Film Industry Network supports UK Film Council

I wanted to express my support for the UK Film Council s valuable work in the British Film Industry and how it has helped young and established talent succeed.

The government's recent announcement to scrap the agency as a whole comes as a shock because the film industry and leading film professionals were not given an opportunity to provide a solution to improve the UKFC, reduce its cost, and increase its benefit to British filmmaking.

Why is the UKFC so important?

It is Britain s only national film agency where people from the Scottish Highlands to Devon can turn to in order to find funding, support and direction for filmmaking and training. It effectively centralizes the core of the British Film Industry for the first time, and has given direction to film production from inception to delivery.

What will happen without it?

There will be a gap in the British Film Industry that will affect the next generation of young talent and established pros, who will have to find alternative means to apply for funding.

It is likely that national lottery funding will be made available to the film industry through existing organizations such as the BBC but without a national film agency to handle the complexity of film financing and green lighting projects will be like starting from scratch for any new department.

What could be made better?

There are always areas that can be improved in any organization. The British film industry is diverse involving many crafts and skills. To properly understand the needs of the industry requires the right questions to be asked. How do we get a film financed? What makes a project good? Can this be a commercial success? How can I get more on set work? I am a writer looking to get my script made but I need a director?

There are of course many more examples. Film school graduates will also want a direction to take in order to get their films off the ground. To be competitive internationally requires guidance and training. A skill set can come naturally, but sometimes it s the business aspect that is alien to some, if not most of us. How do we really make a commercial success when we are educated only on how to make a film? Can a national agency guide our projects toward a domestic or international cinema release?

A new agency or an improved UKFC should therefore provide a service that nurtures talent, creates commercial successes and appropriates film financing to projects that inspire and educate people.

How can you get involved?

You can join the Save the UK Film Council group ,which now has over 20,000 members since Monday, and sign the petition. Also check out the official website.

Thanks so much for reading.

film industry network members