BAFTA to Honor Clare Binns, Creative Director of Picturehouse Cinemas

Clare Binns, the creative director of film exhibition company Picturehouse Cinemas and its distribution arm Picturehouse Entertainment, will be presented with BAFTA’s Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the BAFTA Film Awards next month.

The award is presented to an individual or organization that has “made a significant and inspiring contribution to film through a particular project or work.”

BAFTA said, “Over the last four decades and counting, Clare has built an exceptional reputation amongst the British film industry for championing diverse and fiercely independent work on big screens around the U.K.”

It added, “Clare has spearheaded countless initiatives to bring new audiences into cinemas and put them at the heart of their local communities, such as programming relaxed, parent and baby, over sixties, and dog-friendly screenings.

“She has also overseen an increase in Picturehouse’s outreach, including collaborations with Brixton Soup Kitchen and Poetic Unity at The Ritzy CInema. Additionally, under her leadership, Refuge, the U.K.’s leading charity for victims of domestic violence, became Picturehouse’s charity partner, regularly holding fundraisers and raising awareness of their work.”

Emily Stillman, BAFTA chair of the Film Committee, said: “Clare Binns’ impact on the British film industry is profound – she is a hugely talented and beloved visionary. Clare’s unwavering commitment to bring a diverse range of storytelling to the big screen, her belief in the power of cinema, and her ongoing work championing emerging independent filmmakers, is inspirational.”

Binns said: “I was totally blown away when I heard that I was getting this award. I’m so thrilled not just for myself but for everyone who has worked with me throughout my career and for those who continue to support the mission to welcome audiences into local cinemas across the U.K., who are just getting on with the job of giving film the home it deserves.”

Binns’ career in film began as a movie theater usher in the early 1980s. Working her way up to projectionist and then manager at the Ritzy Cinema in London, she went on to operate a network of U.K. movie theaters under Zoo Cinemas before joining Picturehouse in 2003.

Throughout her leadership roles at Picturehouse, she has “deftly balanced a passion for film culture and commercial interests – showcasing blockbusters alongside arthouse films whilst boldly steering one of the U.K.’s leading cinema and distribution companies through an ever-changing industry landscape,” BAFTA said.

She has also been “a driving force in bolstering the U.K. film festival circuit,” forging a partnership with Sundance in London before establishing its successor Picturehouse Create. Outside of London, she has supported establishing several Picturehouse cinemas as key venues within local and international film festivals.

The BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will be hosted by Alan Cumming on Feb. 22.