vallierojas: Film Council hands over to BFI

Friday, April 1, 2011

Film Council hands over to BFI

Despite condemnation of its closure UKFC faded smoothly to black, with functions transferred to the BFI and regional agency Film London

Its abolition in the coalition government's first round of cuts in July was widely condemned and drew letters of support from such Hollywood luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson. But in the end, the UK Film Council went quietly.

31 March was the final official day of business at the UKFC's offices in Little Portland Street, London, and 38 former Film Council staff today find themselves working for the British Film Institute, which will take over many of the abolished body's functions. Others, including the office of the British Film Commissioner, have been transferred to regional agency Film London, which will oversee the task of promoting the UK as a film-making destination.

The decision to hand the BFI responsibility for distributing lottery funding to film-makers came in November, partly assuaging widespread concern that the government had not considered the future of public investment in British movies when making its decision to axe the council. At the same time Ed Vaizey, the culture minister, further sugared the pill by announcing that the �28m lottery grant the industry receives would be increased to around �43m by 2014.

If ministers were rattled by the vocal support for the council, they might have been cursing their luck in February when The King's Speech, a film part-funded by the UK Film Council, took four Oscars at the annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Other productions in the last five years alone that might never have made it to the big screen without the council's support include Nowhere Boy, Fish Tank, In the Loop, Man on Wire, Hunger, Happy-Go-Lucky, This is England, Vera Drake and The Last King of Scotland. Of movies currently in cinemas or due to arrive on the big screen, Richard Ayoade's critically acclaimed first film Submarine, Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights and the forthcoming Joe Cornish-penned comedy Attack the Block all received UKFC funding.

Three weeks ago, a National Audit Office report roundly criticised the UKFC's axing, suggesting it was "not informed by a financial analysis of the costs and benefits of the decision". The UKFC's entire annual budget was a reported �3m, while the cost of closing it down and restructuring is estimated to have been almost four times that amount.

At Sunday night's Empire awards, British film-makers said they were disappointed that the council was no longer extant but expected it to be business as usual with the BFI.

"The Film Council has done great things and ended on a high note with The King's Speech," actor and director Noel Clarke told the BBC. "They helped me on two of my films ? Adulthood and 4.3.2.1. I'm very sad that they're breaking down but the BFI is going to continue what they do."

Jane Goldman, writer of Kick-Ass and the forthcoming superhero tale X Men: First Class, said she was a "huge supporter". She added: "It's a difficult time; hopefully things will become streamlined. I've got a couple of other projects which I guess will filter into the BFI."