Programming Fellowship
Closing date 11 September 2023
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) is inviting applications for the fifth year of our Programming Fellowship programme for UK based early career curators, film programmers and critics.
The successful applicant will join the festival as an Associate Programmer for the 19th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in early 2024.
Working hours: 2 days (14 hours) per week.
Salary: £25,000, 0.4 pro rata, approximately £800 per month
Contract: 5 months, part time fixed contract, starting in October 2023
Holidays: 36 days annually, pro rata to contract. Approximately 6 days total plus TOIL for additional hours worked.
Start date: October 2023
Location: Office 211, Berwick Workspace, Boarding School Yard, 90 Marygate, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1BN
Staff can work flexibly between home and office locations. Programme meetings in Berwick-upon-Tweed take place on a semi-regular basis. Travel to the festival office is at employees’ own cost.
How to apply: Complete the Programming Fellowship Application Form
Application Deadline: 10:00 am, Monday 11 September
Overview
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival (BFMAF) is inviting applications for the fifth year of our Programming Fellowship programme for UK based early career curators, film programmers and critics.
The successful applicant will join the festival as an Associate Programmer for the 19th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in early 2024.
They will join an artistic team led by the Festival Director and including two part-time Programmers and an Associate Programmer. A new year round Public Programmer role, developing collaborative projects with artists and local communities in Berwick-upon-Tweed will be appointed in Autumn 2023.
Job Description
Research, Viewing & Programming
Pertaining to the Festival’s programme sections – Berwick New Cinema, Essential Cinema, Exhibitions, Filmmakers in Focus, Propositions, Works in Progress:
- View, assess and research films and artists’ works
- Participate in online and in person programming meetings
Catalogue & Website
- Prepare original texts for the catalogue and website
- Prepare and participate in podcasts or contextual publishing to support the Festival programme
Festival
- Prepare and participate in programme introductions, Q&As and other in-person or online events
- Attend and participate in the full Festival, supporting its preparation and production
Other
- Support BFMAF PR and marketing (in person, via social media, etc) and provide the Communications Manager with relevant information and content in a timely manner
- Participate in Festival evaluation and de-briefs, contributing to best-practice
Person Specification
Essential
- A good understanding of the film festival and visual arts ecology in which BFMAF operates
- Be within 5 years of beginning your practice
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Self-motivated approach to working and excellent organisation and interpersonal skills
- A demonstrable commitment to equal opportunities, fairness and dignity at work;
- Based in the North of England or Scotland and within commutable distance of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Desirable
- Candidates with hybrid curatorial interests which include both cinema and visual arts are particularly encouraged
- Knowledge and experience of
- Filmchief or other database software
- Copy-writing experience
- Public speaking experience
Festival Programme
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival holds pluralist and revisionist ideas of contemporary cinema, its history and curation. Short, medium or feature-length Festival selections can include artists’ moving image and sound; arthouse, documentary or genre cinema; world premieres and freshly restored archival titles; live, installation-based or performative works. Together, they hold shared and overlapping interests in asking what new cinema might be.
In presenting our Festival, BFMAF strives to understand and work towards optimal exhibition conditions for artists and filmmakers’ work within the resources and contexts we have available. In evaluating this, the accessibility of audiences and communities that we are involved with – locally, regionally, nationally and internationally are of utmost consideration.
For your further interest view the programme for the 18th Festival edition, download the Festival Guide and read the NOTES (on programming BFMAF 2021).
How to apply
To apply please complete the Programming Fellowship Application Form
You will be asked to provide the following documents. Please submit them as PDFs titled in the format ‘Full Name_Document’:
- A motivation letter telling us more about your curatorial interests, what makes Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival and the Programming Fellowship exciting for you at this time. Please limit your response to 500 words
- A CV that demonstrates how you fit the person specification (maximum 2 pages of A4)
- A review, blog, catalogue entry, or short essay that you have written (or link to an audio recording or short video if these are preferred mediums for you), as a sample of your current interests and ways of communicating those
- Details of a referee, who will be contacted should a job offer be made
- Completion of the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form
This is our standard application process but we are open to finding alternatives that will suit all candidates and accommodate any specific needs you may have.
If you would like to discuss the role or the application process, please email [email protected] and we can arrange a conversation or agree alternative arrangements for your application.
Application Deadline: 10:00 am, Monday 11 September
Interviews: Thursday 21 September
We will supply full details of the interview format, including interview questions and the names and roles of each person on the panel, on invitation.
Purpose
The Programming Fellowships at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival were created with the desire that film festivals offer more curatorial work, according to transparent and fair recruitment practices, than they currently do.
The Programming Fellowship, Associate Programmer role is developmental and mentored, creating opportunities for mutual learning in and around critical and audience focused film festival curation.
Previous Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival Programming Fellowship awardees are: Christina Demetriou (2020), Dan Guthrie (2022/23),Tendai Mutambu (2019), Myriam Mouflih (2020), Ilinca Vanau (2022/23), and Becca Voelcker (2018).
Equal Opportunities
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival is a Disabled led and Equal Opportunities Employer, committed to developing positive policies and working practices which promote Equal Opportunities and prohibit unlawful or unfair discrimination.
In recognition of our aims as an organisation we particularly encourage applications from people from the Global Majority (global majority refers to people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and/or have been referred to as “ethnic minorities”); Disabled people; and others who have experienced barriers or discrimination at work.
According to provisions in the Equality Act 2010 we will implement a ‘tie-break’ provision at interview stage if two or more candidates are equally qualified for the role but one has protected characteristics that are under-represented within our team. Where possible we will recruit the candidate with the under-represented protected characteristic(s).
Access Support
Currently a Festival employee receives support via the UK Government’s Access to Work (AtW) scheme. This funds practical support at work for people with a disability, health or mental health condition. We are happy to support applications from others who are eligible.
If you have any access needs, or barriers to access that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to let us know either before applying or as part of your application.
Contact: [email protected]