Heading into Cannes, where it has four films in official selection and three projects participating in the Great 8 showcase, BBC Film has unveiled further details about its upcoming slate.
Among new projects in advanced development is Remi Weekes’ follow-up to His House, which is being produced by Tanya Segatchian and John Woodward’s Bright Star. Details for the untitled feature are being kept under wraps but BBC Film director Eva Yates told Screen: “It’s not a horror.”
Also in advanced development is Raine Allen-Miller’s second feature after Rye Lane, a south London-set heist comedy that she has also written.
Among new projects in advanced development is Remi Weekes’ follow-up to His House, which is being produced by Tanya Segatchian and John Woodward’s Bright Star. Details for the untitled feature are being kept under wraps but BBC Film director Eva Yates told Screen: “It’s not a horror.”
Also in advanced development is Raine Allen-Miller’s second feature after Rye Lane, a south London-set heist comedy that she has also written.
- 5/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
More than 13 years after government minister Jeremy Hunt stood up in Parliament to announce the abolition of the UK Film Council (UKFC), the body held its first reunion.
Around 80 former staff members – who worked for the organisation at some point over its existence from creation by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000 to final unwinding in 2011 – came together at London’s Century Club on Wednesday evening (January 31).
A speech from John Woodward – who served as UKFC chief executive throughout its existence – gave the event its focal point. While wishing to avoid “nostalgia”, which he defined as a classical Greek word...
Around 80 former staff members – who worked for the organisation at some point over its existence from creation by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000 to final unwinding in 2011 – came together at London’s Century Club on Wednesday evening (January 31).
A speech from John Woodward – who served as UKFC chief executive throughout its existence – gave the event its focal point. While wishing to avoid “nostalgia”, which he defined as a classical Greek word...
- 2/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
Disney+ has set cast for UK psychological drama Playdate, adapted from Alex Dahl’s best-selling novel of the same name, and revealed details of its latest unscripted slate from Britain.
The series, directed by Eva Husson (Mothering Sunday), will star Denise Gough (Andor), Holliday Grainger (Strike), Ambika Mod (I Hate Suzie), Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Bronagh Waugh (The Suspect) and Michael Workeye (This is Going to Hurt).
Deadline revealed the show, EPed by Nicola Shindler and Tanya Seghatchian, last month. General series synopsis reads: Elisa’s world is turned upside down when her young daughter Lucia is kidnapped at a sleepover. Who is the mystery woman who took Lucia, and what secrets does she know about Elisa?
The series is executive produced by Shindler (Nolly) for Quay Street Productions, Seghatchian and John Woodward (The Power of the Dog) for Brightstar, Johanna Devereaux, VP of Scripted Content for Disney+ Emea, and Alex Dahl,...
The series, directed by Eva Husson (Mothering Sunday), will star Denise Gough (Andor), Holliday Grainger (Strike), Ambika Mod (I Hate Suzie), Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Bronagh Waugh (The Suspect) and Michael Workeye (This is Going to Hurt).
Deadline revealed the show, EPed by Nicola Shindler and Tanya Seghatchian, last month. General series synopsis reads: Elisa’s world is turned upside down when her young daughter Lucia is kidnapped at a sleepover. Who is the mystery woman who took Lucia, and what secrets does she know about Elisa?
The series is executive produced by Shindler (Nolly) for Quay Street Productions, Seghatchian and John Woodward (The Power of the Dog) for Brightstar, Johanna Devereaux, VP of Scripted Content for Disney+ Emea, and Alex Dahl,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Jesse Whittock and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Disney+ has announced the casting for its upcoming 5-part thriller series ‘Playdate’ produced by Quay Street Productions and Brightstar.
The series cast will include Denise Gough, Holliday Grainger (Strike, The Capture), Ambika Mod, Jim Sturgess, Bronagh Waugh, and Michael Workeye (My Lady Jane, This Is Going to Hurt).
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name from Alex Dahl, the series is adapted by Catherine Moulton and directed by Eva Husson.
Also in news – ‘Batman’ immersive pop-up to hit central London to celebrate ‘Batman Day’ & the 15th anniversary of ‘The Dark Knight’
The story will follow Elisa as her world is turned upside down when her young daughter Lucia is kidnapped at a sleepover. Who is the mystery woman who took Lucia, and what secrets does she know about Elisa?
Nicola Shindler (Nolly, Stay Close, It’s A Sin) will produce or Quay Street Productions; Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward for Brightstar; Johanna Devereaux,...
The series cast will include Denise Gough, Holliday Grainger (Strike, The Capture), Ambika Mod, Jim Sturgess, Bronagh Waugh, and Michael Workeye (My Lady Jane, This Is Going to Hurt).
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name from Alex Dahl, the series is adapted by Catherine Moulton and directed by Eva Husson.
Also in news – ‘Batman’ immersive pop-up to hit central London to celebrate ‘Batman Day’ & the 15th anniversary of ‘The Dark Knight’
The story will follow Elisa as her world is turned upside down when her young daughter Lucia is kidnapped at a sleepover. Who is the mystery woman who took Lucia, and what secrets does she know about Elisa?
Nicola Shindler (Nolly, Stay Close, It’s A Sin) will produce or Quay Street Productions; Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward for Brightstar; Johanna Devereaux,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
‘Girls Of The Sun’ filmmaker Eva Husson will direct the five-part series
Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions is teaming with Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward’s UK outfit Brightstar to produce a five-part series called Playdate based on Alex Dahl’s novel of the same name for Disney+ UK. French filmmaker Eva Husson, whose credits include Cannes 2021 title Girls Of The Sun, will direct.
Playdate tells the story of a mother-of-two whose world is turned upside down when she agrees to let her nine-year-old daughter have a sleepover at her new best friend’s house. When she goes to...
Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions is teaming with Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward’s UK outfit Brightstar to produce a five-part series called Playdate based on Alex Dahl’s novel of the same name for Disney+ UK. French filmmaker Eva Husson, whose credits include Cannes 2021 title Girls Of The Sun, will direct.
Playdate tells the story of a mother-of-two whose world is turned upside down when she agrees to let her nine-year-old daughter have a sleepover at her new best friend’s house. When she goes to...
- 6/27/2023
- by Marian McHugh Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Disney+ is moving into the contemporary UK thriller space with the greenlight of a series based on Alex Dahl’s parents-worst-nightmare novel Playdate.
The Power of the Dog and It’s a Sin producers Tanya Seghatchian, John Woodward and Nicola Shindler are combining to produce the five-parter, which comes from the decorated trio’s Brightstar and Quay Street Productions and will commence filming in the UK and France over the summer. Palme d’Or nominee Eva Husson is directing and Hijack’s Catherine Moulton is writing. Casting is yet to be announced.
In Playdate, a seemingly ordinary decision turns the world of Elisa, mum to two young kids, upside down. When Elisa’s nine-year-old daughter asks to go on an overnight playdate with her new best friend, Elisa agrees. But when she says goodnight to her daughter, she has no idea that she is about to be thrust into every parent’s worst nightmare,...
The Power of the Dog and It’s a Sin producers Tanya Seghatchian, John Woodward and Nicola Shindler are combining to produce the five-parter, which comes from the decorated trio’s Brightstar and Quay Street Productions and will commence filming in the UK and France over the summer. Palme d’Or nominee Eva Husson is directing and Hijack’s Catherine Moulton is writing. Casting is yet to be announced.
In Playdate, a seemingly ordinary decision turns the world of Elisa, mum to two young kids, upside down. When Elisa’s nine-year-old daughter asks to go on an overnight playdate with her new best friend, Elisa agrees. But when she says goodnight to her daughter, she has no idea that she is about to be thrust into every parent’s worst nightmare,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Gurinder Chadha revealed that Harrison Ford had an unknowing effect on her ability to get UK hit film Bend it Like Beckham off the ground when she made it two decades ago. At the time, the director was struggling to get financing from any of the UK public film funding bodies so she could make her now treasured film about a young British-Indian girl with a talent for soccer but whose family wouldn’t permit her to play.
Speaking at the annual Winston Baker International Film Finance Forum in Cannes, in partnership with the Marché du Film, she told delegates how difficult it was to get the film off the ground.
“I had been struggling to make this film because I really believed the world was changing at this point and I believed that my cultural paradigm was relevant and I was fresh and new to British film makers,” she said.
Speaking at the annual Winston Baker International Film Finance Forum in Cannes, in partnership with the Marché du Film, she told delegates how difficult it was to get the film off the ground.
“I had been struggling to make this film because I really believed the world was changing at this point and I believed that my cultural paradigm was relevant and I was fresh and new to British film makers,” she said.
- 5/25/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: In a seismic development for the indie film sector, which could have ripple effects across the whole film and TV ecosystem, bond companies are refusing to insure movies ahead of a potential SAG-AFTRA strike on July 1.
This eventuality has been bubbling behind the scenes for a little while, but its first known casualty is a high-profile case. Oscar winner Pawel Pawlikowski’s The Island, set to star Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) and Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (Carol), was due to get underway this month with the actors on location in Spain and ready to roll.
However, we understand the threat of a potential SAG-AFTRA strike — on top of the ongoing WGA strike and potential DGA action — has spooked bond companies and The Island filmmakers were told on the eve of shoot that the movie couldn’t be bonded, leading to their two stars (both SAG-AFTRA members) having to...
This eventuality has been bubbling behind the scenes for a little while, but its first known casualty is a high-profile case. Oscar winner Pawel Pawlikowski’s The Island, set to star Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) and Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (Carol), was due to get underway this month with the actors on location in Spain and ready to roll.
However, we understand the threat of a potential SAG-AFTRA strike — on top of the ongoing WGA strike and potential DGA action — has spooked bond companies and The Island filmmakers were told on the eve of shoot that the movie couldn’t be bonded, leading to their two stars (both SAG-AFTRA members) having to...
- 5/23/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Screen is rounding up the key projects launched before and during this year’s American Film Market.
Screen International is rounding up the key projects launched before and during this year’s American Film Market.
Refresh the page for latest updates.
From the US
The Pack
Alexander Skarsgard marks his feature directing debut with this psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh. Production begins in March 2023. CAA Media Finance and 30West jointly represent US rights.
International sales: The Veterans
Immaculate
Sydney Sweeney produces (with Fifty-Fifty films) and stars in this psychological horror set in the Italian countryside. Michael Mohen will direct with...
Screen International is rounding up the key projects launched before and during this year’s American Film Market.
Refresh the page for latest updates.
From the US
The Pack
Alexander Skarsgard marks his feature directing debut with this psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh. Production begins in March 2023. CAA Media Finance and 30West jointly represent US rights.
International sales: The Veterans
Immaculate
Sydney Sweeney produces (with Fifty-Fifty films) and stars in this psychological horror set in the Italian countryside. Michael Mohen will direct with...
- 10/31/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Dcms told it failed to carry out reliable financial analysis of costs and savings in 'bonfire of the quangos'
The National Audit Office has criticised Jeremy Hunt's plan to cut bodies such as the UK Film Council, after finding that a hasty decision-making process led to a failure to carry out a reliable financial analysis of costs and savings.
An Nao investigation into the financial affairs of Hunt's Department for Culture, Media and Sport also found a history of premeditated planning to overspend budgets allotted to arm's length public bodies.
The budget excess was £110m in 2010/11 and £95m in 2009/10. "It should cease its practice of planning to overspend," the report said.
Last summer the culture secretary announced swingeing cuts and closures among the 55 public bodies that fall under the remit of the Dcms – which include the Arts Council, Sport England and the British Library – as part of a so-called "bonfire...
The National Audit Office has criticised Jeremy Hunt's plan to cut bodies such as the UK Film Council, after finding that a hasty decision-making process led to a failure to carry out a reliable financial analysis of costs and savings.
An Nao investigation into the financial affairs of Hunt's Department for Culture, Media and Sport also found a history of premeditated planning to overspend budgets allotted to arm's length public bodies.
The budget excess was £110m in 2010/11 and £95m in 2009/10. "It should cease its practice of planning to overspend," the report said.
Last summer the culture secretary announced swingeing cuts and closures among the 55 public bodies that fall under the remit of the Dcms – which include the Arts Council, Sport England and the British Library – as part of a so-called "bonfire...
- 3/10/2011
- by Mark Sweney
- The Guardian - Film News
The BFI's assumption of the UK Film Council's responsibilities continues a decades-long saga of chopping and changing in the British film industry
This morning's announcement by Ed Vaizey confirms the rumours that have been circulating from pretty much the moment that the UK Film Council was abolished: the British Film Institute will be picking up the reins of lottery-fund distribution to the film industry. What's remarkable is that, after over two decades of chopping and changing, we are back where we were in the late 1980s: the BFI is the only game in town.
It's especially extraordinary given the kind of rhetoric that accompanied the establishment of the UK Film Council in 2000. When John Woodward was appointed the UK Film Council's chief executive in 2000, an interview he gave to the Guardian was perceived to be a not-especially-coded attack on the kind of – largely experimental – film the BFI's production...
This morning's announcement by Ed Vaizey confirms the rumours that have been circulating from pretty much the moment that the UK Film Council was abolished: the British Film Institute will be picking up the reins of lottery-fund distribution to the film industry. What's remarkable is that, after over two decades of chopping and changing, we are back where we were in the late 1980s: the BFI is the only game in town.
It's especially extraordinary given the kind of rhetoric that accompanied the establishment of the UK Film Council in 2000. When John Woodward was appointed the UK Film Council's chief executive in 2000, an interview he gave to the Guardian was perceived to be a not-especially-coded attack on the kind of – largely experimental – film the BFI's production...
- 11/29/2010
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
The Hollywood Reporter: Daniel Miller writes that sources close to the investigation into the murder of veteran Oscar publicist Ronni Chasen have told him that their “working theory” is that Chasen’s death “was planned in advance and not the result of road rage or a carjacking gone awry.” Apparently, “police have obtained relevant footage from one or perhaps multiple security cameras located at… the home of Sherry Hackett, widow of the late comedian and actor Buddy Hackett.”
Deadline Hollywood: Pete Hammond documents this week’s frenzy of screenings and Q&As on both coasts for members of the WGA, PGA, DGA, SAG and countless media organizations. (Full disclosure: our own Scott Feinberg moderated two of this week’s New York Q&A’s, for “Frankie and Alice” with best actress hopeful Halle Berry and for “Black Swan” with best director hopeful Darren Aronofsky, best actress hopeful Natalie Portman,...
Deadline Hollywood: Pete Hammond documents this week’s frenzy of screenings and Q&As on both coasts for members of the WGA, PGA, DGA, SAG and countless media organizations. (Full disclosure: our own Scott Feinberg moderated two of this week’s New York Q&A’s, for “Frankie and Alice” with best actress hopeful Halle Berry and for “Black Swan” with best director hopeful Darren Aronofsky, best actress hopeful Natalie Portman,...
- 11/19/2010
- by Mary Skawinski
- Scott Feinberg
Pm suggests film-makers should focus on blockbusters 'that people want to watch' and that encourage UK visitors
David Cameron has seen the future of British cinema and it is big and bespectacled, bankrolled by Hollywood and sold around the globe. If the UK film industry is to survive and prosper, the prime minister suggested today, it needs to make more films like Harry Potter.
Cameron made his comments at prime minister's question time in response to a question about investment in UK film from Richard Harrington, the Tory MP for Watford. Harrington's constituency is the home of Leavesden Studios, which has just been bought by Hollywood giant Warner Bros.
"I think one of the keys to Warner's success in your constituency is the Harry Potter film franchise which they have been making," said Cameron. "There is a great tip and key for film-makers here. That is, we have got to...
David Cameron has seen the future of British cinema and it is big and bespectacled, bankrolled by Hollywood and sold around the globe. If the UK film industry is to survive and prosper, the prime minister suggested today, it needs to make more films like Harry Potter.
Cameron made his comments at prime minister's question time in response to a question about investment in UK film from Richard Harrington, the Tory MP for Watford. Harrington's constituency is the home of Leavesden Studios, which has just been bought by Hollywood giant Warner Bros.
"I think one of the keys to Warner's success in your constituency is the Harry Potter film franchise which they have been making," said Cameron. "There is a great tip and key for film-makers here. That is, we have got to...
- 11/17/2010
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Woodward, who quit as council's chief executive last month, appointed managing director of venture capital firm Arts Alliance
The former head of the UK Film Council John Woodward is to join media venture capital company Arts Alliance as managing director.
Woodward, who quit as chief executive following the coalition government's announcement that it was scrapping the council, becomes the top man at a firm that includes the LoveFilm online film service amongst its portfolios. It also founded the Met Film School, which offers film-related degree courses to students from around the world, and has backed companies such as City Screen, the UK's largest independent cinema operator.
Woodward announced his resignation from the UK Film Council last month, in order, he said, to leave himself "unconflicted" in discussions over the future of British film following the organisation's abolition. "By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and unconflicted throughout that process,...
The former head of the UK Film Council John Woodward is to join media venture capital company Arts Alliance as managing director.
Woodward, who quit as chief executive following the coalition government's announcement that it was scrapping the council, becomes the top man at a firm that includes the LoveFilm online film service amongst its portfolios. It also founded the Met Film School, which offers film-related degree courses to students from around the world, and has backed companies such as City Screen, the UK's largest independent cinema operator.
Woodward announced his resignation from the UK Film Council last month, in order, he said, to leave himself "unconflicted" in discussions over the future of British film following the organisation's abolition. "By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and unconflicted throughout that process,...
- 10/11/2010
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
John Woodward will become managing director of the European venture capital company that invests in digital film next month. Woodward has said in public that if he was starting over he would get involved in digital film rights aggregation. Arts Alliance’s investments include LoveFilm -- the UK version of Netflix -- and it has overseen the digital conversion of over 700 digital screens across Europe, with over 2,300 screens signed up. Five Hollywood studios have signed deals with Arts Alliance to let it handle digital releasing of their movies. The UK Film Council is set to be abolished in April 2012. Further details of what will replace it are expected later this week. London (October 11, 2010) – John Woodward, Chief Executive of the UK Film Council, has today been named Managing Director of Arts Alliance, the European media venture capital company. Arts Alliance, the privately-owned investment group, has founded a number of fast-growing media...
- 10/11/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
The UK Film Council is being wound down – so could this be the final curtain for the soap opera that is the British film industry, or is it just what it needs? Xan Brooks reports
If one were to dramatise the history of the British film industry, it probably wouldn't be a film at all. A soap opera would suit it better. How else to frame this litany of false dawns and hubristic triumphs; ignominious collapses and agonised soul-searching? On and on the drama runs, dragging so much history in its wake that certain incidents start repeating themselves, and the latest cliffhanger can look suspiciously similar to the last.
I'm on my way to meet director Nigel Cole at a London hotel. Cole has recently returned from the Toronto film festival where his new picture, Made in Dagenham, was one of a number of high-profile British success stories (Submarine, The King's Speech...
If one were to dramatise the history of the British film industry, it probably wouldn't be a film at all. A soap opera would suit it better. How else to frame this litany of false dawns and hubristic triumphs; ignominious collapses and agonised soul-searching? On and on the drama runs, dragging so much history in its wake that certain incidents start repeating themselves, and the latest cliffhanger can look suspiciously similar to the last.
I'm on my way to meet director Nigel Cole at a London hotel. Cole has recently returned from the Toronto film festival where his new picture, Made in Dagenham, was one of a number of high-profile British success stories (Submarine, The King's Speech...
- 10/7/2010
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
There is real strength in depth to the British showing at the crucial Canadian festival. The departing John Woodward must be proud and disappointed
It's a recurring irony in Hollywood that when a studio boss gets fired, or a company goes bust, the slate of films they leave behind often turns out to be their most successful.
So perhaps it was inevitable, in the week John Woodward quit as chief executive of the condemned UK Film Council, that British cinema would make one of its strongest ever showings at the Toronto film festival. It's not just the sheer volume of British films unspooling – 29 features, including 13 backed by the UKFC – but the strength in depth.
Toronto is America's most important film festival, even though it takes place in Canada, because it serves as the unofficial launchpad for Oscar season. Slumdog Millionaire began its all-conquering campaign there two years ago.
Oscar tipsters...
It's a recurring irony in Hollywood that when a studio boss gets fired, or a company goes bust, the slate of films they leave behind often turns out to be their most successful.
So perhaps it was inevitable, in the week John Woodward quit as chief executive of the condemned UK Film Council, that British cinema would make one of its strongest ever showings at the Toronto film festival. It's not just the sheer volume of British films unspooling – 29 features, including 13 backed by the UKFC – but the strength in depth.
Toronto is America's most important film festival, even though it takes place in Canada, because it serves as the unofficial launchpad for Oscar season. Slumdog Millionaire began its all-conquering campaign there two years ago.
Oscar tipsters...
- 9/16/2010
- by Adam Dawtrey
- The Guardian - Film News
A round-table meeting with culture minister Ed Vaizey is today thrashing out some ideas for the world after the UK Film Council
A press release just in from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport: today film experts are meeting culture minister Ed Vaizey to talk about how film funding in the UK might look in a world without the UK Film Council, which the coalition government abolished in July. (Its chief executive, John Woodward, also announced his resignation this Monday morning.)
Representatives of bodies including Arts Council England, the BFI, BBC Films, Film 4 are attending.
This is what Vaizey says about the meeting:
"There is no question that public support for film is continuing. Indeed, the major investment through lottery funding will increase from next year and the valuable film tax credit remains.
"I want a robust and coordinated strategy to promote the UK as the best place to...
A press release just in from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport: today film experts are meeting culture minister Ed Vaizey to talk about how film funding in the UK might look in a world without the UK Film Council, which the coalition government abolished in July. (Its chief executive, John Woodward, also announced his resignation this Monday morning.)
Representatives of bodies including Arts Council England, the BFI, BBC Films, Film 4 are attending.
This is what Vaizey says about the meeting:
"There is no question that public support for film is continuing. Indeed, the major investment through lottery funding will increase from next year and the valuable film tax credit remains.
"I want a robust and coordinated strategy to promote the UK as the best place to...
- 9/15/2010
- by Charlotte Higgins
- The Guardian - Film News
The head of the UK Film Council has quit less than two months after the British government announced the organisation will be scrapped.
U.K. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt confirmed in July that the body, which provides funding for British movies, will be wound down as part of a range of cost-cutting measures.
And the Film Council's chief executive John Woodward resigned on Monday to enable him to remain "unconflicted" as officials discuss the future of the U.K.'s movie industry.
In a statement on the organisation's website, Woodward writes, "For the next few weeks the UK Film Council is in a dialogue with the Government about the future support structures for UK film. By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and unconflicted throughout that process.
"I can't adequately say what a privilege it has been to serve the British film industry since 2000 - and I enjoyed every minute of it up until 5.35pm on 24 July this year. I am proud of what the UK Film Council and its staff have delivered over the past decade.
"But now is the time to focus only on the future and ensure that whatever takes the place of the UK Film Council builds on its considerable achievements and retains the professionalism and expertise that the industry has said that it wants."...
U.K. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt confirmed in July that the body, which provides funding for British movies, will be wound down as part of a range of cost-cutting measures.
And the Film Council's chief executive John Woodward resigned on Monday to enable him to remain "unconflicted" as officials discuss the future of the U.K.'s movie industry.
In a statement on the organisation's website, Woodward writes, "For the next few weeks the UK Film Council is in a dialogue with the Government about the future support structures for UK film. By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and unconflicted throughout that process.
"I can't adequately say what a privilege it has been to serve the British film industry since 2000 - and I enjoyed every minute of it up until 5.35pm on 24 July this year. I am proud of what the UK Film Council and its staff have delivered over the past decade.
"But now is the time to focus only on the future and ensure that whatever takes the place of the UK Film Council builds on its considerable achievements and retains the professionalism and expertise that the industry has said that it wants."...
- 9/13/2010
- WENN
UK Film Council chief executive resigns to leave himself 'unconflicted' in discussions over future of British film following organisation's abolition
John Woodward has announced his resignation as chief executive of the UK Film Council. The organisation is to be abolished in 2012 as part of government cuts to the public sector. Woodward, who has served as CEO since 1999, said that he is currently in talks with ministers over alternative plans to support British film production.
"For the next few weeks the UK Film Council is in a dialogue with the government about the future support structures for UK film," Woodward said. "By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and unconflicted throughout that process."
He added: "I can't adequately say what a privilege it has been to serve the British film industry since 2000 – and I enjoyed every minute of it up until 5.35pm on 24 July this year.
John Woodward has announced his resignation as chief executive of the UK Film Council. The organisation is to be abolished in 2012 as part of government cuts to the public sector. Woodward, who has served as CEO since 1999, said that he is currently in talks with ministers over alternative plans to support British film production.
"For the next few weeks the UK Film Council is in a dialogue with the government about the future support structures for UK film," Woodward said. "By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and unconflicted throughout that process."
He added: "I can't adequately say what a privilege it has been to serve the British film industry since 2000 – and I enjoyed every minute of it up until 5.35pm on 24 July this year.
- 9/13/2010
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
John Woodward says he will leave British film agency in early November now that the Conservative government has ordered the UK Film Council shuttered. Woodward wants to be un-conflicted while negotiations are ongoing with the new government as to what will replace the UKFC. The first round-table meeting between government and industry takes place this week. The government is expected to announce its thinking in October. But nothing will happen before the government announces its public spending review -- it's expected to cut 25% off the budget of most Whitehall departments. "It should then, rightly, be for others to take the new system forward and write the next chapter for UK film," Woodward says. His announcement follows conflict with the new Conservative UK government and controversy in the Murdoch-controlled British media over whether Woodward's UKFC has spent public money on campaigning for a reprieve. This includes “briefing” the film industry, including Hollywood,...
- 9/13/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
This morning’s Times of London reports that the film agency has hired political lobbyists Portland, the PR firm founded by a former adviser to Tony Blair. Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has written to John Woodward, CEO of the Film Council, demanding he explain why has taken on Portland, whose other clients include McDonalds and the Russian government. Ed Vaizey, the culture secretary, wrote to the UKFC last week accusing the quango of “overzealously briefing in order to protect their interests”. This was before news that UKFC has hired an external PR firm came out. Treasury regulations prohibit quangos from using public money to employ PR firms to lobby government. UK Film Council says that it’s not using public money to fight against closure. Rather, its two-man press team have been overwhelmed by thousands of media enquiries. Portland is solely there to help the internal PR team cope with...
- 8/25/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
James Lee, former chairman of Scottish film agency Scottish Screen, has written to UK culture secretary Jeremy Hunt proposing all £15 million of lottery funding be injected into a single distribution label. BBC Films and Film4 would be obliged to release all their films through this “British National Distribution Company.” Indie producers would then apply to have their films fully financed. This is a revival of an old idea. Back in the late 90s, a government report recommended that all lottery funding be spent on a distribution-led studio aping the Hollywood model. Fine in theory but the government immediately saw the impossibility of using public money to fund a commercial rival to existing film companies. John Woodward, current CEO of the Film Council, was one of those who shot the idea down. Woodward, then CEO of UK producers’ lobbyist Pact, realised that the Middleton Report proposal would leave too many of...
- 8/24/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
Culture minister Ed Vaizey writes to film council chief John Woodward expressing concern about 'over-zealous briefing'
The coalition government has accused the UK Film Council of lobbying in the hope of saving itself from threatened abolition when it should be promoting British film, it has emerged.
A report in today's Independent details how Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, communications and creative industries, wrote to John Woodward, the chief executive of the film council, demanding to know whether the quango had been spending public funds on campaigning for its reprieve. He also called staff to attend a meeting at his department today.
In recent weeks, a number of major Hollywood figures, including Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood, have joined a highly public campaign to save the organisation, which has been marked for closure as part of the government's current package of austerity measures. Earlier this month, more than 50 actors, including James McAvoy,...
The coalition government has accused the UK Film Council of lobbying in the hope of saving itself from threatened abolition when it should be promoting British film, it has emerged.
A report in today's Independent details how Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, communications and creative industries, wrote to John Woodward, the chief executive of the film council, demanding to know whether the quango had been spending public funds on campaigning for its reprieve. He also called staff to attend a meeting at his department today.
In recent weeks, a number of major Hollywood figures, including Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood, have joined a highly public campaign to save the organisation, which has been marked for closure as part of the government's current package of austerity measures. Earlier this month, more than 50 actors, including James McAvoy,...
- 8/18/2010
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Ed Vaizey, the UK arts minister, has written a stern letter to UKFC head John Woodward demanding to know whether the agency has been spending public money on campaigning for a reprieve. Vaizey wants to know whether the UKFC has been “briefing” the film industry – including Hollywood – to protest against its closure. Clint Eastwood has become the latest Hollywood star urging the government to reconsider its decision. “The prospect of losing a valuable resource such as the UKFC is of great concern to us,” Eastwood wrote. Steven Molen, DreamWorks’ head of physical production, has also written to Chancellor George Osborne. Fifty three British actors including James McAvoy, Emily Blunt and Bill Nighy have signed a public letter condemning the decision. The government has been rattled by the strength of public support for the film agency. Nearly 50,000 people have joined the Save the UK Film Council Facebook page, while another 25,000 have signed a petition.
- 8/17/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
The bombshell dropped by Britain's government closing the U.K. Film Council with "no notice and no consultation" should send a collective shudder through the entire film community. Except for the U.S., all nations have government support for industry initiatives, education, film funding and their country's film distribution. The UK Film Council is the Government-backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad.Below is the Guardian's story on it and the reactions of John Woodward, chief executive of the U.K. Films Council and Tim Bevan…...
- 8/4/2010
- Sydney's Buzz
Update: UK culture minister Jeremy Hunt and arts minister Ed Vaizey have rowed back transferring the £15 million ($19 million) lottery film cash to the British Film Institute. Nor are they going to ask BBC Films and Film4 to split the money between them. I’m told that BBC Films has reacted “with horror” at the prospect of controlling the lottery cash. The BBC’s film department may make the same kind of features as the UK Film Council, but getting hold of that money could see its own £12 million funding being cut. The irony is that it was the Arts Council of England’s original bungling of the lottery film cash that partly led to the UKFC being established. In the late 90s, producers were crying out for proper industry executives to award production funding, not a committee of well-meaning amateurs. Now it looks like we’re going full circle. “Once...
- 7/30/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
John Woodward, the Film Council's chief executive, on what the council's demise means for the industry
Having first seen the bus marked "Quango Cuts" hurtling towards us two years ago, I was certain we had proved our value. But then, last Friday, the culture secretary Jeremy Hunt carefully backed the bus up, put his foot on the gas and drove it straight into us.
In the final analysis, Her Majesty's government has decided that an expert public body for film is a "nice to have" rather than "indispensable". Put less charitably (but possibly more accurately), one can't help feeling that inside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms), film simply isn't important enough when the cutting of culture is the main priority of culture ministers.
The really sad revelation is there wasn't even a real discussion last week as to whether the UK Film Council is a good, bad or indifferent organisation.
Having first seen the bus marked "Quango Cuts" hurtling towards us two years ago, I was certain we had proved our value. But then, last Friday, the culture secretary Jeremy Hunt carefully backed the bus up, put his foot on the gas and drove it straight into us.
In the final analysis, Her Majesty's government has decided that an expert public body for film is a "nice to have" rather than "indispensable". Put less charitably (but possibly more accurately), one can't help feeling that inside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms), film simply isn't important enough when the cutting of culture is the main priority of culture ministers.
The really sad revelation is there wasn't even a real discussion last week as to whether the UK Film Council is a good, bad or indifferent organisation.
- 7/26/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
UK Film Council one of highest-profile quangos to be cut
Mla also abolished in cull by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt
The UK Film Council became one of the highest profile quangos to be axed by the coalition government after culture secretary Jeremy Hunt unexpectedly announced its abolition.
In a raft of mergings, streamlinings and closures, Hunt also axed the Museums, Libraries and Archives council (Mla).
John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council, briefed an unprepared staff about the decision at the council's central London headquarters this morning. No one had seen it coming. He said the decision had been taken with "no notice and no consultation".
In a statement Woodward called the proposal "short-sighted and potentially very damaging, especially as there is at present no roadmap setting out where the UK Film Council's responsibilities and funding will be placed in the future".
Film producer Tim Bevan, who chairs the council,...
Mla also abolished in cull by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt
The UK Film Council became one of the highest profile quangos to be axed by the coalition government after culture secretary Jeremy Hunt unexpectedly announced its abolition.
In a raft of mergings, streamlinings and closures, Hunt also axed the Museums, Libraries and Archives council (Mla).
John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council, briefed an unprepared staff about the decision at the council's central London headquarters this morning. No one had seen it coming. He said the decision had been taken with "no notice and no consultation".
In a statement Woodward called the proposal "short-sighted and potentially very damaging, especially as there is at present no roadmap setting out where the UK Film Council's responsibilities and funding will be placed in the future".
Film producer Tim Bevan, who chairs the council,...
- 7/26/2010
- by Maev Kennedy, Mark Brown
- The Guardian - Film News
The government's decision to shut down the UK Film Council is tragically naive. No other body will do a better job
It was nothing short of a hammer blow. This morning, word came through of John Woodward's email to UK Film Council staff informing them that the government was planning to shut them down. Then the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) confirmed it in a written statement at lunchtime. I was genuinely shocked. It felt like I'd nipped out for 10 minutes to get a pie and while I was out they closed the British film industry.
Reading the fine print is tricky. Can it really be the case that the Film Council will be killed, with nothing to take its place? The government has said that lottery funding of films will continue, but transferred to already existing organisations. (Who, exactly? The reason why the Film Council was...
It was nothing short of a hammer blow. This morning, word came through of John Woodward's email to UK Film Council staff informing them that the government was planning to shut them down. Then the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) confirmed it in a written statement at lunchtime. I was genuinely shocked. It felt like I'd nipped out for 10 minutes to get a pie and while I was out they closed the British film industry.
Reading the fine print is tricky. Can it really be the case that the Film Council will be killed, with nothing to take its place? The government has said that lottery funding of films will continue, but transferred to already existing organisations. (Who, exactly? The reason why the Film Council was...
- 7/26/2010
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
John Woodward, CEO of the UK Film Council, told staff this morning of the plan to abolish the UK Film Council, which, since it’s launch in 2000, has invested Lottery money and government grants in the production of more than 900 films, including such critical and commercial successes as: Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold), In The Loop (Armando Iannucci), Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh), This Is England (Shane Meadows) and The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles).
The UK Film Council was established by the Labour government in 2000 as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK and is an integral part of the UK film industry; without it our industry is likely to be hit hard. Not only does it help fund independent films, but also sponsors both the Edinburgh International Film Festival and London Film Festival, more of which you can find in our previous post here.
It...
The UK Film Council was established by the Labour government in 2000 as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK and is an integral part of the UK film industry; without it our industry is likely to be hit hard. Not only does it help fund independent films, but also sponsors both the Edinburgh International Film Festival and London Film Festival, more of which you can find in our previous post here.
It...
- 7/26/2010
- by Jamie Neish
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The UK Film Council - the body set up by Labour to fund and develop the British film industry - is to be scrapped. The council, which has around 75 staff headed by Chief Executive John Woodward, was responsible for administering three funds offering around £15m lottery funding per year for the production and development of films. It was created to "stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK."...
- 7/26/2010
- Sky Movies
Exclusive... Update: John Woodward, CEO of the UK Film Council, has e-mailed staff telling them today’s government decision to abolish the government agency “has been imposed with no notice and no consultation... I think we can all agree that this is short-sighted and potentially very damaging, especially as there is at present no roadmap setting out where the UK Film Council’s responsibilities and funding will be placed in the future.” The government intends to close the organisation completely down with its assets and its remaining operations transferred out by April 2012. The Conservatives have underlined their commitment to £15 million a year of lottery-funded film. The tax credit is also to be retained – at least for now. The question going forward is who will control that money pot. UKFC will be working with Culture Department officials over the summer on transferring power and assets. Tim Bevan, chairman of the UKFC,...
- 7/26/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
A rediscovered Leonard Cohen rockumentary; Kim Longinotto on why her films aren't fly-on-the-wall documentaries; and funding fears for British indie films
Leonard Cohen lost and found
A rediscovered rockumentary of Leonard Cohen has been restored and is to receive a UK premiere – nearly 40 years after the original 1972 version was made. The film, Bird on a Wire, will be screened at the Green Man music festival. It documents the singer's European tour of that year, focusing on his performances and his life on the road. Director Tony Palmer restored the film after being reunited with the 290 lost rolls of his original footage. Palmer, who has filmed the Beatles, Cream and Jimi Hendrix among others, tells me: "The poetry is extraordinary and so is the man. My admiration for Leonard remains undiminished and I hope that quality shines through. The film has a real feel for the rough and tumble of life on the road.
Leonard Cohen lost and found
A rediscovered rockumentary of Leonard Cohen has been restored and is to receive a UK premiere – nearly 40 years after the original 1972 version was made. The film, Bird on a Wire, will be screened at the Green Man music festival. It documents the singer's European tour of that year, focusing on his performances and his life on the road. Director Tony Palmer restored the film after being reunited with the 290 lost rolls of his original footage. Palmer, who has filmed the Beatles, Cream and Jimi Hendrix among others, tells me: "The poetry is extraordinary and so is the man. My admiration for Leonard remains undiminished and I hope that quality shines through. The film has a real feel for the rough and tumble of life on the road.
- 7/24/2010
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
Box office receipts in 2009 were highest ever, thanks to continuing growth of 3D and success of Avatar
Gallery: 2009's top grossing films
One was the year of A Clockwork Orange and decimalisation. The other was that of Avatar and the shattered economy. But while 1971 and 2009 were wildly different in terms of the technological limits of the films on offer, new figures published today show that they shared similarly buoyant levels of cinema-going.
They record that last year was the best ever in terms of box office takings and the second best year since 1971 in terms of admissions, fuelled by the continuing growth of 3D and the through-the-roof success of Avatar, as well as the enduring, recession-resistant appeal of the big screen.
The figures were published in the UK Film Council's annual statistical yearbook, a mammoth, eye-hurting publication that is nevertheless packed full of interesting data on film trends, showing...
Gallery: 2009's top grossing films
One was the year of A Clockwork Orange and decimalisation. The other was that of Avatar and the shattered economy. But while 1971 and 2009 were wildly different in terms of the technological limits of the films on offer, new figures published today show that they shared similarly buoyant levels of cinema-going.
They record that last year was the best ever in terms of box office takings and the second best year since 1971 in terms of admissions, fuelled by the continuing growth of 3D and the through-the-roof success of Avatar, as well as the enduring, recession-resistant appeal of the big screen.
The figures were published in the UK Film Council's annual statistical yearbook, a mammoth, eye-hurting publication that is nevertheless packed full of interesting data on film trends, showing...
- 7/21/2010
- by Mark Brown
- The Guardian - Film News
UK Film Council welcomes Oxford Economics report over concerns that ending filmmaking relief will cost economy
Ending the tax relief given out to encourage filmmaking in the UK would cost the economy £1.4bn, a report on the economics of the British film industry warned today .
The UK Film Council, which represents the industry, is concerned about the impact of possible government cuts. Its chief executive, John Woodward, said the 104-page report (pdf), by Oxford Economics, was "timely".
One of the industry's main concerns is any change to the tax relief for films made in the UK. Woodward said: "I don't think anyone in the British film industry is feeling paranoid that the tax relief is under threat, but these are very difficult times and what we do understand is that the government is going to weigh up everything."
The report makes a strong economic case for maintaining tax relief, stating...
Ending the tax relief given out to encourage filmmaking in the UK would cost the economy £1.4bn, a report on the economics of the British film industry warned today .
The UK Film Council, which represents the industry, is concerned about the impact of possible government cuts. Its chief executive, John Woodward, said the 104-page report (pdf), by Oxford Economics, was "timely".
One of the industry's main concerns is any change to the tax relief for films made in the UK. Woodward said: "I don't think anyone in the British film industry is feeling paranoid that the tax relief is under threat, but these are very difficult times and what we do understand is that the government is going to weigh up everything."
The report makes a strong economic case for maintaining tax relief, stating...
- 6/7/2010
- by Mark Brown
- The Guardian - Film News
The priorities are excellence (buzz word du jour) and tackling the unknown digital future
The UK Film Council announces its priorities for the next three years tomorrow. With its budget slimmed down by £25m, it has had to trim its activities; accordingly, its three different funding streams have been simplified into one fund worth an annual £15m to which filmmakers may apply. According to John Woodward, the Film Council's chief executive, the criteria for successful applications to the fund will be simple. "It's about creative excellence," he told me. "If a film is ambitious, has creative integrity and has the opportunity of finding an audience – whether that audience is large or small – we'll be interested."
The other change for the Film Council is the creation of an "innovation fund" of £15m over three years. That's specifically to help independent film people from all parts of the business (distributers, producers, exhibitors...
The UK Film Council announces its priorities for the next three years tomorrow. With its budget slimmed down by £25m, it has had to trim its activities; accordingly, its three different funding streams have been simplified into one fund worth an annual £15m to which filmmakers may apply. According to John Woodward, the Film Council's chief executive, the criteria for successful applications to the fund will be simple. "It's about creative excellence," he told me. "If a film is ambitious, has creative integrity and has the opportunity of finding an audience – whether that audience is large or small – we'll be interested."
The other change for the Film Council is the creation of an "innovation fund" of £15m over three years. That's specifically to help independent film people from all parts of the business (distributers, producers, exhibitors...
- 3/31/2010
- by Charlotte Higgins
- The Guardian - Film News
Tanya Seghatchian has been named the head of the newly-unified UK Film Council (UKFC) fund. The former Harry Potter producer will report directly to UKFC chief executive John Woodward and be responsible for investing a minimum of £15m of lottery money into British movies every year. Seghatchian said: "It is a huge privilege to have been asked to take on this new role. "I'm really looking forward to working closely with the film industry to establish an accessible and ambitious new fund which will protect investment in British talent and champion the importance (more)...
- 2/10/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Admissions hit 173.5m and combined box office takings in the UK and Ireland exceed £1bn for first time
Harry Potter, Danny Boyle's slumdogs and James Cameron's futuristic blue aliens helped make 2009 the best year for cinemas since 2002, a raft of figures from the UK Film Council (Ukfc) showed today.
Doom-mongers who predicted the slow death of cinema, as viewers sat at home watching box sets and downloaded movies would appear to be off the mark. In the UK last year, cinema admissions hit 173.5m and the combined box office takings in the UK and Ireland exceeded £1bn for the first time.
The messages were more mixed for film production. While there was the highest ever level of inward investment – that is, largely Hollywood films made in the UK – the amount spent on co-productions fell to a low of £35m, compared to £169m in 2003. In terms of film numbers,...
Harry Potter, Danny Boyle's slumdogs and James Cameron's futuristic blue aliens helped make 2009 the best year for cinemas since 2002, a raft of figures from the UK Film Council (Ukfc) showed today.
Doom-mongers who predicted the slow death of cinema, as viewers sat at home watching box sets and downloaded movies would appear to be off the mark. In the UK last year, cinema admissions hit 173.5m and the combined box office takings in the UK and Ireland exceeded £1bn for the first time.
The messages were more mixed for film production. While there was the highest ever level of inward investment – that is, largely Hollywood films made in the UK – the amount spent on co-productions fell to a low of £35m, compared to £169m in 2003. In terms of film numbers,...
- 1/20/2010
- by Mark Brown
- The Guardian - Film News
After the success of Steve McQueen and Sam Taylor-Wood, the UK Film Council aims to fund debuts by a new crop of artists turned film-makers
First came Turner prize-winner Steve McQueen's gritty film Hunger, about the Ira prisoner Bobby Sands. Full of soul-searching and menace, it was the toast of the Cannes film festival last year. Next came the success this autumn of Nowhere Boy, artist Sam Taylor-Wood's uplifting biopic of the young John Lennon.
Now, following these unexpected triumphs, a queue of former young British artists, or YBAs, has formed, waiting to entertain the nation's cinema audiences. Among the aspiring directors are the controversial artists Jake and Dinos Chapman and the Turner prize-winner Gillian Wearing.
This week, in recognition of this line-up of potential talent, the homegrown cinema industry has announced that it is to start banking on the trend. The UK Film Council is to promote more...
First came Turner prize-winner Steve McQueen's gritty film Hunger, about the Ira prisoner Bobby Sands. Full of soul-searching and menace, it was the toast of the Cannes film festival last year. Next came the success this autumn of Nowhere Boy, artist Sam Taylor-Wood's uplifting biopic of the young John Lennon.
Now, following these unexpected triumphs, a queue of former young British artists, or YBAs, has formed, waiting to entertain the nation's cinema audiences. Among the aspiring directors are the controversial artists Jake and Dinos Chapman and the Turner prize-winner Gillian Wearing.
This week, in recognition of this line-up of potential talent, the homegrown cinema industry has announced that it is to start banking on the trend. The UK Film Council is to promote more...
- 11/22/2009
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
• Shake-up aims to better use dwindling resources for film-makers
• Almost a quarter of council's jobs to go
The UK Film Council today announced plans for the biggest overhaul of how it gives out money since it was created by Labour in 2000.
Its chairman, Tim Bevan, and chief executive, John Woodward, set out proposals which they hope will make the council a leaner, more efficient body but one that can still give as much money to the movies.
The most pressing problem is a £25m cut, over three years, in its lottery money, the bulk of which is being redirected to the Olympics. Some of the money will be saved by cutting council overheads by 20%, or £2.2m a year. There will also be 22 job losses from the 94-strong staff. The Los Angeles office will be scaled back from five to two people.
Woodward said it felt like "the best of times,...
• Almost a quarter of council's jobs to go
The UK Film Council today announced plans for the biggest overhaul of how it gives out money since it was created by Labour in 2000.
Its chairman, Tim Bevan, and chief executive, John Woodward, set out proposals which they hope will make the council a leaner, more efficient body but one that can still give as much money to the movies.
The most pressing problem is a £25m cut, over three years, in its lottery money, the bulk of which is being redirected to the Olympics. Some of the money will be saved by cutting council overheads by 20%, or £2.2m a year. There will also be 22 job losses from the 94-strong staff. The Los Angeles office will be scaled back from five to two people.
Woodward said it felt like "the best of times,...
- 11/17/2009
- by Mark Brown
- The Guardian - Film News
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the British Film Institute. It's sure to gladden the hearts of classic movie lovers the world over:
BFI National Film Centre gets the green light Dcms pledges £45 million capital spend Everyone in Britain to benefit from new centre for film Visionary new digital hub you can plug into from home The BFI announces today that it is proceeding with its plan to build a visionary new film centre on London’s South Bank. The decision to move forward comes as the Culture Secretary, Ben Bradshaw, announced a £45 million capital investment from Government in the project. The BFI’s ambition is to create a world-leading centre for the study, enjoyment and celebration of film and television. The money pledged from Government follows an earlier investment promise of £5 million in the project from the London Mayor through the Lda. It secures the next...
BFI National Film Centre gets the green light Dcms pledges £45 million capital spend Everyone in Britain to benefit from new centre for film Visionary new digital hub you can plug into from home The BFI announces today that it is proceeding with its plan to build a visionary new film centre on London’s South Bank. The decision to move forward comes as the Culture Secretary, Ben Bradshaw, announced a £45 million capital investment from Government in the project. The BFI’s ambition is to create a world-leading centre for the study, enjoyment and celebration of film and television. The money pledged from Government follows an earlier investment promise of £5 million in the project from the London Mayor through the Lda. It secures the next...
- 10/19/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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