Curating with PanAfrican Archives: A Traineeship Programme

Photo Credit @sophiastefelle

The June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive (JGPACA) and Afrika Eye are working together to deliver ‘Curating with Pan-African Cinema Archives’, an eight-week paid traineeship for three people. This will be in collaboration with University of Bristol Film & TV Department, Arnolfini and Pervasive Media Studio.

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

We are offering three paid places (18 yrs +) and 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 we are looking for applicants with an enthusiasm to learn and a keen interest in film.

Participants 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).

Trainee bursary

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 8 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.

Submit Your Application

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.

Learn more about the traineeship here.

About

The June Givanni PanAfrican 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. To date, the JGPACA holds more than 10,000 items, connecting African film with the film cultures of diaspora communities in the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe. The archive’s collection, which encompasses the rich history of Black British arts with roots in the African diaspora, is evidenced in its international and global perspectives.

Who is Leading the Programme?

Annie Menter has been director of Afrika Eye for the last ten years. During her tenure she has developed a citywide community engagement programme with each festival and artist exchanges with Image et Vie film festival in Dakar, Senegal. Annie has had an extensive career as a creative producer, researcher, music and arts curator and educational lead with WOMAD Festivals, working in schools and universities around the world as an integral part of festival events . She has carried out research projects in Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia and previously lectured in Arts in Visual Context at UWE Bristol. She is currently an independent creative producer working across the arts. 

Esther Afikiruweh has an MA in Global Creative and Cultural industries from SOAS and has been Afrika Eye's producer for the last 6 years. In Bristol and beyond, she has worked on many successful cultural projects as a creative producer with experience in theatre, visual arts, music and film. Most recently she has worked with BIMM University, Trinity Community Arts, St Pauls Carnival and Tangle Theatre. Check out some of her work here.