The Department Of Culture Media and Sports has announced today that it plans to scrap the UK Film Council. The organisation was aware its head might have been on the chopping block, as even before the new government announced plans to cut the budgets of everything, last year the old government had tried to merge it into the BFI, but talks between the two sides failed. It was also known it might be a target of the Conservatives, due to their dislike of bodies that are directly government funding, but largely function at arm’s length from ministerial oversight.
Although its roles has shifted slightly over last few years, the UK Film Council, set up in 2000, has looked after filmmaking and the economic side of the industry, providing funding for new films and supporting the infrastructure of moviemaking in the UK, while the BFI has dealt with the cultural side of film, protecting and promoting the UK’s film heritage. While it was initially hoped the UK Film Council would become self-sustaining, raising its £15 million budget through profits from the films it invested in, this never really happened (it also has more money to invest in films, from lottery sources).
In his ministerial statement on the issue Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that following the scrapping of the UK FIlm Council, he wants to establish a “direct and less bureaucratic relationship with the British Film Institute” (as the BFI is a charity, the government can’t step in and shake it up in the way it has the Film Council). However, while the Minister expressed the vague hope that the government “would support front-line services while ensuring greater value for money – Government and Lottery support for film will continue”, there was no news on how this might work. It does appear though that the plan is to transfer much of the Film Council’s core functions to the BFI, although sorting that out this may be trickier than they imagine.
There was also no news on how this would affect the regional screen agencies around the country, who support film in their neck of the woods, and get much of their funding from the UK Film Council’s lottery money.
The government is trying to downplay the effect the closure will have, basically suggesting things will be like if the Film Council and BFI had merged as originally planned, but at the moment what’s going to happen is so vague, it’s difficult to assess the impact. It could be good news, and a strengthened BFI will bring a fresh and worthwhile energy to government film support. After all, the UKFC has not been without it detractors, who’ve felt they’ve pushed too hard for a Hollywood style industry, at the expense of building a self-sustaining model from the ground out, but at the moment it’s impossible to say (many feel it’s a good idea that hasn’t worked).
One person who’s not happy is UK Film Council chariman, Tim Bevan CBE, who said: Abolishing the most successful film support organisation the UK has ever had is a bad decision, imposed without any consultation or evaluation. People will rightly look back on todays announcement and say it was a big mistake, driven by short-term thinking and political expediency. British film, which is one of the UKs more successful growth industries, deserves better.
Our immediate priority now is to press the Government to confirm that the funding levels and core functions that are needed to underpin British film are locked-in, especially at a time when filmmakers and film companies need more support than ever as they make the challenging transition into the digital age. To that end, we will work with the DCMS over the summer to identify how they can guarantee both continuity and safe harbour for British film.
You can ready Jeremy Hunt’s ministerial statement on the closure here.