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UK Film Council response to Ministerial statement on future of film

Ed Vaizey announces DCMS plans for UK film funding in light of closure of UK Film Council

London - Monday 29 November 2010

Responding to today's statement by Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, setting out his plans for the future of UK film policy, Tim Cagney, Managing Director of the UK Film Council said:

"We are relieved that, after over four months of uncertainty, the Government has made up its mind on where public support for UK film will sit. There are still many unresolved issues so, to benefit the industry and to protect our staff, we will continue to work with the relevant organisations on a smooth handover of film functions and expertise.

"I want to recognise the outstanding professionalism and commitment to the film industry that the UK Film Council staff have shown throughout this incredibly difficult and uncertain time for us all."

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

  1. Since its creation in 2000, the UK Film Council has invested over £160m of Lottery funding into more than 900 films and shorts which have entertained over 200 million people and helped generate over £700 million at the box office worldwide, generating £5 for every £1 of Lottery money it has invested.
  2. The UK Film Council currently employs 73 people. Its current 2010/11 core allocation turnover (i.e. money available for investment in film) is £60m, comprising £25.6m of core grant-in-aid (of which £16m goes to the BFI), £34.2m of Lottery income plus additional income such as recoupment. Over the past ten years the UK Film Council has recouped almost £80m on its film investment portfolio.
  3. Our support has developed new filmmakers, funded ambitious new British films and ensured a wider choice of films has been made available to audiences throughout the UK. We have also promoted Britain as an international filmmaking location, raised the profile of British films abroad and invested in training British talent, enabling almost 7,000 people to further their filmmaking careers.
  4. Since 2000, the UK Film Council has funded critically and commercially successful films such as Another Year, Streetdance 3D, the UK's first 3D film, Made in Dagenham, Man on Wire, Bright Star, Fish Tank, In the Loop, Tamara Drewe, Bend it like Beckham, The Constant Gardener, Gosford Park, Happy-Go-Lucky, The Last King of Scotland, Nowhere Boy, Red Road, St Trinian's, This is England, Touching the Void, Vera Drake and The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
  5. Current and forthcoming films that we have supported include Tom Hooper's The King's Speech, Clio Barnard's The Arbor, Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea, Peter Mullan's Neds, Debs Gardner-Paterson's Africa United, Joe Cornish's Attack the Block, Rowan Joffe's Brighton Rock, Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk about Kevin, Justin Chadwick's The First Grader, Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights, Ayub Khan-Din's West is West, Gillian Wearing's Self-Made and John Akomfrah's The Nine Muses.     
  6. Other UK Film Council funding initiatives include:

    • the world's first Digital Screen Network, which has invested in 240 digital screens in cinemas across the UK, increasing film choice, bringing the 3D experience to a wider audience;
    • the Prints and Advertising Fund which has provided support for British and specialised films such as An Education, Pan's Labyrinth, Waltz with Bashir, A Prophet, The Lives of Others and many more, meaning that, since 2004, 62 specialised films have grossed more than £1m at the UK box office – in the decade before the creation of the P&A Fund, only 11 specialised films had crossed that barrier;
    • the Office of the British Film Commissioner, which markets the UK and encourages international feature films to be made in the UK, using Britain's highly-skilled workforce and production facilities;
    • a £1.2 million Lottery project bringing the latest in digital cinema under-screened parts of the UK giving rural audiences the opportunity to enjoy a 3D film screenings, live opera, theatre and other events;
    • supporting UK film festivals, 200 film societies and independent regional film venues;
    • giving over 20,000 young people the opportunity to get involved in filmmaking through First Light and Mediabox;
    • bringing FILMCLUB to thousands of schools, introducing new generations of children to the best of British and international cinema.
  8. The UK film industry has a turnover of £6.8 billion. It contributes a total of over £4.5 billion a year to UK GDP, returns more than £1.2 billion to the Exchequer and supports a total of 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
  9. The UK box office has grown by 62% since the UK Film Council was created (in 2009 it reached record levels of £944 million), with British films accounting for 23% of all UK cinema takings over the ten years to 2009.
  10. Recent figures show that in 2009:
    • cinema admissions rose to 174 million, the highest figure for seven years;
    • British films and talent won 36 major film awards, 17% of the total available;
    • inward investment reached a record £753 million, up 111% on 2008;
    • UK film exports exceeded £1.3 billion, 92% higher than in 2001.

For more information, please contact:

Oliver Rawlins
T: 020 7861 7505
M: 07855 326362
E: oliver.rawlins@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk

Tina McFarling
T: 020 7861 7900
M: 07879 421 578
E: tina.mcfarling@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk