Masterclasses
Curate-It Masterclasses
From March 2024 we are excited to bring together monthly masterclasses with some incredible industry professionals. The sessions will traverse a variety of different areas in film exhibition including film analysis through a de-colonial lens; the creative process of curatorial excavation through film research, to marketing, access measures, and most importantly reaching audiences.
The speakers will deliver 6 live sessions to participants online. These will take place monthly from March-August 2024.
This programme will be launched along with access to the Curate-It platform and the introductory package would be £189 per person and would include:
6 months access to the Curate-It.
A single one-to-one meeting with an industry professional to discuss curatorial ideas.
x6 45 minute masterclasses with industry professionals (live online).
A guide for how to use the programme.
Course overview (full programme below)
Week 1: Approaches to film curation
Week 2: Ways we view films
Week 3: Film research and selection
Week 4: Finding your audiences
Week 5: Marketing and publicity
Week 6: Access and inclusion
Week 1: Approaches to film curation
6pm (UK time), Wednesday 27 March
In this session we will explore the definition and practices of film curation through both theory and practical examples. We will discuss the idea of the singular curatorial perspective and the concept of collaborative curation, as a well as the logistics of film curation.
The session will be led by Justine Atkinson who is the Founder of Curate-It and holds a PhD in film curation.
Week 2: Ways we view films
6pm (UK time), Wednesday 10 April
Within this session we will consider how we view and value films, what influences this and what is the impact of this on curatorial selection. We will look at different approaches to film analysis through case studies.
This session will be led by Cameroonian filmmaker Jean-Marie Teno who is known as one of Africa’s most prolific filmmakers. Teno will discuss the multiple layers of his thematically and aesthetically challenging body of work, framed here as a form of decolonial cinematic resistance.
Week 3: Film research and selection
6pm (UK time), Wednesday 8 May
Searching for films is like an archaeological dig. You work through several processes to excavate the film you want, but along the way you might stumble across a new find! Within this session we will discuss the various ways you can research and find films, and the film selection process.
This session will be led by Kate Taylor (she/her), a Glasgow-based film programmer who has been working with cinemas, film festivals and art spaces since 2003. Kate’s passion is for enabling encounters between curious audiences, bold filmmakers and an eclectic range of independent cinema, and most recently she served as Programme Director of the 76th Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Week 4: Finding your audiences
6pm (UK time), Wednesday 5 June
Audiences are central to film curation, thinking about how to best contextualise a curated programme is therefore a key element of any curatorial endeavour. Sometimes audiences could be specific, however it is important that film programmes are able to cater for an intersection of audience demographics. During this session Mosa Mpetha will use examples from her own curatorial and events practise to demonstrate how to find and reach your intended audiences.
Based in Leeds, and from Liverpool & South Africa, Mosa Mpetha is a film programmer of Black, African and Archive films in a freelance capacity and in a permanent role as Creative Engagement Officer at her local heritage cinema, Hyde Park Picture House (est 1914). At Hyde Park Picture House, amongst other things, Mosa curates a new permanent strand of African films called ‘Cinema Africa!’ for African and Non-African audiences, addressing the unreasonable lack of African films being show on the big screen in the UK.
Week 5: Marketing and publicity
6pm (UK time), Wednesday 3 July
This week we will discuss marketing techniques that would work in the UK film landscape, we will look at press, niche marketing strategies, possible print opportunities, digital adverts and more. We will hear about different approaches you can take, looking at examples from other festivals and pulling together ideas.
This session will be led by Natalie Peteranna a Marketing Manager with a background in creative agencies, charity organisations and film festivals.
Week 6: Access and Inclusion
6pm (UK time), Wednesday 7 August
During this session, Charlie Little will discuss approaches to access and inclusion, with a specific focus on reaching and engaging Deaf and disabled audiences. Charlie is an Edinburgh-based access consultant working in film exhibition, who also has curatorial and film criticism experience. Charlie will draw on their own experience of working with exhibitors on implementing and improving the provision of access measures and engaging audiences with access needs.
Masterclass speakers
Justine Atkinson
Justine is the founder of Curate-It and director of Aya Films, a distribution, and media education company. In 2023 she completed a PhD on curatorial practice in film at the University of Glasgow.
Jean-Marie Teno
Jean-Marie is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker from Cameroon, whose award-winning works have screened in major festivals around the world. His dozen documentary films and feature-length fiction often examine the past to better untangle and understand the complex realities of Africa’s postcolonial present.
Mosa Mpetha
Mosa is an independent film curator, programmer and producer. She works at Hyde Park Picture House cinema (Leeds, UK) in creative engagement and programming, where she curates a permanent strand of African cinema – Cinema Africa. Mosa also supports the Leeds DIY cinema sector with Scalarama Film Festival and with Leeds Film Network.
Kate Taylor
Kate Taylor (she/her), is a Glasgow-based film programmer who has been working with cinemas, film festivals and art spaces since 2003. Kate’s passion is for enabling encounters between curious audiences, bold filmmakers and an eclectic range of independent cinema, and most recently she served as Programme Director of the 76th Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Natalie Peteranna
Natalie Peteranna is a Marketing Manager with a background in creative agencies, charity organisations and film festivals. She has worked across a number of festivals and cinemas including Glasgow Short Film Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Belmont Filmhouse and Filmhouse.
Charlie Little
Charlie Little (she/they) is an Edinburgh-based, hard-of-hearing and partially sighted access consultant working in the film exhibition sector. They advise on access and inclusion for Deaf and Disabled audiences and specialise in consulting on the provision of descriptive subtitles. They bring their lived experience of disability to their work, having first-hand knowledge of access issues within arts and culture.
