11/07/2005

The UK film industry is going to have a brand new network of seven film academies –including a Film Business Academy- to educate and train filmmaking talent in England, Scotland and Wales. The Screen Academy Network will share £4.3m (€6,25m) of funding over two years from the Skillset Film Skills Fund made up of industry investments collected by Skillset (the UK Sector Skills Council for the audiovisual industries) and £6.5m (€9,45m) per year of National Lottery money channelled via the UK Film Council.

Made up of single institutions and consortiums that submitted partnership bids as early as September 2004, the successful seven Film Academies are the following:
-The Screen Academy at the Arts Institute Bournemouth & Bournemouth Media School,
-The Screen Academy at London College of Communication and Ealing Institute of Media,
-The Screen Academy at Napier University & Edinburgh College of Art,
-The Screen Academy at the Film Academy (University of Glamorgan) & International Film School Wales (University of Wales Newport),
-The Screen Academy at the London Film School,
-the Screen Academy at the National Film & Television School (London),
-the Film Business Academy at Cass Business School.

The Academies will work together to provide new courses (including the first ever film MBA), summer schools, work placements, master classes, bursaries, online resources and a talent scout programme to help develop new film talent in the UK. Their status will be monitored by Skillset on an ongoing basis with a full review of membership taking place after two years.

At the launch of this new training initiative in the UK capital a few days ago, the UK Minister for Film, James Purnell said: "The Screen Academy Network is an outstanding achievement and great news for the UK film industry. It puts the UK right at the forefront in terms of film skills development and goes a long way towards ensuring the long term success and sustainability of our film industry. Despite its detractors, the UK film industry is now the third biggest film industry in the world. To build on this success, it is vital that we equip people with the right creative, technical and commercial know-how to forge successful careers in the screen industries – and this is exactly what the network will do, giving new talent the world class skills needed for UK film to compete on the global stage."

Jane Ferguson, Wales Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning also added: "I am delighted that a collaborative bid from six higher education institutions in Wales and Cyfle has been successful in securing one of the first UK Film/Skillset Screen Academies. This success means that Wales is now part of the film education and training network that will help transform the UK film industry, producing skilled graduates, ready for work, adding high value and growth in Wales, in Europe and beyond."