Four Corners is a unique centre for photography and film production and training. A charity, based in East London for over 40 years, It is one of a very few independent media organisations in London, recognised for its high-quality, inclusion-based training in film craft/production skills, with a remit to support people who have been traditionally marginalised from the creative process. Four Corners deliver projects pan-London and has a particular commitment to East London based initiatives.
We have a long track record of working with some of the most disadvantaged people living at the sharp end of economic deprivation. For example our Big Lottery-funded Digital Futures project provided a unique, three-year programme of learning and employability support in practical creative media skills for 122 unemployed and disadvantaged people living in some of the most deprived boroughs in London. Training was entirely free, offered travel and childcare costs, and opportunities for 24 paid work placements with industry employers. 92% participants rated Four Corners’ ‘non-discriminatory approach’ as important in overcoming barriers to career progression - higher than any other single element. This supports the case for the project’s approach to learning within a strongly supportive inclusive environment.
Skills Training: We support 60+ disadvantaged people each year - from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME), women, and disabled people - through free industry-standard training in film craft production skills for Film and TV. Over the past 2 years 60% of participants have secured work in film or television following participation in an integrated paid work placement scheme.
Professional Development: We provide specialist professional development support to over 200 filmmakers/photographers, especially new/emergent artists, through residencies, mentoring, workshops, networking events and opportunities to showcase their work in our Gallery.
Gallery Exhibitions: an average 4 exhibitions each year of work by new/emergent artists, alongside public talk programmes, draw audiences of 1000+ each year.
Arts Inclusion & Education:
We encourage community participation through a range of arts inclusion projects, engaging particularly with young people, women and older residents, and work with community groups, arts organisations and museums to promote artistic creativity, celebrating and fostering talent, especially amongst the most disadvantaged. For e.g. our Attlee Centre project worked with a group of 10 Bangladeshi boys at risk of exclusion: they made a short film about facing prejudice and what they think of Muslim extremism. We worked with a group of 12 older people aged 70-85, who documented their lives and aspects of local history, learning photographic skills and mounting several exhibitions in our Gallery.