Trainee Curators

Afrika Eye Film Festival & June Givanni Pan-African Cinema Archive (JGPACA)

The June Givanni Pan-African Cinema Archive and Afrika Eye Flm Festival have partnered to deliver Curating with Pan-African Cinema Archives, an eight-week paid traineeship for three people delivered in collaboration with the University of Bristol Film & TV Department, the Arnolfini and Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio.

The June Givanni Pan-African Cinema Archive (JGPACA) was set up officially in 2013, and is a living archive that preserves and values the history of Black cinema globally. At its core is the interest of Pan-African cinema and its relationship with Black British cinema and culture.

The trainee ships will run with weekly sessions from Wednesday 4 March to Wednesday 22 April 2026 with an opportunity to collaborate on a film archive exhibition.

Afrika Eye and the JGPACA welcome applicants of Black heritage with a curiosity and interest in learning about Pan-African cinema.

You do not need to have work experience or any formal training in film or archive curation but should have a keen interest in film and an enthusiasm to learn.

Trainees will have an opportunity to:

• Deepen their understanding of film curation through a structured programme and archival exploration
• Engage critically with materials from JGPACA, considering curatorial responsibility, diasporic memory, historical context and the politics of representation
• Research, reflect and share how a programme might be curated within a specific cultural context, touching on themes, ideas and objects
• Explore setting a screening within a wider arts context (using music, photography, dance etc) and examine how this might offer an enhanced experience and develop audience engagement
• Carry out a research task exploring local subject material might offer specific curatorial opportunities (stories, photography, short films, museum collections).

As well as workshop sessions, trainees will have opportunities to:

• Watch and research Pan-African cinema tailored to their interests
• Attend local events to enhance their learning
• Read relevant books and resources
• Create their own film event based on their learning

Each trainee will be allocated a bursary of £784, inclusive of tax. There are no travel or other expenses included, but trainees will be provided with learning resources.

This bursary is based on a £14 per hour hourly rate, for 56 hours over the eight weeks. The total learning hours in the weekly sessions will be 27 hours, with a remaining 29 hours to contribute towards optional weekly film screenings, local event attendance and creation of a final exhibit.

Applications must be submitted by 6pm on Friday 13 February. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an informal conversation with the project leads on Monday 16 February, with outcomes communicated by Tuesday 17 February.

The closing date for this position is 13/02/2026 at 18:00