Organising a Screening

The shared experience of watching film can be wonderfully rewarding, whether at a one-off event, a festival, or a regular series of screenings. If you are planning to organise a screening, however, you will need to consider not only what film you wish to show and where, but also to what type of audience and in what format. Here are some basic guidelines to help you get started.

Types of screening

Screening a film to a public, paying audience is considered a "theatrical" screening. To show a film in this context, you will usually need to book the film from its theatrical distributor. Your venue will need to have the necessary local authority licensing to hold such an event. You will also need to make sure that your audience is of the appropriate age for the film's BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) certificate - classification details can be checked on the BBFC's website - www.bbfc.org.uk.

Screening a film to a closed membership group (such as a film society or an educational group) without charging an admission fee on the door is considered a "non-theatrical" screening. To show a film in this context, you will need to book the film from its non-theatrical distributor, who will often differ from its theatrical distributor. The majority of feature films that are available non-theatrically in Britain are handled by either Filmbank Distributors or the BFI (further details below). Again, you should check with your venue that all appropriate local authority licenses are held where necessary.

Film formats and equipment

Cinemas and screening rooms should be able to show films in a range of formats, from 35mm film (traditionally the standard format used for cinema screenings) to 16mm, digital or DVD/video. If you are using a venue that does not have dedicated projection facilities, you may need to hire or buy projection equipment for your screening. DVD and digital are becoming increasingly common formats for projection, and the majority of non-theatrical screenings now take place using DVD rather than film.

Booking a film

If you are planning to hire a cinema or screening room, the venue might be able to assist with the booking of a film. If not, you may need to book the film yourself from its distributor. Some film societies and venues otherwise use the services of a booking agency to handle a programme of bookings on their behalf.

If you are seeking to identify the distributor for a particular film, BFI Information Services can often help. Current contact details for film distributors in Britain can be found in our Researchers' Guide directory.

For non-theatrical screenings, Filmbank represents many of the major film studios and distributors, whilst the BFI focuses mainly on specialised cinema (often classic, "arthouse" or foreign language films). To find out about films available from the BFI - both theatrically and non-theatrically - contact our Film Bookings office. A flavour of the many films available from the BFI can be browsed in themed online catalogues.

It should be noted that in addition to the hire fee for screening the film, there is likely to be a charge for transporting the film between the distributor and the venue.

We hope this advice proves useful. Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with Information Services.

Further sources

Filmbank Distributors - www.filmbank.co.uk

represent many of the major film studios for non-theatrical screening, also offering a "commercial licence" for non-cinema screening to a paying audience.

British Federation of Film Societies - www.bffs.org.uk

for advice if you are planning regular screenings and are considering setting up a film society.

Independent Cinema Office - www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk

develop and support independent film exhibition in Britain.

UK Film Council - www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk

take the lead on national distribution and exhibition policy issues and the Digital Screen Network programme to equip venues with digital projection facilities.

Regional Screen Agencies

source of local advice and support. See our Researchers' Guide directory to identify your regional or national screen agency.

MPLC (Motion Picture Licensing Company) - www.mplcuk.com

provide an "umbrella licence" for organisations looking to screen home DVD/videos to an audience.