The film festival operates under the auspices of Cheltenham International Film Trust.  The Trust Is a charity dedicated to translate artistic and creative values into social and economic benefits for the town.  In so doing, the Trust is committed to use the power of film to bridge the social divide by engaging with young people in the community – diverse in makeup, inclusive of all, intersecting race, sex, gender, disability, income, class – with a curious to strong interest in film. 

The Trust via its flagship film festival and year-round film-related events has taken film screenings into deprived areas of town, given free access to film festival events, organised master classes and workshops and continues to do so in partnership with local authority, local charities, schools, government-bodies, film institutions and leading figures from the film industry.

The Trust seeks to inspire the next generation of cinema audience and the next generation of filmmaker; using the film festival and film-related events to inspire and to turn hope into opportunity and opportunity into jobs and careers in film.