Mentor Session: Audiences, Festivals & Alternative Distribution Models — Carmen Thompson
Carmen is a film programmer, distributor and cultural producer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is Head of Distribution & Special Projects at We Are Parable and an International Features Programmer at Hot Docs. With over a decade of experience across exhibition, festivals, sales and distribution, her work centres on Black, African and diaspora storytelling, with a particular focus on documentary film.
She has worked with organisations including Sheffield DocFest, Red Sea International Film Festival and Durban FilmMart, and has contributed to UK releases of internationally acclaimed films. Carmen is also deputy chair of the British International Film Awards (BIFA) and a BAFTA and European Film Academy voting member.
Attendees can speak with her about navigating festival strategy, building and reaching audiences (particularly marginalised communities), alternative and grassroots distribution models, and documentary projects from early idea through to release.
Information for mentees:
- Please arrive 5 minutes early to check in for your mentor session. Late arrivals (anyone not present at the start of their booked session) may lose their slot to a walk-up attendee.
- If a session is fully booked, you’re welcome to try as a walk-up in case a booked attendee doesn’t attend.
- We would recommend preparing a brief introduction about yourself, along with any specific questions or areas you’d like guidance on from your mentor.
