Melanie Hoyes

Having completed postgraduate studies and teaching film and TV at undergraduate level, the BFI has given Mel the opportunity to use these skills in a contemporary industry context. She completed a BFI research project to historically map ethnic diversity in onscreen representation in UK film for the Black Star season at the BFI Southbank in 2016, ground-breaking research and data methodology which she continues to speak about to a variety of audiences. The research was also written up in a piece and Sight & Sound Magazine and an academic collection of essays called Black Film, British Cinema II. In her role as Industry Inclusion Executive, Mel advocates for increased access and equity in the UK film sector as well as consulting and partnering with global partners to embed diversity and inclusion into policy and practice. In particular, Mel champions the BFI’s Diversity Standards and seeks to establish data and research as a baseline for meaningful change. She is also the Europe Council Lead for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.