Equal Opportunities Statement

Last updated: 3 November 2026

First Step Films is committed to equality of opportunity and to building a film community that anyone can take part in, whatever their background.

Our commitment
We will not discriminate, directly or indirectly, against anyone because of a characteristic protected by the Equality Act 2010:

  • Age

  • Disability

  • Gender reassignment

  • Marriage and civil partnership

  • Pregnancy and maternity

  • Race, including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin

  • Religion or belief, including having no belief

  • Sex

  • Sexual orientation

We also welcome people regardless of their socio-economic background, caring responsibilities, or route into the industry.

What this means in practice

  • We choose artists, crew and collaborators based on skills, experience, availability and suitability for the role.

  • We aim to reach people from a wide range of communities when looking for artists, crew and writers.

  • Our competitions and script submissions are judged on the work, and we will say in each set of competition rules how entries are assessed.

  • We will make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people and people with health conditions can take part, on set, remotely or in our application processes. If you need an adjustment, tell us in the application form or by emailing us. We will treat your request in confidence.

  • We expect everyone working with us to treat others with dignity and respect. Harassment, bullying and discrimination are not tolerated (see our Code of Conduct).

  • We will always say clearly whether a role is paid or unpaid, so that people who cannot afford to work for free are not misled or excluded.

Monitoring
We invite people to complete an optional equal opportunities form. It is voluntary, separate from your application, and does not affect whether we contact you about work. Your answers are used only to understand and improve how inclusive we are, and are reported as anonymous totals. See our Privacy Policy for how this data is handled.

Concerns
If you believe you have been treated unfairly, please email info@firststepfilms.co.uk. We will take your concern seriously and respond promptly.

Review
We will review this statement at least once a year.