MUBI launches fundraising campaign to support UK exhibition sector
Published:
27 Apr 2020
MUBI launches fundraising campaign to support UK cinemas through the BFI Film Audience Network Covid-19 Resilience Fund.
We are delighted that MUBI, the curated streaming service and theatrical distributor behind recent releases such as Bacurau, has created the UK Cinema Fund to support film exhibitors impacted by Covid-19. Donations can be made via GoFundMe until Sunday, 14 June 2020.
Money raised through the campaign will be donated to the BFI Film Audience Network Covid-19 Resilience Fund, which was launched by the BFI and its UK-wide network of Film Hubs on 15 April. The Resilience Fund has been set up using repurposed National Lottery funding and will offer critical relief and business continuity to exhibitors across the country. Film Hub North is managing applications from organisations in the region.
Donations to the UK Cinema Fund will allow us, as a Hub, to provide more support to the North's independent exhibitors, and will contribute to a wider effort to safeguard the UK's valued film institutions and the vibrant cinema culture they make possible. Exhibitors of various sizes and shapes will benefit - independent cinemas, film festivals and other organisations - but all of them will share a passion for bringing the best and broadest range of British and world cinema to audiences. The fundraising efforts have been kicked off with a £10,000 donation from MUBI, and the campaign aims to raise £100,000.
Cinemas and their staff are our partners, friends and colleagues. We have been working closely with UK festivals and cinemas for years and have been deeply saddened seeing the impact of the closures. We want to support them in any way we can during this incredibly difficult time, because we can’t imagine a world without them. We hope this fund gives them some of the support they need to reopen as soon as it’s possible. Efe Cakarel, Founder and CEO of MUBI
Showroom Workstation - one of our lead organisations and a key independent cinema in the region and beyond - will formally receive donations on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network. Showroom is a registered charity as The Sheffield Media and Exhibition Centre Limited, so donations to the UK Cinema Fund will be eligible for Gift Aid. Film Hub North will work with Showroom and our colleagues across the BFI Film Audience Network to ensure donations have the maximum impact through the Resilience Fund.
We look forward to supporting MUBI's campaign and are asking our partners across the cultural sector to help us spread the word. The message to fans of film - echoed across the marquees of various venues right now - is that cinema will return after lockdown. The message to our colleagues working in the exhibition sector: you are not alone.
In these unprecedented circumstances it is heartening to see MUBI support the independent exhibition sector with this initiative. We hope that the fund reaches its target to help us provide more vital support through the BFI Film Audience Network Resilience Fund. Ian Wild, Chief Executive of Showroom Workstation
