Leanne Dawson
Senior Lecturer in Film/D&I Consultant/Former Chair of the Scottish Queer International Film Festival
Dr Leanne Dawson is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh, an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Consultant, and former Chair of the Scottish Queer International Film Festival.
Leanne has an outstanding knowledge of the film, festival, and funding landscape in the UK and beyond, having worked extensively in and on film. Some examples of Leanne’s film exhibition and consultancy work:
She receives frequent invitations to speak on film and EDI on BBC Radio, has appeared as an expert onscreen, and in publications ranging from small independent ones to Harper’s Bazaar. She has published two books, written over 20 academic articles and book chapters, and edited four special journal issues on the subject of EDI, film, and film exhibition. Examples of her work include the Independent Cinema’s Office’s most widely read blog post Manifesto 05: Welcoming people who are working-class and/or in poverty - Independent Cinema Office and this guide to access in film exhibition: Culture in Crisis: A Guide to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (maifeminism.com). She is also an expert in writing funding applications, having won around half a million pounds of funding in her career. Her lived experience as a hard of hearing lesbian mother who was raised in extreme poverty in North East England augments her professional expertise and skills. She would love to speak to you about making your cinema, festival, or organisation more inclusive and more profitable.
Leanne has an outstanding knowledge of the film, festival, and funding landscape in the UK and beyond, having worked extensively in and on film. Some examples of Leanne’s film exhibition and consultancy work:
- Wearing various hats (Chair; event organiser; host) for the Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF);
- Co-founder of the Queer Screens Network; • over a decade of curating and hosting inclusive cinema events nationally and internationally;
- Invited jury member for international film festivals such as Mix Copenhagen;
- Mentoring young LGBTQI+ people in film programming Out at the Cameo | The Bigger Picture (the-bigger-picture.com)
- Creating guidelines on EDI for cinemas, festivals, and many other organisations;
- Delivering invited talks on film and film exhibition at universities, screening spaces etc. across five continents;
- Creating a series of podcasts, video, and documents on EDI, specifically working class inclusion, for the British Film Institute and Inclusive Cinema (in preparation).
She receives frequent invitations to speak on film and EDI on BBC Radio, has appeared as an expert onscreen, and in publications ranging from small independent ones to Harper’s Bazaar. She has published two books, written over 20 academic articles and book chapters, and edited four special journal issues on the subject of EDI, film, and film exhibition. Examples of her work include the Independent Cinema’s Office’s most widely read blog post Manifesto 05: Welcoming people who are working-class and/or in poverty - Independent Cinema Office and this guide to access in film exhibition: Culture in Crisis: A Guide to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (maifeminism.com). She is also an expert in writing funding applications, having won around half a million pounds of funding in her career. Her lived experience as a hard of hearing lesbian mother who was raised in extreme poverty in North East England augments her professional expertise and skills. She would love to speak to you about making your cinema, festival, or organisation more inclusive and more profitable.