06/11/2007

Culture Secretary James Purnell announced at the closing gala of the Times BFI London Film Festival that film festivals in the UK will benefit from a new £4.5m drive to raise the profile of British film and give people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to see more films, meet filmmakers, and enjoy the world of film.

The UK Film Council will make available £1.5m annually over three years to help fund up to two festivals that have a national and international standing and up to eight festivals which are of national significance.

Purnell said: “The UK is the third largest film industry in the world and we know that people in the UK love films. Film festivals are incredibly important in bringing new, exciting and important films to audiences and in the process deliver cultural, social and educational benefits. The UK’s film festivals showcase creativity and create economic, company, and global value for the UK film industry. I hope this new fund will help festivals to boost their pulling power on the global stage.”

UKFC CEO John Woodward said: “We’ve got a very diverse array of film festivals in the UK, achieving great results with relatively little funding. With a bit more targeted support we believe that the bar can be raised for the benefit of UK audiences and for filmmakers from the UK and around the world.”

UKFC’s Head of Distribution & Exhibition Pete Buckingham said: “What we are aiming to do with this funding is to give the support to festivals to build their programmes and crucially their ability to reach audiences.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport also confirmed that, following the latest Comprehensive Spending Review, the UKFC’s Government resource funding, currently £22.36 m, would be inflation-proofed for the next three years.