Manchester Indian Film Festival Volunteer

Manchester Indian Film Festival (WeLoveMIFF) is part of Europe's largest South Asian Film Festival along with London (LIFF) and Birmingham (BIFF).  The vibrancy of the program largely depends on the support of its committed, hardworking and fun volunteer team. This year we are again putting out a call for the same. We look forward to welcoming volunteers of all ages and backgrounds from around the world!

Shortlisted volunteers will be allocated into various departments based on their skills, experiences and festival requirements. There is no short-selling the amount of work that goes into setting up a film festival, a lot of which was made much easier and a lot more fun thanks to our team of dedicated volunteers!

About the Festival

The Blue Orchid Hotels Manchester Indian Film Festival originated in London 12 years ago where it garnered a reputation as the ‘Punk Rock of Indian Film festivals’, presenting a cutting-edge selection of the very best new independent cinema from South Asia and its worldwide diaspora. This offering includes dramatic features, documentaries, short films and Screen Talks by some of the region’s leading film-making talent. We are delighted to present one of the most diverse film offerings in the UK film calendar and are proudly supported by the Blue Orchid Hotels and BFI’s National Lottery Audience Fund.

We welcome our current venue partners including HOME, EVERYMAN, Ducie Street Warehouse and Manchester Poetry Library, Manchester Metropolitan University for our second year in Manchester.

The festival dates are as follows: 21 June - 6 July

Purpose of a Volunteer
Volunteering for our festival is a great way to get valuable experience and exposure for those trying to break into the film industry. We offer a variety of positions and roles, which include guest liaison, marketing, ticketing, ushering, venue management, event technical support, pre-festival promotion and more.

Who we are looking for
We would ideally like individuals who have some or all the following:

• Proactive, decisive and quick witted
• Fluency in English
• Passion for the arts, films and audience engagement
• Passion for South-Asian Culture
• A team player focused on achieving collective goals
• Comfortable being in a fast-paced, high-traffic environment, flexible and positive attitude
• Previous experience in festival/venue/event management (not essential)

You will be working with a very diverse group of people of all ages, this includes the Festival staff, volunteers, participating artists, performers, community members, local business, charities and various other organisations.

This role will be carried out within high traffic environments and may require multitasking. We want to support you to do well and to learn from the experience, and also to enjoy your time with us.

What you will gain as a volunteer

• In-depth knowledge and experience of running a large scale international film festival
• In-depth understanding of South-Asian Independent Culture and Films
• Networking with like-minded people and professionals which could lead to mutually beneficial relationships
• A chance to see new films ahead of their release date or films that won’t be widely released in cinemas
• Listen to Q&As and learn a lot about South-Asian cinema
• And most importantly having a lot of fun!