HoMER 2026 Conference: Cinema Communities and Community Cinemas

Dates: 8-10 July 2026
Pre-conference workshops: 7 July 2026

Location: University of Exeter, UK

In 2026, the HoMER (History of Moviegoing, Exhibition and Reception) Network will convene its annual conference at the University of Exeter, UK, from 8–10 July, with a pre-conference workshop day on 7 July.

This year marks 100 years since the founding of the first film society in Britain, a movement that has since flourished—growing to encompass thousands of groups over the decades, with more than 1,600 active community cinemas and film societies today. To celebrate this centenary, HoMER 2026 will be hosted in collaboration with Cinema For All (formerly the British Federation of Film Societies), which was founded in 1946 to support, represent and develop the volunteer-led film exhibition sector.

Cinema For All will be holding its annual gathering of community cinemas and film societies at the University of Exeter alongside HoMER 2026, enabling us to create a rich programme of shared panels, workshops, screenings, and events—bringing the practice of community cinema directly into dialogue with contemporary research on film exhibition, distribution, and reception.

Conference Theme

Cinema Communities and Community Cinemas

In recognition of this unique partnership, the 2026 conference invites participants to explore cinema communities in the broadest possible sense. While we will mark the remarkable legacy and continuing vitality of community cinema, we also invite contributions that address other forms and histories of cinema community—past and present, local and global.

Possible areas of exploration include, but are not limited to:

• Histories and practices of film societies, community cinemas, and independent exhibition
• Networks of exhibitors, distributors, and programmers working collaboratively
• Audiences as communities—shared viewing practices, fandoms, rituals, and memories
• Local, regional, or transnational cinema networks, and their role in cultural exchange
• Digital or diasporic communities of film viewers and makers
• The material and social infrastructures that sustain cinema communities
• Collaborative research methods and community-based scholarship in film exhibition studies
• Artistic, archival, and practice-based engagements with community cinema
  
  

We encourage participants to interpret the theme imaginatively, and to bring diverse methodological, theoretical, and creative approaches to bear on the topic.

Submissions

We welcome proposals for:

• Individual papers, presentations, or workshops (20 minutes)
• Curated panels of 3–4 speakers
• Workshops (academic or practical)
• Artistic or practice-based presentations, performances, or installations
  
  

Please submit:

• Individual paper/presentation/workshop abstracts of up to 300 words
• Curated panel proposals of up to 750 words (including short abstracts for each paper)
  
  

Submissions should be made via this form: Submit your proposal here

Deadline for submissions: 19 January 2026

For any questions or further information, please contact:
Dr Matthew Rule-Jones — m.w.jones@exeter.ac.uk

We look forward to welcoming you to Exeter for a unique meeting of scholars, practitioners, and community cinema organisers—celebrating a century of film societies and the many communities that have sustained cinema across the world.