Lottery Film Funding Increased by £3m as BFI Takes Charge
06/04/2011On 1st April 2011 the BFI became the lead body for film within the UK, and immediately announced further support for UK filmmakers by channelling an increased £3m towards funding for UK production (from £15m – £18m), delivering on their commitment to put overhead savings back into film.
The BFI will now be taking over as the Lottery distributor; overseeing a 60% increased share of Lottery proceeds for British films as well as administering British film certification. The BFI website now states that the organisation will aim to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:
- Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and world cinema
- Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations
- Championing emerging and world class filmmakers in the UK
- Investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work
- Promoting British film and talent to the world
- Growing the next generation of filmmakers and audiences
As part of the move from The UK Film Council, The BFI have also set up new webpages for the Film Funding and The British Film Tax Relief, which can now be found at http://www.bfi.org.uk/about/funding and http://www.bfi.org.uk/about/qualifying respectively.
BFI Chair Greg Dyke has also confirmed that five new Governors - with a sixth to be announced next week - will join the BFI Board, following over 100 applicants from some of the biggest names across all sectors of the industry. Representing a dynamic, hugely talented and diverse range of expertise, they include:
Josh Berger, President and Managing Director of Warner Bros. Entertainment UK, Ireland and Spain; Rt. Hon James Purnell, former MP and Cabinet Minister, who has been attending BFI screenings since the age of 15 and is a dedicated supporter of the arts; and Beeban Kidron, BAFTA-winning film and TV director and founder of the very successful education charity, FILMCLUB.
Also joining the Board of Governors are Lisbeth Savill, Head of Film and Television Practice at Olswang and winner of the Women in Film and Television Business Award, and Matthew Justice, Film and TV producer and MD of Big Talk, the production company behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
The new Governors also took up their posts on 1 April 2011, replacing three retiring Governors, Eric Fellner, Caroline Michel and Peter Watson, plus two vacant posts as the BFI moves into a new era.
Greg Dyke said:
"We are about to see the biggest change to the film landscape in the past ten years and these new board members have each been chosen for the individual skills, wisdom and strengths they will bring to the BFI so that it can lead on delivering a dynamic new plan for film in the UK. The Board members stepping down provided a rock-steady hand to help guide the BFI through some of the most challenging times in its history and they can be proud of their achievements. I want to thank them for everything they have done for the BFI."
Amanda Nevill, Director of the BFI, said:
"Today heralds a new chapter for the BFI and a new era for film, which I believe will be one of the most fertile, exciting and successful times for British film."
"Building on the experience and expertise of both the BFI and the UKFC, we now have an historic opportunity to create a single voice and cohesive vision for film. The new era isn't about an organisation, it's about film, film makers and audiences, and that will be our focus."
Minister for the Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey, said:
"The BFI is now the lead agency for film. The transfer of UKFC activities has been concluded with no disruption to film makers. I would like to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of the staff at UKFC and the BFI who helped make this happen and who put the interests of film first. The BFI will be administering British film certification; taking over as the Lottery distributor; and overseeing a 60% increased share of Lottery proceeds for British films. In retaining key industry expertise and building on the wealth of knowledge already in the BFI I am confident that the future of British film is in safe hands."
As the new Lottery distributor for film the BFI's mandate includes funding for film development and production, distribution (the P&A Fund), training and education through Skillset and First Light. They also take on the strategic partnerships for film across the devolved nations and funding in the English regions; responsibility for UK film certification, which is the gateway to the UK film tax credit; and the MEDIA Desk UK. In supporting Film London and the British Film Commission, the BFI also take on promoting British film and talent internationally. The Film Institute stated that it recognises the importance of the Research and Statistics Unit (RSU) to the film industry, and will seek new commercial partnership funding models to support it.
The BFI will add this new remit to its portfolio, which reaches millions of people across the country. This includes BFI Southbank (currently reporting record figures) and BFI IMAX (always one of the top three most commercially successful cinema screens in the world); publishing; Sight & Sound magazine; cinema distribution; the BFI DVD label; Festivals; including the BFI London Film Festival; BFI Education; BFI Library and the BFI National Archive.
Last week the BFI welcomed 38 new colleagues from the UK Film Council and will look to ensure a seamless transition and continuity across all activities.