Great North Museum and Beacon Films Co-Produce Digital Interpretation with Disabled Filmmakers

The Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle and Beacon Films, a production company supporting disabled and neurodivergent filmmakers, are reshaping museum interpretation through co-production. Presented at the Museum Digital Summit 2026, their partnership places creative decision-making in the hands of filmmakers. The project involves two groups: a showcase group that develops a creative brief and a creative group that responds to it. Filmmakers created short films responding to the museum, including a piece about Mary Jane Hancock, sister to the museum's founding brothers, and a film about a budgerigar named Sparky. The Virtual Visionaries project worked with students with profound learning difficulties, using footage and reactions to build films. A pilot filmmaker placement within the museum offers a formally advertised position for a neurodivergent filmmaker. Kate Holden, Learning Officer at the museum, says the collaboration has made her question her practice. The installations are on display in the museum.