Conversation with Nick Varley and Julie Pearce

What future for the distribution and exploitation of heritage in the age of streaming was the focus of this one-on-one conversation whose key word was "curation".

This Wednesday morning, Nick Varley, independent consultant and co-founder of Park Circus, and Julie Pearce, Director of Distribution and Programming Operations at the BFI, spoke in tandem for a frank discussion on the future of heritage cinema in theatres during the platform era. 

With 50 years of experience in the world of heritage film between the two of them, the two British have come to a fairly definitive conclusion on the problem addressed here: the curation. Because when we talk about the future of heritage cinema, the underlying subject is obviously: how to attract the younger generation to cinemas, how to interest them in these movies from the past? If we have never had as much access to films as we do now with theatres, platforms, television and physical video, the fact is that this overload of possibilities has the effect of locking up rather than opening up audiences. With this unlimited choice, the audience, and in particular the youngest, no longer knows where to look and prefers to confine themselves to what they already know. And it is not the algorithm of the platforms that will do much about it, not encouraging the curiosity of the spectator. For this, the human touch remains the strongest element but it must adapt to make itself even more attractive. 

This was explained by Julie Pearce as she listed throughout the conversation the different ways in which the BFI is attracting new audiences. In particular, there are programmes designed for the youngest children to get them used to the big screen from an early age and, during the day, tickets costing £3, which is something in a London where the smallest cinema ticket exceeds £11. Marketing also has an important place, especially on social media, with posts or videos designed to correspond to the times, as shown by the trailer of Singin' in the rain screened at the beginning of this conversation. You have to go to the youngest ones' grounds to attract them but also to show them that they are welcome by making the place, the BFI, a welcoming place where they would like to come, from the design of the space to the latest fashion brand of beer available. But the most important thing is above all the programming. Thus, when the BFI screens Mark Jenkin's recent Bait, it precedes this screening of a short film, Birth of a Flower from 1910, in connection with the aesthetics of the film. When the British Film Institute organizes the Kubrick retrospective, it adds to it feature films that inspired him. And if the filmmaker is still alive, like Pedro Almodovar, he gives him a free hand. In addition, the BFI has launched the BFI Player platform, which provides access to films for people outside London and also allows it to reach a new audience, which is more connected to the web. Similarly, for its partnership with MUBI, where users are entitled to a free place to come and see a film, programmed by the BFI on the platform, on the BFI premises. A success especially with the youngest audience. 

If Nick Varley and Julie Pearce insisted on the idea that platforms were not the enemy, that any way to see the films was the right way to see them because it made them live and that all the media had to work hand in hand, they also sounded the alarm. An alert regarding the availability of copies. Nick Varley's fear being particularly linked to the big studios with large catalogues that are launching their own platform. The risk? Under the pretext of wanting to save their resources for their new tool, they could prevent the licensing and therefore the distribution of these films in theatres by other competent distributors. Depriving some great films of visibility. A concern shared by Julie Pearce, who was bouncing back on the increasingly high rental prices of these feature films. This is why, in particular, the BFI is about to acquire about a hundred of 35mm films that it will preserve and broadcast. 

Curation, Curation and Willingness are the leitmotiv of these two British enthusiasts for the future of heritage cinema on the big screen.