Reel Futures: From learning to leadership

Reel Futures matters because it’s not just about teaching people how to programme films. It’s about creating space for people who have often been left out of these conversations to finally see themselves in these spaces. 

As Head of Engagement, I see Reel Futures as something much deeper than a training programme. It’s about access, confidence, belonging and ownership. I’ve been where a lot of these young people are. Sometimes the arts can feel like a space you’re invited into, but never fully expected to belong in. Even when diverse work is programmed, the wider space can still feel difficult to access or fully belong in. Reel Futures actively challenges that. 

Growing up Scottish Ghanaian, I understand what it means to exist between spaces and navigate systems that don’t always know what to do with your voice, perspective or lived experience. A lot of my approach to engagement comes from that understanding. I learned early on that people need to feel they belong before they can fully take part. 

That’s why this work matters so much to me personally. 

Representation isn’t just about visibility — it’s about power. Film programmers and cultural organisations help shape which stories audiences see, which voices are platformed and whose experiences are treated as valuable. If those spaces are not diverse, our understanding of culture and community becomes narrower too. 

Reel Futures creates an environment where participants are not simply invited into the industry, but trusted within it. That distinction matters. Too often, inclusion projects stop at participation. We wanted to go further. Reel Futures is about progression: from learning to leadership, from support to ownership, with pathways towards paid opportunities and greater responsibility within the cultural sector. 

What makes Reel Futures special is that young people are not treated as passive participants. Their ideas, experiences and perspectives actively shape the programme, the events and the conversations around film. 

What has been most powerful is seeing participants grow in confidence as they realise their ideas have value. They're programming films, shaping marketing, hosting events, leading discussions and making decisions together. These are industry skills, but they are life skills too. You can see people begin to carry themselves differently when they realise their voice belongs in cultural spaces. 

Inclusion in film programming matters because cinema shapes how we understand the world and each other. If only one group of people controls what gets screened and celebrated, we end up with a narrow understanding of humanity. Reel Futures helps widen that lens. Participants bring different histories, humour, politics, languages and ways of seeing into the room. That changes not only what audiences watch, but how they connect. 

Reel Futures is not about ticking diversity boxes. It’s about building long-term relationships and creating real pathways into an industry that can still feel inaccessible. 

For me, Reel Futures represents hope for what the arts sector can become when inclusion moves beyond language and into action. It shows what can happen when young Global Majority people are trusted, supported and given space to grow. They don’t just take part — they start to feel like these spaces belong to them too.