Crossing Boundaries - BFI - British Film Institute

2. The Role and Impact of the Venues
The six featured venues differ significantly in history, profile, structure, and context. However, as this Study shows, they share a
set of challenges and opportunities as they seek to be fit-for-purpose infrastructure in the digital age. Their commonalities and
differences are explored here through a focus on the three themes of Creative Place-Making, Creative Economy and
Creative Infrastructure, with emphasis on the implications here for the sustainable transformation of their physical and digital
footprints.
First, the six venues are introduced in brief below:
Broadway, Nottingham www.broadway.org.uk
Based in the heart of Nottingham’s Lace Market district, with its mix of independent retail, cafes and bars, Broadway provides a mix of cinema,
workspace, exhibition space, and a vibrant café bar. The building has recently undergone a £6 million redevelopment programme, introducing two new
screens (bringing the total to four), one of which is designed by prestigious Nottingham fashion designer, Paul Smith. Part of the Digital Screen Network,
the cinema mixes ‘art house’ and cross-over titles, plus a more recent shift to introducing more mainstream ‘gateway’ films.
Broadway manages and hosts three festivals plus a range of events: British Silent Cinema Festival – silent cinema and live music; Bang – short films;
and Big Grin – cartoons and animation. Broadway also hosts partnership festivals such as Trampoline, Radiator, Now, Resfest, and After Dark
(AD) In addition, it also works with partners such as Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Bonnington and Angel Row to secure and present digital and new
media artwork in Nottingham. It has an Arts Council England, East Midlands post located in the building to help facilitate such connections (as a Digital
Arts Coordinator) – managing the Digital Broadway Programme.
The redevelopment has introduced a medialab facility and flexible studio space, which increases Broadway’s capacity to develop new production
activities and work with a non-linear narrative or digital arts.
Broadway runs a media education programme, including work with schools in areas such as Media Studies, History, Languages, Citizenship and
English Literature.
Introduction 36
tom fleming / creative consultancy
UK Film Council
in association with
Arts Council England and the Arts Humanities Research Council