16/10/2002 - Appointment of new head of Distribution & Exhibition gives arthouse films higher profile in the UK

Pete Buckingham, an established figure in the UK independent distribution scene, has just been appointed as Head of the British Film Council’s new Distribution and Exhibition Fund.
Buckingham will join the Film Council on November 4 from Film Four Ltd where he held the position of deputy Chief Executive Officer.
In his new post, he will oversee and implement, in partnership with UK professionals, the Film Council’s new policy of support to the art-house distribution and exhibition sectors. He will manage the new ‘Cinema Screen Fund’ of 14 million pounds (Euros 22mn) over four years, dedicated to building an art-house cinema circuit (with around 150 screens), as well as the 1 million pounds (Euros1.6mn) Print and Advertising Fund (P&A Fund) that will give art-house distributors more muscle to buy and release specialised films in the UK, including foreign language titles. Buckingham will also have at his disposal a 1 million-pound (Euros 1.6mn) annual budget for the Digital Exhibition Fund, and a further 1 million pounds (Euros1.6 mn) for the Cinema Education Fund.
Joining Pete Buckingham as Deputy Head of Distribution and Exhibition is Steve Perrin, currently in charge of the Research and Statistics Unit Department at the Film Council.
Commenting his appointment, Buckingham said: “I am delighted to be joining the Film Council and to take on this challenge. The continuing growth in cinema admissions in the UK is proof that film is a major form of entertainment for people, however the majority of the population only has access to a limited range of films. Providing access to a more diverse range of films and taking cinema into parts of the UK that are currently lacking or are underserved will be the key challenge that Steve Perrin and I are looking forward to tackling”.
Buckingham’s appointment is good news for the art-house sector in the UK as he has years of experience both as distributor and exhibitor in that field: prior to Film Four Ltd (which has been folded into parent company Channel Four), Buckingham was managing director of Oasis Films and Cinemas, an independent exhibition chain where he supervised the creation of London’s first-ever ‘art-house multiplex’, the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, which is part of the MEDIA Programme’s Europa Cinemas Network.