31/01/2014 - Production boost good news offset by the fact that local production is in decline

Figures published by the British Film Institute (BFI) show that the UK film production sector generated a total spend of £1.075 billion in 2013, a 14% increase on 2012’s £945 million.  Within this figure, 37 major international films making the UK their production base generated £868 million. Following the introduction of new television tax reliefs, over £276 million of investment was made in domestic UK productions in nine months.

However, it isn’t all good news for the British film industry. Domestic UK film production saw a similar number of films budgeted at £500,000 and upwards made during the year (62 in 2013, down from 65 in 2012), but the total spend of these films was lower – £139 million, down from 2012’s £229 million. The number of co-productions was 36 - down from 45 in 2012, with a production spend of £54 million (£75 million in 2012).

Amanda Nevill, CEO of the BFI, said, “Internationally, our filmmakers, talent and creativity are wowing audiences and attracting critical acclaim at festivals around the world, and have garnered a crop of well deserved awards nominations. However, these figures show that there is still work to be done to grow audiences for British film at home – something which lies at the heart of our Film Forever strategy and is an economic and cultural imperative for the future success of British film.”