Diversity pie: rethinking social exclusion and diversity policy in the British film industry

Abstract

The objectives of this article are to expand the stock of knowledge on the subject of social exclusion and film diversity policy in the British film industry, through the investigation of the concept of diversity and its dominant expressions in language and practice. Rather than about bringing about structural change, diversity policy under the UK film Council falsely separated exclusion from its broader, socio-political realities and proved deeply incompatible with the imperative of equality of opportunity. To this end, it will be argued that the concept of cultural capital, while underdeveloped, has a valuable and distinctive part to play in future policy research into social exclusion within the film sector.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributors

Clive James Nwonka is a Research Associate in Film at Ravensbourne. His Ph.D. (Brunel University) researched through practice and theory contemporary forms of socio-political film and screenwriting. He previously worked on an Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded project in partnership with the King's College, Birmingham University and the BFI, exploring the relationship between diasporic communities and film. He lectures in film studies, practice and screenwriting.