The term International Exhibitionist was created in order to focus on the responsibility of the artists when showing their work. Once invited to take part in the event, the artists have the choice of the work they want to exhibit.

The standard format is an hour-long programme playing for only one night in the cinema auditorium. In this context, artists are not restricted to any medium (works can be 35mm, 16mm, video, sound, still frame, slide show, performance, or a mix of different media...). They only have to work with the idea that the programme takes place in a cinema auditorium and that their contribution can be up to 9 minutes long, but can also be shorter.

The International Exhibitionist has also developed as installation in gallery spaces. At the Camden Art Centre the proposal entitled Moving in Architecture was a series of video-projections on the gallery walls by artists who questioned the notion of architecture and the social space in their films or performances.

At the Barbican Centre artists were invited to respond by email with a slide to the title of the programme: Do Something Different. The slide show was part of an evening of performances and events and played on the plasma screens of the arts centre, which are normally used to announce the regular programme.

More recently, the International Exhibitionist took the choice of also supporting a feature film for its London Premiere People I could Have Been Or Maybe Am and will next be presenting a selection of works by recently graduated students of Le Fresnoy.