04/10/2012 - A closer look at the institute’s most ambitious blueprint to date

Film Forever (news) is a comprehensive five year plan from the British Film Institute (BFI). Here are some specifics.

Audiences:
A UK Audience Network including 8-10 regional hubs outside London; equipping 1000 community venues across the UK; working with the Lottery Fund on a proposal to build, educate and inspire audiences at the community level.

Education:
A film education offer for 5-19 year olds in the UK, with the potential to reach 8.5 million young people, alongside the youth film Academy network for 16-19 year olds; BFI Film Skills Fund to support film schools with £5 million by 2017.

British Film:
More money for the production and development of UK films, rising annually to £24 million by 2017, with new opportunities for filmmakers working in documentary and animation and a greater focus on development; a New Talent Network to discover, grow and nurture new voices; a remodelled Distribution Fund responding to widespread changes within the sector; a new International Fund including more money for the British Film Commission; BFI Business Development Fund, in partnership with Creative England to provide seed funding to new businesses.

Film Heritage:
Plans to digitise 10,000 films over the next five years to expose new audiences to heritage titles.

Film Export UK Chair Stephen Kelliher said, “The BFI listened to the many advocates for well-targeted export support schemes and is now committing double the annual funding for such projects compared to the last year of the Film Council, and considering at that point there were no plans at all to continue such schemes it is a great relief that wiser counsel has prevailed.”