The BFI responds to the 2013 budget announcement

The BFI welcomes the measures announced in today’s Budget aimed at supporting the UK’s world leading creative content industries.

Updated:

Skyfall (2012)

Skyfall (2012)

.

Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO said:

Today’s Budget is a vote of confidence from the Government in film and the creative industries as engines for economic growth in the UK. The BFI is laying the foundations for future growth by placing skills and innovation at the heart of our five year strategic plan and this additional support from Government for our key strategic partner Creative Skillset marks an important step in future proofing the success of the industry.

Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Communications, Ed Vaizey, has said:

The UK has a world class content production sector. Today’s package of measures, announced in the Budget, recognises the significant economic contribution made by our highly skilled creative content industries. It demonstrates Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and investing in talent to help keep the UK ahead of the game when it comes to creative excellence.

The increase of £5million for the Skills Investment Fund (SIF) over the next 2 years, and the recognition of the UK as a global centre of excellence in digital media production including visual effects (VFX), aligns with the BFI’s own future strategy for UK film (Film Forever) in which skills are a leading priority.

The uplift in the support for skills alongside the successful film tax relief and the new tax reliefs for HE TV, animation and video games, underlines Government commitment to positioning the creative industries at the heart of the UK’s growth agenda and their role as drivers for inward investment and job creation. These measures will be vital in ensuring that the UK’s already world class workforce retains and grows its expertise to enable these highly skilled and export-oriented industries to remain cutting edge and world leading.

The BFI is excited about the new opportunities for SME’s working in film and the creative industries all over the UK resulting from the Technology Strategy Board’s new 15 million fund. The BFI’s Lottery Film Fund is supporting a range of projects exploring digital innovation in both production and distribution. This new fund will help build SME capacity and foster collaboration across the UK, not least in film and visual effects, to help the UK capitalise on global opportunities in this growth area.

Read more

Back to the top

See something different

Subscribe now for exclusive offers and the best of cinema.
Hand-picked.