Diversity & Inclusion
At Screen and Film School we strive to make diversity and inclusion central to our ethos as an educational institution.
In an industry historically lacking in diversity, we acknowledge the importance of ensuring we are genuinely inclusive at every level. We have a duty towards our students and the wider community to ensure that the work they produce celebrates and acknowledges diversity and is proactively planned in their storytelling.
We have adopted a whole college approach, and within this, every department is responsible for initiating positive change. We are committed to setting ourselves ambitious goals and objectives to ensure our community is genuinely enhanced from a diverse culture, with all the benefits and richness that brings.
We understand that this is not a quick fix and will take time. As an institute, we will make this a permanent part of our future, and at the heart of our strategic planning.
Our Strategy
Conversation: We will continue to have vital conversations with our wider community and marginalised staff, students, industry partners, patrons and critical stakeholders.. We will listen to them, hear their voices and understand where we need to change to support them.
Support: We recognise that some areas of our student body are underrepresented and may feel unheard – this will no longer be the case. We have established a number of student societies to ensure that voices are heard, actions taken, and changes are made.
Industry Engagement: We will build and extend our industry partnership programme to ensure it is even more representative of our wider community providing further industry placements, internships and job opportunities.
Outreach: Through our outreach programmes we will look to encourage student applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds, using our Wider Participation Scheme, Fair Access Fund and our Emerging Talent Bursary to make training more accessible. We will also be appointing a dedicated Student Ambassador to support the outreach programme.
Education: We will revisit our current curriculum to ensure there is a diverse representation of references and resources. We will strive to find culturally diverse texts and include an educational history from a wide range of perspectives related to the Film Industry.
Filmmaking: We will encourage students to create culturally diverse films and representative of all, challenging stereotype and prejudice in their storytelling, casting, and production.
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for our students and people, we have established a Group-Wide Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC).
The Committee leads on our priority work-streams including; recruitment of a diverse workforce, training and mentoring support, tracking and reporting, and communicating the impact of our work at every level of the organisation.
The role of the Committee is to ensure that a culture of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion exists at every level within the organisation.
The primary aims include:
- Challenge the status quo, champion Diversity and Inclusion and promote Group initiatives internally
- Be change agents for the organisation and advocate for underrepresented and minority groups
- Be a resource for the organisation on legislation, policy changes and best practice
- Develop close working relationships with local employee and student resource groups
- Encourage, facilitate, support and monitor feedback from local EDI teams
We aim to make our institution as accessible as possible to all of our students.
We have a dedicated Support Teams and systems in place for reasonable adjustments in both classroom and assessment settings. Students are encouraged and assisted with DSA applications to help them access government-funded support.
We also have in-house Learning Support advisors who can help you with study skills and preparing for those important written assessments.
Film In Colour is a society formed by Screen and Film School Brighton as safe space for students of colour to share their experiences, culture and build friendships in an environment where they felt isolated.
Film In Colour Aims
- To offer a safe place for everyone to belong
- To build a community to enable people to speak freely and honestly about diversity and their experiences with racism
- To offer a platform for POC to get opportunities in the industry that aren’t available elsewhere
- To encourage collaboration and be able to meet with other POC between the schools (BIMM and ICTheatre)
- To project our place of inclusivity onto film school to influence actual change
- To unite POC in film school and use these as an opportunity to make friends, host awesome activities, and events.
- To educate society in general about POC in film, both in front of and behind the camera
- To have educational discussions with guests around race and creativity, community and culture
- To collaborate with local charities to create an online presence and build a wider audience
- To collate additional resources of recommended POC reading to the library
Screen and Film School are committed to nurturing a supportive learning environment for all students. We understand that LGBTQ+ students often face additional challenges during their studies, and our Student Support team are also available to help navigate this.
Our LGBTQ+ Student Society is designed as a community and safe space for any of our students who identify within the LGBTQ+ spectrum (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and all sexualities, genders and identities that fall under the plus).
Our list of Diversity and Inclusion resources is constantly evolving and expanding, and we will continue to update our selections below.
Film
13th (Ava DuVernay) —Netflix
American Son (Kenny Leon) —Netflix
Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 —Available to rent
Blindspotting(Carlos López Estrada) —Hulu with Cinemax or available to rent
Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) —Available to rent
Dear White People (Justin Simien) —Netflix
Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) —Available to rent
I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) —Available to rent or on Kanopy
If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) —Hulu
Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) —Available to rent for free in June in the U.S.
King In The Wilderness—HBO
See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) —Netflix
Selma (Ava DuVernay) —Available to rent
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution —Available to rent
The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) —Hulu with Cinemax
When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) —Netflix
Small Axe (Steve McQueen) – BBC iPlayer
The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi) -Amazon Prime
To Know Him (Ted Evans) -BSL Zone Player
Organisations
Books
Why I’m No longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Natives by Akala
Dark Days by James Baldwin
Diversify by June Sarpong
How To Be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
White Supremacy and Me by Layla F. Saad
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery
Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde
White Girls by Hilton Als
Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch
Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
The Good Immigrant, edited by Nikesh Shukla
Any questions?
For any questions relating to equality, diversity and inclusion, or if you’d like more information on how to apply to Screen and Film School, please contact our Enquiries Team on 01273 840 346 or email [email protected].
