The independent cinema won a £8,500 grant from Film Hub North to offer young people the chance to learn how to programme and run a cinematic event. The first course started Wednesday, August the 2nd at the Forum.

An outdoor film will be shown as  part of the first course on September the 9th, tickets will be on sale soon. 

Dates for the second course will be announced soon with details on how to apply, through their website. 

Clare Mwande, general manager at The Forum, said: "The courses have been funded by Film Hub North, and what we're offering on each course is for eight people to do a course with us to learn how to programme, manage and promote a cinematic event. Then they actually do that and decide their own event, manage and promote it. The courses are completely inclusive so anyone of that age is welcome to apply. We’ve got cinephiles who are really interested in cinema, and others who are more interested in media, production and also event management, so it’s a broad spectrum of interests. The second course will run three films in the cinema in a miniature festival, and the third course will programme two films towards the Tyne Valley Film Festival. Part of the funding is also to provide eight films that particularly target young people and audiences." Ms Mwande added "With us being quite a small cinema in a large geographical area where there are no other cinemas between Gateshead and Carlisle, we're in a really good place to offer something.” 

The cinema is running a free screening for 15-25-year-olds of the new horror film Talk to Me on August the 24th at 12.30pm.