Complaints
If we got something wrong, tell us.
A complaint is not a nuisance. It is the cheapest information an organisation ever gets. This page says exactly how to make one, what we will do, how long each stage takes, and where to go if our answer does not satisfy you.
Which route
Complaint, or concern? The difference matters.
The two routes are handled by different people, to different timescales, under different rules. If you pick the wrong one we will move it to the right one and tell you — we will not send you away to start again.
Use this page — a complaint
Something we did badly or did not do: a decision you think was unfair, being kept waiting, poor service, an unanswered email, a hire that went wrong, a session that was not what was advertised, or the way somebody spoke to you.
Use report a concern instead
Anything about the safety or wellbeing of a child or an adult at risk, harassment, bullying, discrimination, abuse of any kind, or serious wrongdoing. That route goes to the directors of Futures in Film and is handled under the safeguarding procedure, not this one. You can go straight to any of the independent routes at the foot of this page instead, at any time. Report a concern →
Something about your personal data
Access to what we hold, correction, deletion, or how we used it. Start with the privacy notice, which names who to ask. You can also complain directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at any point.
Something on the website
A barrier that stopped you using the site goes to the accessibility route, which has faster timescales because you are usually stuck. A broken link is just an email.
Something we did badly or did not do: a decision you think was unfair, being kept waiting, poor service, an unanswered email, a hire that went wrong, a session that was not what was advertised, or the way somebody spoke to you.
Anything about the safety or wellbeing of a child or an adult at risk, harassment, bullying, discrimination, abuse of any kind, or serious wrongdoing. That route goes to the directors of Futures in Film and is handled under the safeguarding procedure, not this one. You can go straight to any of the independent routes at the foot of this page instead, at any time. Report a concern →
Access to what we hold, correction, deletion, or how we used it. Start with the privacy notice, which names who to ask. You can also complain directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at any point.
A barrier that stopped you using the site goes to the accessibility route, which has faster timescales because you are usually stuck. A broken link is just an email.
How to complain
Four ways, and none of them is a form you have to fight.
info@futuresinfilm.com with “Complaint” in the subject line. It goes to the directors, is logged with a reference you can quote, and you are told who is dealing with it.
Post
FUTURES IN FILM C.I.C., 5th Floor, 167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF. Mark it for the attention of the directors, complaints.
In person
Say it to anybody working on a session or at Pinewood and we will write it down for you and read it back so you can check we got it right. Email or post is the written route, and you can ring 01753 785637 if you would rather say it out loud.
Through somebody else
A parent, carer, friend, teacher, support worker or union rep can complain on your behalf. We may need your say-so before we can share details of the outcome with them.
What helps us act
What happened, roughly when, who was involved if you know, what it has meant for you, and what you would like us to do about it. If you do not have all of that, complain anyway.
Can I complain anonymously?
Yes, and we will still look into it. It is harder, because we cannot ask you questions and we cannot tell you the outcome. If you want confidentiality rather than anonymity, ask — we will keep your name to the people who have to know.
info@futuresinfilm.com with “Complaint” in the subject line. It goes to the directors, is logged with a reference you can quote, and you are told who is dealing with it.
FUTURES IN FILM C.I.C., 5th Floor, 167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF. Mark it for the attention of the directors, complaints.
Say it to anybody working on a session or at Pinewood and we will write it down for you and read it back so you can check we got it right. Email or post is the written route, and you can ring 01753 785637 if you would rather say it out loud.
A parent, carer, friend, teacher, support worker or union rep can complain on your behalf. We may need your say-so before we can share details of the outcome with them.
What happened, roughly when, who was involved if you know, what it has meant for you, and what you would like us to do about it. If you do not have all of that, complain anyway.
Yes, and we will still look into it. It is harder, because we cannot ask you questions and we cannot tell you the outcome. If you want confidentiality rather than anonymity, ask — we will keep your name to the people who have to know.
The stages
Three stages, with the clock stated.
| Stage | Who deals with it | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 Informal | The person or team involved, or their manager | Most things are a misunderstanding or a fixable mistake and are sorted out by talking. You can skip this stage and go straight to Stage 2 if you would rather. | Reply within 5 working days |
| Stage 2 Formal | A director who is not the person the complaint is about. If the complaint is about the only person who could look at it, we tell you that, and point you to an independent route | We acknowledge it, tell you who is investigating, look at the records, speak to the people involved and to you, then write to you with what we found, what we are doing and why. | Acknowledge within 3 working days, full reply within 20 working days |
| Stage 3 Review | A director not previously involved | A review of whether Stage 2 was handled properly and whether the outcome was reasonable. Futures in Film does not yet have a constituted board, so where nobody uninvolved is available we say so rather than stage a review that is not independent. Either way this is the end of our internal process, and the routes below are open to you. | Ask within 20 working days of our Stage 2 reply; outcome within 20 working days |
If something is complicated and we are going to take longer, we will tell you before the deadline, say why, and give you a new date. Going quiet is the failure, not the delay.
What we do with it
Behind the scenes.
We record every one
Date, what it was about, what we did, how long we took and what changed. The directors review the log. A complaints log nobody reads is a filing exercise, not a procedure.
Nobody investigates themselves
The person a complaint is about does not handle it, does not decide it and does not get to close it.
Complaining costs you nothing
It will not affect your application, your place, your hire or how you are treated. If you think it has, that is itself a complaint and it goes straight to Stage 3.
We tell you what changed
If your complaint leads us to change how we do something, we will say so. If it does not, we will explain why rather than write “lessons have been learned”.
What we cannot do
We cannot overturn a decision made by another organisation, act as a regulator for a production we were not part of, or re-run a selection you were not chosen for. We can tell you honestly how the decision was made.
Unreasonable behaviour
Very rarely, we may limit contact to one route or one named person — because of abuse or threats, not because a complaint is persistent. We would write to you first and explain.
Date, what it was about, what we did, how long we took and what changed. The directors review the log. A complaints log nobody reads is a filing exercise, not a procedure.
The person a complaint is about does not handle it, does not decide it and does not get to close it.
It will not affect your application, your place, your hire or how you are treated. If you think it has, that is itself a complaint and it goes straight to Stage 3.
If your complaint leads us to change how we do something, we will say so. If it does not, we will explain why rather than write “lessons have been learned”.
We cannot overturn a decision made by another organisation, act as a regulator for a production we were not part of, or re-run a selection you were not chosen for. We can tell you honestly how the decision was made.
Very rarely, we may limit contact to one route or one named person — because of abuse or threats, not because a complaint is persistent. We would write to you first and explain.
Still not satisfied
Where to go outside us.
These are independent of us. You do not have to finish our process first, though it usually helps if you have.
The CIC Regulator
The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies can consider complaints about how a community interest company is being run, including its asset lock and whether it is serving the community it says it serves.
The Information Commissioner’s Office
For anything about personal data, cookies or how we handled an information request.
The Equality Advisory and Support Service
For discrimination, or a failure to make a reasonable adjustment, under the Equality Act 2010.
A funder or partner
If your complaint is about activity paid for by a funder or delivered with a partner organisation, that body will have its own complaints route and you are entitled to use it.
Your union
If your complaint concerns work, pay or conditions on something we ran, Bectu and the other screen unions represent people in this industry and will advise members.
The police
If you believe a crime has been committed, that is not a complaint and we would not want it to sit in our process. Call 101, or 999 in an emergency.
The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies can consider complaints about how a community interest company is being run, including its asset lock and whether it is serving the community it says it serves.
For anything about personal data, cookies or how we handled an information request.
For discrimination, or a failure to make a reasonable adjustment, under the Equality Act 2010.
If your complaint is about activity paid for by a funder or delivered with a partner organisation, that body will have its own complaints route and you are entitled to use it.
If your complaint concerns work, pay or conditions on something we ran, Bectu and the other screen unions represent people in this industry and will advise members.
If you believe a crime has been committed, that is not a complaint and we would not want it to sit in our process. Call 101, or 999 in an emergency.
This procedure was prepared in September 2026. Our policies are published as drafted. Formal adoption is minuted at the next board meeting and the date is added here.
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