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A performer in front of a microphone with a brick wall in the background.

Phoenix Business Solutions, Cardiff Safe Deposit & Cardiff International Film Festival

The Challenge

  • To address the lack of diversity in the creative industries and make filmmaking more accessible to a new generation of aspiring professionals.
  • To support young people and under-represented communities through the medium of cinema.

The Solution

The creation of three feature films, offering an opportunity to diverse communities to share their stories, build confidence and develop talent at grass roots level.
Through outreach events, the partners worked with community leaders and representatives to engage participants, creating a platform for local film makers to come together and celebrate cinema.
CultureStep supported the initiative by funding outreach events within diverse, socio-economically deprived communities to encourage engagement and participation.

The Results

The three films engaged and provided work for over 40 participants. Of these, 30 were young people from underrepresented communities and those facing socio-economic barriers.
The films were featured at Cardiff International Film Festival to an audience of 10,000 individuals. Over 150 people from the engaged communities participated in the festival by presenting the screenings and helping with the programme.
15 young adults from these communities have since been provided with further training and work opportunities.

The Endorsement

By being responsible companies, businesses can have a significant social impact, both as an employer and as a neighbour. The support through CultureStep helped us build relationships with customers and the neighbourhoods. The partnership is committed to continue on a long-term basis and will continually fund these projects.

Sudeep Singh, Phoenix Business Solutions

There is a lack of diversity in the creative industries and we want to play a key role in reversing that trend and make film-making more accessible to new generation of aspiring filmmakers in Wales. We believe we need to engage different communities to get full participation at the festival. CultureStep has allowed Cardiff to open its arms to celebrate and welcome the stunning international & local contributions in arts and cinema projects, by enabling us to bring members of various target communities, the project has bridged the gap in local communities, bringing audiences from all walks of life to one common platform.

Rahil Sayed, Cardiff International Film Festival