By taking part in the BFI Film Academy Film Programming Specialist Course 2025, you will:

• Explore all aspects of film exhibition whilst working alongside well-known industry professionals.
• Gain a real insight into the exciting world of cinema, providing you with skills and experience that are essential to becoming part of our future film industry.
• Watch a range of cinema and work with well-known film critics, festivals, film makers and those working within the industry such as BIFA, Altitude Films, Sheffield DocFest and more.
• Work in teams to build your dream film festival over the week-long programme. All teams will have the opportunity to programme their own films as part of an in-person festival at Showroom Cinema in Sheffield.
• Become part of the BFI Film Academy alumni network and access exclusive opportunities, advice and professional development after the course has finished.

To apply for the BFI Film Academy Film Programming Specialist Course 2025 - 2026 you must:

• Be 16 - 19 years old on the first day of the course (28 July 2025).
• Have an interest in the film industry.
• Be able to commit to the duration of the course.
• Not be at university or enrolled in university when the course starts.

Complete one of these two forms to apply. Deadline for applications: midday, Monday 30 June 2025.

Plain text version of the application form.

Online version of the application form.

The course takes place between 28 July 2025 and February 2026 on the following dates.
In person events will take place at Showroom Cinema, Sheffield, S1 2BX.

• Monday 28 July – Sunday 3 August – In-person Residential Course including workshops, talks and discussions to start preparing your film festival.

• Saturday 16 August, 10am – 3pm – Online Masterclasses and Film Screenings.

• February 2026 – In-person, Weeklong Film Festival, dates TBC.
  

The course is completely free to attend and includes:

• Tutorage and discussions with industry professionals.

• Accommodation in Sheffield city centre within walking distance from the cinema.

• Three meals per day.

Additional financial support is available to cover other costs if necessary.

Email [email protected] for more information or to organise an informal chat on how we can support you to attend this course.

We will do our best to support any access requirements to remove barriers that may stop you attending this course.

Email [email protected] for more information or to organise an informal chat on how we can support you to attend.

Meet the speakers who will deliver discussions and workshops in the Residential Course from 28 July – 3 August! We will announce more speakers over the coming months.

Charlie Little, Access & Inclusion Consultant, Reclaim The Frame

Charlie (she/they) is a deafblind access consultant working in film exhibition. Based in Edinburgh, Charlie is an in-house consultant at Matchbox Cine, where she advises cinemas, festivals, and other film organisations on access and inclusion for Deaf and disabled audiences.

Charlie works as Access & Inclusion Consultant for Reclaim The Frame, working with the charity in an advisory capacity towards their mission towards gender equity in all film spaces.

Hanna Ines Flint

Hanna is a London-based film critic, writer and author who has written for Empire, the Guardian, Financial Times, Independent, Total Film, Sight & Sound, Town & Country, Mashable, IGN, BBC, CBC, The New Arab and Elle. Her debut book Strong Female Character: What Movies Teach Us is a memoir that grapples with the intersection of cinema and identity. It was released to acclaim in 2022, and re-released in 2024.

Justine Atkinson, Curate-It

Justine Atkinson is the founder and director of Aya Films, a distribution and media education company. She has recently worked on the creation of an app – Curate-It – which is a platform for learning about film curation. Curate-It has been used by Edinburgh International Film Festival, Dublin International Film Festival and the University of Glasgow. In 2023 she completed a PhD on curatorial practice in film at the University of Glasgow.Curate-It is a course that provides participants with all they need to know to implement their own screening event. The course makes knowledge about film curation easily accessible within a digital space and consists of an eight-step programme to teach participants about film theory, film curation and the practical and logistical elements needed to create film events. The eight steps – Watch-it, Analyse-it, Curate-it, Finance-it, Market-it, Execute-it, Evaluate-it and Screen-it – consist of written information, activities, tailored reading lists, videos featuring film experts sharing their knowledge, and the ability to show films on a public facing VoD platform.

Melanie Iredale, Director, Reclaim The Frame

Melanie Iredale (she/her) is a film exhibitor, audience development strategist and cine-activist. In 2021, she took up post as Director of Reclaim The Frame, the charity behind the UK’s campaign for gender equity in cinema, known formerly as Birds’ Eye View Film Festival. Now in its 20th year, through film campaigns, training programmes and data-based advocacy, the organisation seeks to build community for filmmakers of all marginalised genders and their work, with a mission to promote equity in all film spaces.

Prior to this, Melanie was Deputy Director at Sheffield DocFest 2014-2021, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals and marketplaces, and served as Director of Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival 2009-2014, renowned for its award-winning commissions.

Melanie is invited to speak regularly on EDI in the sector, has served on dozens of juries globally, including the Teddy Awards at Berlinale, and is a BAFTA member

Micallar Walker-Smith, Dark Matter

Micallar is a marketing consultant with expertise delivering impactful campaigns in the UK, Middle East and North Africa.

Formerly Head of Marketing for Front Row Filmed Entertainment, and Head of Events for Picturehouse Cinemas prior to that, she brings over 20 years of experience to inform marketing strategies and campaigns.

In 2021, Micallar founded inclusive marketing agency Dark Matter to connect Black audiences with culture and the arts.

Mikaela Smith

Mikaela Smith joined the Independent Cinema Office as a Film Programmer in 2022. Previously, she took the role of Programme Manager at Showroom Cinema in Sheffield in 2020, guiding the cinema through recovery and rebuilding audiences. Mikaela was at the Showroom for five years, taking on various roles in Programming and Audience Development. She originally joined the organisation through the ICO’s FEDS scheme in 2017. She has been working across film programming, audience development and in cultural events since graduating from university in 2014.Mita Suri, Sheffield DocFest

With a background in community cinema exhibition, Mita Suri started working at DocFest as a volunteer, then supported the DocCircuit tour as a Distribution Trainee, moving on to be the Film Programme Coordinator and now the Film Programme Producer, supervising the delivery of the Film Programme for the festival. She is primarily responsible for the external contacts including filmmakers, national film institutes and distributors, managing the submissions processing and coordinating Doc/Fest's year-round activity outside of the festival. Mita's previous work experience has been in health services' management, youth leadership initiatives and as support teaching staff in schools within the UK and abroad. Mita is a programmer for the Northern Focus film strand.

Mosa Mpetha

Mosa is an independent film curator, programmer and producer with a variety of projects and outputs. She works at Hyde Park Picture House cinema (Leeds, UK) in creative engagement and programming, plus she curates a permanent strand of African cinema - Cinema Africa. She also does freelance film curation and programming, and runs pop up film screenings in different film clubs. Mosa supports the Leeds DIY cinema sector with Scalarama Film Festival and with Leeds Film Network, and is also particularly interested in international archive films.

Yi Wang, Queer East

Yi Wang is the founder, director, and programmer of Queer East, a festival dedicated to showcasing boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities. In addition to his work with Queer East, Yi is a cultural and creative producer in the performing arts, with a primary focus on marginalised voices and intercultural productions.

Yi has served as a jury member for several festivals, including the Iris Prize, MIX Copenhagen, Taiwan Women Make Waves Film Festival, and Taiwan International Queer Film Festival, and has delivered lectures, talks, and panels about festival programming, management and queer Asian cinema for various institutions. He is the co-founder of the Association of Curators and Programmers of Asian Cinemas.

Click here to read a blog post from Showroom's Young Audiences Programmer Isobel Harrop, about the 2024 Festival.

Jagraj, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2024 - 2025:

My experience at the BFI Film Academy Residential was truly transformative. The tutors, Nora, Sam, Lucy, and Daren, were fantastic—so friendly and supportive, always going the extra mile to explain things and ensure we were fully immersed in the learning. The industry speakers were incredibly insightful, not just sharing knowledge but also guiding us through hands-on activities where we could immediately apply what we learned. This interactive approach built my confidence and gave me the tools to take my skills to the next level. Overall, the Residential exceeded my expectations and has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I’m leaving the program feeling more inspired and equipped to continue my journey in filmmaking.

João,BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2024 - 2025:

I had the time of my life on this course, truly. Being surrounded by people who are all there for one purpose and all passionate about the same thing. Getting to interact with industry executives, it was just amazing.

Ruby, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2024 - 2025:

I very much have just adored programming. This process has been my first proper foray into it. I'm now at uni and I’ve now started a new weekly cinema club off the back of starting the BFI programme over the summer.

Danial, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2024 - 2025:

Quite frankly it’s built me up in character, I’m sure built my team up in character. And that’s obviously all thanks to the tutors, the people who have organised this and the people who have supported us throughout this. It’s truly an exhibition in interdependence: how we can all come together and make everyone’s lives better, how we can work on something greater and have something to be proud of at the end of it.

Amelia T, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2023 - 2024:

I live locally in Sheffield so I knew what a massive community cinema Showroom is and how wonderful it is. It was my film teacher who said ‘you know they do film courses?’ and I said ‘no way! Up north? Nothing goes on here.’ But of course, I was entirely wrong about that.

Lily, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2023 - 2024

Attending the BFI Film Academy Specialist Course was a great experience for a multitude of different reasons! Being from North Devon and with no connections into the industry, I doubted my ability to ever pursue a career in film and TV. This course offered me the opportunity to visit a new city; attend masterclasses with industry professionals; explore new cinema (independent and short films); meet and network with talented young creators; and collaborate to programme our own film festival. This course offers an insight into an essential side of the industry, making me a stronger filmmaker.

From this course, I have been able to keep in contact with other aspiring filmmakers and hear about upcoming opportunities through the BFI Film Academy alumni newsletter. Since concluding the residential I have been working as Production Management Apprentice at BBC Studios, worked on Eurovision (2023) and worked on short films (including NFTS productions).

Harry, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2022 - 2023:

What I enjoyed about the course was meeting like-minded people with a keen interest in film and having a project over the coming months putting together an event that we could be proud of when the time came. It also gave me an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone by helping present the screening in front of a large audience. Furthermore, it taught me key skills in putting together an event and led to further opportunities like being a part of the Showroom Young Programmers which I thoroughly enjoy where I put on more screenings and contribute to the blog. So, all in all, I would highly recommend taking this chance.

You can read the blog post I wrote about the Young Programmers festival put on by students of the Residential here.

Anjola, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2022 - 2023:

The programming course and residential stay was an amazing opportunity. I had never travelled outside of London and was worried about travelling to Sheffield alone and staying with people I had never met before. As soon as I stepped foot in Sheffield I learnt that I had nothing to worry about! Everyone was so friendly and willing to talk that you would think you had been friends for a long time!

The course enabled me to get out of my comfort zone, meet new people and gain invaluable film knowledge. I enjoyed the accommodation and amazing food whilst also spending time with everyone on the course. I am currently studying A levels in essay based subjects. I have been accepted onto a 30 month university level film course with Ghetto Film School London which I am very excited to start this summer!

The programming course gave me extensive film knowledge that I will be able to apply in the future but also invaluable life experience by meeting new people from different backgrounds and developing independence. It was amazing to see the hard-work we had done in summer come to life in each festival. I would definitely recommend this course and encourage students to apply and not be put off by cost (there are bursaries) or how much experience they already have!

Holly, BFI Film Academy Programmer, 2022 - 2023:

The BFI Film Academy has been one of my most treasured experiences and I’m incredibly thankful for everything it has taught me and all of the people I have met because of it. I have learnt so much about working with new and bigger groups of people, entering the industry and it has really changed my perspective of the path I want to take with my career. It has been so much fun and such a rich, fulfilling learning experience that I will carry with me into my future. I am incredibly proud of everyone on the course for working so hard.