences in the UK and the function of the British Film Institute Film Audience Network (BFI FAN). She will expand on how as BFI FAN Young Audience Champion she supports and champions FAN member venues and festivals to engage with young audiences through one-to-one advice sessions and creating resources on curation, safeguarding and outreach for young audiences. She will also highlight her recent Case Studies on successful young audience activity going on across the UK.

As film and arts educator, Kirsten Geekie champions and supports the development of young audiences across the BFI Film Audience Network – a network of independent cinemas around the UK - by providing advice and consultancy to FAN members on curation, safeguarding, film workshops and marketing and outreach for young people. I am an experienced family, schools and young audience programmer who has curated and delivered film programmes, festivals and workshops in cinemas and schools across the UK on behalf of the BFI and film education charity Into Film. I was the lead writer for the Cinema Book for Children (Dorling Kindersley, 2014) and have a background in festival and cinema management having worked for EIFF, London Film Festival, Sheffield Doc Fest, LSFF, East End and Bertha DocHouse. In addition to my Young Audience Champion role, I am a Learning Project Manager for Bow Arts Trust, managing artist-led projects in schools.