Beyond the Multiplex: Audiences for Specialised Film in English Regions will focus on ways to enable a wider range of audiences to participate in a more diverse film culture that embraces the wealth of films beyond the mainstream.

The ambitious three year project follows an award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and will be led by Newcastle University in partnership with the Universities of Liverpool, Sheffield, York and Film Hub North (part of the BFI Film Audience Network supported by National Lottery funding).

Working at a scale and depth not undertaken before in film audience research, the project addresses how people watch film and engage with film culture from rural film clubs to the international film festivals, to those watching Video on Demand at home.

Collaborating with those working in film and engaging a broad range of film audiences, the project will provide new evidence, online analytical data tools, and a digital methodology for audience research.

Bridgette Wessels, Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University, said: “We are extremely pleased to be working with our Film Hub partners on the project and engaging with the wider BFI FAN and others working in audience development.

"The project is addressing the challenge of understanding film audiences in-depth and at scale in regional contexts for the first time. We are aiming to develop an innovative methodology to do this that can then be openly shared with FAN and others working in audience development.”

Independent and collaborative research

The research will involve a comparative study of film audiences in four English regions: the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West and the South West.

For each region the project will collect data through interviews, focus groups and a longitudinal survey. The research will assess regional venues, events and programming and look at the interpretation of film as well as film policy and industry developments and regional demographics. To bring all of this together, the project will use digital humanities methods to structure, store and analyse the data.

Through a partnership led by Film Hub North and the wider BFI Film Audience Network, the project will feed into the BFI’s audiences strategy, which aims to grow audiences from underrepresented groups, widen film choice and enhance the cultural benefits of British and international film.

While availability of mainstream film is good across England, provision of British and international film is low across the English regions outside London, which limits the opportunities for people to experience a diverse film culture.

Beyond the Multiplex is developed from a pilot research project that found significant disparities in the provision of a diverse film culture in the North East and Yorkshire. The research team will conduct extensive field research in the four regions exploring film practices and experiences regarding taste, venues, film events, digital platforms, and the meanings audiences take away from specialised film.

Anna Kime, Manager, Film Hub North, said: “Dedicated research with such an impressive team allows us to really deepen our audience development work. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to continue this partnership.”

For more information visit the project website, a selection of images from the launch event at Showroom Cinema in Sheffield is available to download here.