Press Release

17 July 2012

The Cambridge Film Festival has extended the deadline for applications for The Screen Team 2012, a unique free events and training programme for young people which includes voluntary work placement sessions at the Film Festival screenings and events this summer. Inspired by the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Screen Team offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local young people to develop their skills, confidence and experience by playing an active role behind the scenes - and screens! - at exciting Cultural Olympiad film events in August and September. The Screen Team has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by finding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.

Established in 1977, the Cambridge Film Festival is one of the best-loved and most influential film events in the UK, and the country’s third-longest running film festival after Edinburgh and London. This year’s Festival, our 32nd edition, will run from the 13th to the 23rd of September. The Screen Team project will take the Cambridge Film Festival experience to new audiences at spectacular outdoor locations across the UK, with open-air screenings happening in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Essex and Nottingham.

The Screen Team is open to young people aged 18 to 25 who are based in the Eastern region and who are not in employment, education or training. The project aims to inspire people to take part in volunteering activity and help them to build their skills and confidence, thus improving their chance of future employment. Specialist training will be provided by the Festival team as well as film industry professionals, and there will be opportunities to develop practical and technical skills relating to film projection, customer service, and marketing.

According to Screen Team Project Manager Becky Innes: “The Screen Team project represents a great chance for young people to benefit from expert training in event organisation, and a rare opportunity to get that elusive ‘foot in the door’ in the film industry. Previous course participants have gone on to gain permanent employment at cinemas, arts organisations and film festivals, working as projectionists, technicians, event managers and administrators – and we’re excited about discovering even more young talent this year!”

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Notes to Editors:
For further press information, photos or case studies of previous participants, contact Becky Innes,
Screen Team Project Manager on 07961 374905, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

All the information needed to apply to The Screen Team can be accessed online at www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk, or by calling 01223 500082.

The 2012 Screen Team events programme will be released at the end of June, and will include at least
3 large-scale outdoor film events which will be part of the Cultural Olympiad event programme, including:
• Films at Felbrigg at Felbrigg Hall, near Cromer, Norfolk, on Saturday 1st September
• Saffron Screen on the Green in Saffron Walden, Essex, on Saturday 8th September

The 32nd Cambridge Film Festival will run from the 13th to the 23rd of September 2012 and will be held primarily at the Arts Picturehouse, 38/39 St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge CB2 3AR. The full film and events programme will be available in August. www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk

The Screen Team is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from London 2012 in communities across the UK. The Trust is funded by a £40million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), Department for Culture Media and Sport (£6m), and Arts Council England (£5m), and is a principal Funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. More information is at www.legacytrust.org.uk.