BFI Chair exults in new role
Reacting to his body becoming the leader of the British film industry (see news, Greg Dyke, Chair of the British Film Institute (BFI), said, “This decision is a great vote of confidence in the BFI. It is a bold move to create a single champion for film in the UK and we welcome it. We want to achieve greater coherence across the whole film sector and to strike a balance between cultural and commercial.
“We see an opportunity to reduce overhead costs, which in turn will allow us to put more of the lottery funds into frontline activities and provide greater public value. It is our aim to increase the production budget for film from £15m to £18m in the coming year and this is only possible because of the cut in overhead costs.”
In an open letter to the British film industry, Dyke said, “This move will mean a major transformation for the BFI. In the immediate term we will be working closely with staff at the UK Film Council to make sure that the skills, expertise and knowledge needed for this new world are retained. For some time we have deliberately held back from making new appointments to the BFI Board, but now that we understand the full scope of our new responsibilities, we can begin the process of recruiting the new Board members. In particular we will be looking to appoint new Governors who are active in the film industry.”
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.”
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