Swapping the red carpet for rural Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire, awards season is coming to the region's cinephiles thanks to Cine North's latest batch of community screenings popping up in village halls, stately homes and local arts centres from February to May. We're excited to be providing Cine North with strategic support to deliver a spring season that will see their network of venues expand into Northern Lancashire, whilst helping rural communities right across the North enjoy the best contemporary independent cinema on their doorstep.

The network's expansion into Northern Lancashire and Southern Cumbria will be supported by Carnforth Civic Hall, a recent addition to the Cine North family who will help partners in the area by hosting cinema equipment for screenings in Clitheroe and a new venue in Hutton Roof. Other new members delivering their first screenings as part of the spring season include venues in Bowness-on-Solway and Morton-on-Swale - and a new partnership with Swaledale Festival will bring academics from the University of Manchester and Lancaster University to the heart of the Yorkshire Dales for discussions around The Pearl Button and Wajib.

Elsewhere, the network's established venues continue to show an impressive commitment to providing local audiences with adventurous programming and special events. Audiences in Cumbria can catch minimalist Danish thriller The Guilty and a double bill bookending Robert Redford's impressive career at Appleby Public Hall, and Cine North regular Masham Town Hall welcomes director Sean McAllister for a question and answer session following a screening of his powerful documentary on austerity, art and community spirit, A Northern Soul.

All venues across the Cine North network will also be previewing their main features with special short form arts content showcasing works from leading creative organisations such as Manchester Camerata, Blast Theory and Candoco. Film Hub North and Arts Council England are pleased to make this valuable addition to the Cine North programme possible through a new partnership that ensures rural audiences in the North have access to both independent cinema and moving image content from across the creative spectrum.