How do you break into an industry when you’re not a part of the demographic that is primed for success? How do you get work experience in a field that only has about 20 opportunities available compared to the hundreds of thousands of people who want them? How do you build a network of influential contacts when all the important events happen in major cities like London or New York, and you live in the middle of nowhere? How do you get anyone to hear your voice when everyone else is shouting louder than you?
These are the questions that hang over every young professional striving for an illustrious career in the film industry. I was disillusioned by the time I finished my MA in Film Studies – I wanted to be a critic and curator, focusing on educating the average viewer on how the visual media that dominates our way of living impacts our society. But just like many other ambitious newcomers, I had to face the rain cloud of reality: there are virtually no jobs in this vocation, and the barriers to entry are seemingly endless. Location, contacts, timing, and pure luck – these are the things that can determine your fate in this industry beyond just hard work and determination.
Just as I was losing hope, the project that I had been waiting for finally appeared. In late 2019, a Young Film Programmers scheme was being brought to Norwich where I lived at the time. A term you might have seen promoted at your local independent cinema, the Young Film Programmers is an initiative that takes place all around the country, aiming to provide 16-30-year-olds with career experience in film programming by having them plan, market, and host unique film screenings.
Our small group of four cinema-minded youths were tasked with planning three screenings in Norwich with the goal of getting our peers out of the multiplexes and into the boutique theatres. We got to work and planned our first screening – Franco Rosso’s Babylon (1980) – and set a date: 7 April 2020.
We all know what happened next.
With the pandemic, cinemas shut down, budgets were slashed, and outreach programmes were eradicated. At the same time, I had to return to the US because my student visa was about to expire. Back in Norwich, everyone had given up on this little film group, but I wasn’t quite ready to let it die.
I was determined to make a space for myself in this industry, so I took the basis of what had been started and turned it into something that allowed me to do all the things I wanted to do with my career – criticism, curation, programming. And since the pandemic forced everything into the digital sphere, why not this? Five years on, what started in Norwich has now expanded around the globe, providing prospects for other passionate people to gain their own experience.
Today, Film East is a multi-award-winning film organisation based in the East of England and the East Coast of the United States. It’s run by an international collective of under 30s, who volunteer their time and expertise to educate and inspire the next generation of film enthusiasts by offering unique opportunities to connect through thought-provoking cinema. Our various activities are designed to enhance our audience’s learning and understanding of the world around them, all while encouraging them to engage with film, art and their community.
Although Film East physically exists on the Eastern shores of England and the US, we are a global organisation. Jumping between the two continents, we continue to host in-person screenings, workshops, and events in Norfolk and Suffolk to keep up with the group’s initial vision. One of my favourite ventures was during Pride in 2023, when we took our LGBTQIA+ curated collection, “PROUD”, on a small tour, highlighting films like Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman (1997), Céline Sciamma’s Tomboy (2011) and Zaida Bergroth’s Tove (2020).
Seeing how the US lacked any organisation like Film East, I began implementing our mission into my native market. Our first official US screening, which is taking place this coming September, comes from our newest curated collection, “This is Britain.” We’re showcasing Ella Glendining’s Norfolk-based documentary, Is There Anybody Out There? to spotlight how art can be used to advocate for disability awareness. We’ve led workshops, lectures, Q&As and everything in between; we’ve even been able to provide budding young critics with the chance to work as press at major film festivals like TIFF and LFF.
While we love putting on these physical events, we also want to accommodate film fans who aren’t in these places. At the end of the day, we are children of the internet, and we know how to harness the digital tools that will connect us with film lovers all around the world. Through a shared passion for cinema, we have worked with creatives aged 15 to 80 based in the UK, North and South America, Central Europe, India, Asia and more.
Our main objective as an organisation is to provide practical experience to those who want to improve their CV, build their belief in themselves or simply try out a new hobby. A valued member of our team, William Schofield joined Film East in 2020, looking for a way to combine his interests in cinema and history. Will used his involvement in Film East to secure his perfect job as a film archivist: “From having my words and ideas published in physical books to taking part in a feature segment on BBC Radio, I am staggered by how many incredible opportunities I’ve been able to take part in with Film East. Soon after joining the group as a full-time member, I managed to find a position at a film archive; the curatorial skills I developed with Film East were a massive boon both in being hired and in my day-to-day work.”
Our writing platform, Film East Publishing, is our largest contributor-based outlet. Starting in 2020 as an online blog – which is still in operation today and houses free film, TV and visual media articles – Film East Publishing has become a space for up-and-coming critics, journalists and creatives to sharpen their skills and improve their writing, all the while fulfilling their love of cinema. We provide an in-depth editorial process that allows writers to make mistakes and learn how to produce quality articles without the fear of rejection.
In 2021, we expanded into print anthologies that focus on specific cinematic genres or themes. Our books embrace film theory and philosophy but are written in a relaxed style to entertain all types of film fans. To date, we have released four criticism collections: SCREEN DREAMS, a zine dissecting the ways music can manifest on screen; Eating the Screen, articles on the culture of food in film and television; Queer Projections, essays that explore LGBTQIA+ representation on screen; and, our newest release, Screen Britain, articles that journey through historical and contemporary British visual media to explore national identity through the cinematic lens.
Film East Publishing is a slow criticism outlet. In this age of instant reactions and hot-take content, we want our readers and writers to become more aware consumers, analysing and questioning what our media is projecting and how it influences our society. By breaking away from the industry standard of placid reviews and SEO-driven commissions, we’re asking our audience to grow with us in media literacy, having them think beyond the surface and find depth and meaning in the most approachable form of modern art.
A long-time Film East Publishing contributor who lives in the Philippines, Jessica Ann Evangelista started her journalism career with Film East. I watched her writing evolve from a shaky first draft to receiving the most praise from reviewers for her article in Queer Projections. Jessica recently started a job working as a journalist, and she attributed her career advancement to being able to write for Film East:
“I am eternally grateful for the space Film East gave me when I was still a student because it truly boosted my CV and portfolio, and it gave people an idea of how much I’m into films and the expertise I am leaning into.”
This is the real impact of Film East: giving people – young and old – the confidence, skills and experience to succeed in any creative path they venture down. I want the Film East organisation to provide this for ambitious film fans all across the globe regardless of social, economic or environmental backgrounds. At Film East, we nourish talent and teach essential skills to help people find their potential. Are we all going to be the next Mark Kermode? No. But we can provide crucial support to make everyone feel like they have a voice and place in a notoriously unattainable industry.
And you never know – maybe the future Editor-in-Chief of Little White Lies will get their first pitch accepted at Film East.
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