2023-03-31-annual-report

ESC Films Limited (Company limited by guarantee)

Trustee Report for the year ended 13 March 2023

The Trustees present their report with the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 of the accounts and comply with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and

"Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published in October 2019".

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: ESC Films Limited Charity Registration number: NIC102123 Company Registration number: NI036267 Registered Office: Blick Studios,46 Hill Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BTI 2LB

Business Address: Blick Studios,46 Hill Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT 2LB

Trustees:

Don Leeson (Chair) Paul McAleer Heather Moorhead Moyra Richardson Neil Gilmore Secretary Moyra Richardson

Independent Examiner: McCreery Turkington Stockman LTD, 1Lanyon Quay, Belfast, BT1 3LG

Bankers The Co-Operative Bank Pic, P.O. Box 250, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT

Legal structure of the charity:

The charity is constituted as a company limited by guarantee, registered under the Companies Acts. The governing documents of the charity are its Memorandum and Articles of Association establishing the company under company legislation and its constitution.

There are no restrictions in the governing documents on the operation of the Charity or on its investment powers other than those imposed by Charity Law.

By operation under law all Trustees are Directors under the Companies Act 2006 and have responsibilities as such under both company and charity legislation.

The trustees are all individuals:

Structure, governance and management of the charity:

The methods used to recruit and appoint new charity trustees. Governance and management of ESC films is undertaken by a Board of Directors comprising a Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and other Directors. The Board normally meets six times a year and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and control of esc film's activities. The day to day management of esc films is led by the Chief Executive with authority delegated by the Board of Directors. The Chief Executive and Artistic Director, have clearly defined areas of responsibility and accountability. They are supported by a cohort of freelance associates who are contracted for specialist expertise when the need arises.

The charity recruits and appoints trustees with a range of skills, experience and knowledge in keeping with the pursuance of its objects.

The charity's financial control procedures:

in relation to ESC film's overall financial control procedures, the charity has in place a comprehensive Strategic Plan supplemented by an annual budget approved by the Board of Trustees. Actual results are reported against budget on a monthly basis and projections to year end are reviewed by the Board at every meeting. The charity's day to day financial processes, which are governed by financial regulations, are approved by the Board.

Risk management:

The trustees have a duty to identity and review the risks to which the charity si exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.

Objectives, Activities, Achievements and Performance:

Main Aim:

The charity's objects are set out in its constitution and are to advance education for the public benefit and to promote arts and culture. Amore detailed explanation of the charity's objects is contained below in the section entitled "The main activities undertaken during the year to further the charity's purpose for the public benefit".

The main activities undertaken in relation to those purposes during the year 2022-23

SUMMARY: Over the course of the year we worked with 384 individuals, impacting directly on 20 participants in our therapeutic work, on a further 60 family members and an additional 54 staff members and volunteers. The charity awarded 9 ASDAN Peer Mentoring Awards and made 89 short films.

The main achievements and performance of the charity in 2022-23.

ESC films worked continuously to deliver on the goals outlined in the new Strategic Plan and Business Plan 2023-25.

ESC films focused on fulfilling the following aims for the year 2022-23:

We delivered a series of co-designed and co-produced short films based on the lived experience of the participants:

STEPPING OUT STAYING OUT (Shannon Clinic, Medium Secure Unit) launched May 2022 - This research-needs-driven training project was co-funded by The Halifax Foundation and the Belfast Health &Social Care Trust. The film project ran for over 41 weeks, one session per week and launched in May 2022.

The aim was to equip the Community and Forensic Mental Health team to educate those still in Shannon, using the lived experiences of those who have been through the system and are now settled in the community.

esc films produced a 20-minute long training film, devised, and co-produced with the Community &Forensic Mental Health Teams at the BHSCT. It is based on the most pressing issues raised by those leaving Shannon Clinic and transitioning back into the community. As part of the film-making project, 4 clients earned 2 credits as part of an ASDAN Peer Mentoring Award.

CANCER FOCUS NI:

The 2022-23 year spanned the second and third years of our four year contract with Cancer Focus - creating film resources to help support the work of their Family Support Service. In the first half of 2022, we adapted our methods, using btoh live face to face sessions and online zoom sessions to create content. We worked with young people, their families and teachers to create a series of 3 short films called The Learnings - a resource to help schools understand the needs of young people who have a parent with a cancer diagnosis. Filming was more straightforward this year since the majority of Covid restrictions had been lifted. The project launched at Stormont Hotel, Belfast in August 2022. See - - - - - https://cancerfocusni.org/patient support/family support/the learnings video series/

We also prepared the groundwork to deliver a film telling the story of Cancer Focus NI's services, working with staff, clients, families and young people to capture the holistic nature of their services and signpost people towards relevant and timely help.

Completed June 2023 and due to launch publicly shortly after. INCLUSIVE FAITH: we completed our original "A QUESTION OF BELONGING" LGBTQIA+ project benefitting from a partnership with the Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership (NIRDP) which provided us with a film-maker for the year to work on this project. We are grateful to the Rank Foundation's Time2Shine programme for supporting this work. In Feb 2023 we successfully launched the Inclusive Faith website, www.inclusivefaith.lgbt signposting for LGBTQIA+ people of faith and resources for people who are looking for resources to go on ajourney towards LGBTQIA +inclusion. The project received a lot of media attention including radio interviews on Radio Ulster and articles in the Belfast Telegraph and various online sources.

www.Inclusivefaith.Igbt is now a home for the following:

• One six week course

• 6 films of leader's journeys

• 6 short filmed introductions to affirming faith spaces

Lists of

• 30 inclusive groups

• 16 community organisations

• 16 pride events across the island of Ireland

• 10 signposts to counselling and helplines

• 28 books

• 35 terms in one glossary

RARE DISEASE PARTNERSHIP

• as part of the Time2 Shine project, esc films supported its film-maker to create a series of short films capturing the stories of people living with Rare Diseases in NI called Voices of the 1 in 17: These were launched at Stormont on Rare Disease Day in Feb 2023 and subsequently used widely on social media. https://nirdp.org.uk/campaigns/

FUTURE SCREENS

• We were able to complete the research elements of our Future Screens NI Virtual Reality research project during the year, exploring how our previous participants responded to VR technology.

BOARDROOM APPRENTICE

• esc films were successful again in tendering for the filming at the Boardroom Apprentice Panel Day 2023 and created a series of 19 short films which were broadly shared as part of the ongoing Boardroom Apprentice marketing drive. https://boardroomapprentice.com/

DEIRDRE'S STORY

• We worked in the Republic of Ireland for the first time, creating a dramatised film which aims to support training in Trauma-informed practice. We developed the film with the Donegal Domestic Violence Services and an Garda Siochana, Health Service Executive, Donegal Women’s Centre and the Children and Young People's Services Committee (CYPSC). The film launched in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal in Sept 2022 and is being rolled out in trauma-informed training across the South of Ireland.

MINDWISE - WISEMOVES

• we worked for a full year with MindWise mental health charity to tell the stories of individuals in their services and how they had journeyed through Covid. We also showcased a wide range of MindWise services through short films which launched in

Nov 2022 at MindWise' AGM. We created 8 individual stories and 10 films about services. See

https://www.mindwisenv.org/what-we-do/wisemoves-flm-series/

MINDWISE -SNAKES AND LADDERS

• also in partnership with Mind Wise and this time supported by the LFT Charitable Foundation, we began work on a mental health and addictions project, working with a group of men and women from MindWise and Action Mental Health who had lived experience of both serious addictions and mental health issues. The project launched June 2023 and aims to help others with similar problems rebuild their lives.

BELFAST TRUST - PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH

• we were commissioned to create a film called My Safe Space, co-designed with a group of mothers who had all experience perinatal mental health issues and had availed of BHSCT’s perinatal mental health services. The film aims to encourage other mothers facing similar problems to seek help. The programme was accredited and 5 women received ASDAN peer mentoring awards. The programme was completed in 2023 and will be launched shortly afterwards.

MICKEY B

• we continued to showcase our feature film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Mickey B, holding a screening in March 2023 as part of the Belfast Learning City festival, and giving online workshops to universities, such as the University of Murcia, Spain.

Financial Review

The charity's financial position at the end of the year ended 31 March 2023 is set out in the financial statements.

Reserves Policy

The directors have set a reserves target of at least £25,000 of unrestricted reserves representing approx. 3 months running costs.

The directors regularly review the level of reserves held and consider opportunities to apply them in line with, and in furtherance of its charitable objectives.

Going Concern:

The board of Trustees is satisfied that the charity’s assets in each fund are available and adequate to fulfil its obligations in respect of each fund.

Statement of the Directors' and Trustees' Responsibilities:

The directors are responsible for preparing the annual report on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law on the United Kingdom accounting standards (United Kingdom generally accepted accounting practice). Company law

requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources including the income and expenditure of the charitable company for the year.

In preparing those financial statements the directors are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

• make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been folowed, subject to any material departures

disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the

charitable company will continue in operation.

The directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy

at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements

comply with the Companies Act 206- They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company

and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and toher irregularities.

This report was approved by the Board on 11th September 2023.