Download a pdf version of this policy here.
ABOUT SQIFF
SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) was formed with the aim of adding to the exciting and growing amount of queer film stuff happening around Scotland. Since 2015, we have held an annual Festival in Glasgow alongside providing year round events across various locations. SQIFF aims to build community through queer films. Our goal is to get people watching, talking about, and making more queer films. We want to screen movies that people might not otherwise get a chance to see and create inspiring and informative events across Scotland. Moreover, we want to support marginalised groups within the LGBTQIA+ community by providing a networking system for queer filmmakers, as well as filmmaking workshops for audiences wanting to start on the medium. We want to challenge inequalities and barriers to accessing the arts.
This Anti-Racism Policy outlines SQIFF’s commitment to ensuring the care and wellbeing of its audiences, staff, participants, and volunteers.
This Anti-Racism Policy includes information on:
- Policy Statement
- Purpose
- Principles
- Our organisational commitment to anti-racist practice
- SQIFF’s commitment to ensuring safe environments for Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People
POLICY STATEMENT
Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) is an organisation committed to promote and demonstrate anti-racism in all its activities, including its public events and persona, and in all its other dealings.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure anti-racism is central in the planning, delivery and evaluation across SQIFF’s activities, with the intention to ensure SQIFF operates with a zero-tolerance approach to racism, in regards to SQIFF staff, freelancers, artists, audiences, participants and to all with whom SQIFF has dealings. It lays out our specific commitments to anti-racism and makes SQIFF responsible to the public as well its employees, voluntary staff, and audience members for acting on those commitments.
We acknowledge that racism exists on many levels, and is experienced in many different ways. We believe a definition of racism must recognise the structural and systemic discrimination upon which the world we know has been built upon, as well the significant and nuanced impact that intersectionality will play in any individual and/or group’s experience of racism. As a queer-led international film festival exhibiting queer work from across the world, we must understand and commit to our role in promoting, advocating for and demonstrating anti-racist practice, always seeking to recognise and reject racist working models, use our influence to challenge racist behaviour and language and support those with experience of, and at risk of experience of racism.
PRINCIPLES
SQIFF is compliant with the Equality Act 2010, recognising, in reinforcement of the above, the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender / gender reassignment, marriage / civil partnership, pregnancy / maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
Our anti-racist strategies incorporate but are not limited to the following commitments:
Employees and volunteers
- Using our influence and position to challenge and address racist behaviour and language.
- Creating an environment that demonstrates and promotes anti-racism. No form of intimidation, bullying or harassment will be tolerated.
- Actively creating safe opportunities for staff and Trustees to acknowledge and discuss racism, anti-racism, equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Taking allegations and reports of racism seriously and following necessary procedures to address situations, including supporting victims to heal and recover.
- Building a working culture which encourages learning from each other’s unique life experience.
- Actively seeking to diversify our core-team and Board of Trustees.
- Actively building and developing collaborations with a diverse group of artists and freelancers and championing the expertise and knowledge shared by people of the Global Majority.
- Ensuring the activity and programme offered by SQIFF represents and champions a diverse set of voices from all walks of life.
- Regularly reviewing all employment and volunteering practices and procedures to ensure that no employees, volunteers, or job applicants are treated less favourably than others.
- Continuing to seek and engage with training and learning opportunities on racism, anti-racist practice.
- Regularly reviewing these commitments with the Board of Trustees.
Audience members, artists, performers, and guests
- Creating an environment in which every person attending a SQIFF event or interacting with SQIFF feels safe, welcome, and supported to engage with the programme without discrimination.
- Putting on events which privilege the safety and inclusion of specific audiences, e.g. marginalised and/or people of colour-only, where appropriate.
- Ensuring all committee members, employees, and voluteers are fully informed of and trained in equality measures.
Recruitment
SQIFF is committed to providing and centering anti-racism in its recruitment procedures for all employees and volunteers.
Our commitment to accessibility for employees and volunteers includes:
- Paid and voluntary positions will be open to all.
- Job descriptions, person specifications, and job advertising will not exclude, discriminate against, or discourage any particular group from applying.
- Application and selection procedures will be clear, open, and every possible effort will be made to accommodate any adjustments necessary for individuals.
Grievance Procedures
SQIFF will take seriously, investigate, and take any necessary measures to deal with complaints of discrimination or breaches of its Anti-Racism Policy and will not victimise people who make such complaints.
Responsibility
The responsibility for implementation of SQIFF’s Anti-Racism Policy lies with its staff team and Trustees.
All employees, and volunteers have the individual responsibility to:
- Comply fully with SQIFF’s Anti-Racism Policy.
- Draw the attention of SQIFF’s staff to suspected or alleged discriminatory practices or breaches of its anti-racist measures.
- Refrain from harassing, intimidating, or discriminating against other employees, volunteers, or audience members.
COMMITMENT TO TRANS, NON-BINARY AND/OR GENDER DIVERSE PEOPLE
We are committed to providing an environment that is welcoming, accessible and inclusive for all attendees, staff, guests and volunteers, in person and online. In particular, SQIFF works to provide the safest environment for Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People.
Please refer to SQIFF’s Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People Statement to see our full statement and measures.
We welcome any comments and suggestions that can help us to develop our Anti-Racism Policy: [email protected].