Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced that BFI CEO Ben Roberts will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural UK Film Conference held as part of this year’s EIFF Industry programme. The event will be hosted by Creative Director of Picturehouse Cinemas, Clare Binns.
The mission of EIFF is to be the home of independent cinema in the UK and the inaugural UK Film Conference is part of that mission. Beginning with a lively and wide-ranging headline discussion with Ben Roberts, the one day conference on Saturday 15 August will be a state of the nation for independent film in the UK situated at the heart of the Festival’s Industry offering at the Festival Hub at Central Hall. It will bring together filmmakers, producers, exhibitors, distributors and film professionals from all areas of the local and international film industry to engage with the future of independent film in the UK. Comprising talks, discussions, Q&A sessions and events available to EIFF passholders, press and public audiences, the purpose of the day is to be open, to be ambitious and to think outside the box.
Ben Roberts is CEO of the BFI, responsible for the organisation’s strategic and cultural direction and providing leadership for the UK’s screen industries. Since being appointed to the role in February 2020, Ben has steered the organisation and the industry through five years of unprecedented change – from the impacts of the pandemic, strikes and cost of living crisis to navigating major changes in audience behaviour and a focus on diversity and inclusion. Under Ben’s leadership, the BFI has been a galvanising force for the industry, including successfully orchestrating the introduction of the enhanced tax relief for lower budget films and the launch the UK Global Screen Fund to support UK films and companies internationally.
Ben is focused on keeping the BFI at the forefront of the cultural conversation around film, democratising its programmes and reaching new audiences whilst driving a commercial approach. Under his leadership, the BFI has invested heavily in the growth of the BFI Player; brought the BFI IMAX back under BFI operation with a wide-ranging programme; moved the BFI London Film Festival to a new home at the Royal Festival Hall and posted record audience numbers; and attracted a growing young audience to the BFI Southbank. Having worked in the film industry for 25 years, Ben was Chief Executive of Protagonist Pictures prior to joining the BFI and held positions at Universal Pictures and the independent UK distributor Metrodome. He is a member of the Executive Branch of AMPAS and on the Board of Trustees of The Terrence Higgins Trust. His first job in film was as an usher at Showcase Cinemas in Coventry.
The event will be hosted by Creative Director of Picturehouse Cinemas, Clare Binns. With over fifty years of experience in the film industry and as Creative Director of Picturehouse Cinemas and former Managing Director of both Picturehouse Cinemas and its prize-winning distribution arm Picturehouse Entertainment, Clare brings distinctive and original stories to UK audiences, including Palme D'Or & Oscar winner Anatomy of a Fall, and UK hit Pillion on which she was an executive producer.
In 2024, Clare was honoured with the UNIC Achievement Award for her contributions to film. She has previously received career achievement awards from Screen, WFTV, and BIFA, was an inaugural member of the Film London board in 2004 and was a member of the BIFA Jury in 2010. She was #70 on The Guardian Film Power 100 list and was named as one of the 25 people driving the London entertainment scene by Variety. In 2026, she was awarded the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema as well as being selected for Variety’s first Women’s Impact Report UK. She was also co-opted to the BAFTA Film Committee.
Press and Industry accreditation is now open for this year’s Festival and available to apply for via the EIFF website.
The programme for this year’s EIFF will launch on 1 July with more information on this year’s Industry Programme to follow.
EIFF CEO and Festival Director, Paul Ridd said: “We are thrilled to be launching our first ever UK Film Conference at EIFF in August, and to kick off with two titans of the UK film industry in conversation about the future of the medium we all love and care about is a dream come true. Our aim for the new look EIFF has always been to be a destination for audiences and for the film industry to discover and engage with the exciting work and filmmakers in our main competitions and beyond. The Conference will be the perfect opportunity to expand on that aim and really get into the weeds with some big hitters about the future and what comes next. This headline conversation will be the ideal start to a day that promises to be stimulating, provocative and exciting. Bring it on.”
Ben Roberts, CEO of the BFI, said: “EIFF is an important celebration of independent cinema, and I’m looking forward to joining its first UK Film Conference in conversation with the eminent Clare Binns who I know will spark a lively conversation.
"The Conference is a chance to look at why UK independent film remains such a vital and respected part of our global industry. It comes at a time of real change, from ever changing audience habits to new technologies but also seeing routes into the industry fundamentally shifting. There is much to be optimistic about, and this feels like a timely opportunity to look at how the industry can make the most of the opportunities ahead.”
Creative Director of Picturehouse Cinemas, Clare Binns has said: “I am delighted to host what I know will be an illuminating conversation with my old friend Ben Roberts. Cinema always seems to be at a crossroads of where next? Technology, taste and financial challenges are changing the film landscape so quickly. But what we know is that Cinema is vital, giving meaning, understanding and enjoyment to our lives. Ben has experience from every part of the business of cinema, plus I know he is a film geek at heart. It is great that the EIFF has given us this platform to have a lively discussion on what's next and what we need to preserve to keep Cinema alive and well.”
This year’s EIFF runs from 13 – 19 August 2026 and opens with the International Premiere of Edinburgh-born filmmaker Louis Paxton’s debut feature The Incomer and closes with Louise Lockwood’s powerful debut documentary feature Bel.
EIFF’s invigorated vision under leadership from CEO & Festival Director Paul Ridd and Festival Producer Emma Boa continues to accelerate the discovery of new film talent and engage with audiences, industry members and local, national and international media.
EIFF 2026 is supported by Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund.
More information
Image credits: (l-r) Ben Roberts, Clare Binns