Packed LFF programme launched for industry pros

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

The 57th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express today reveals an exciting and comprehensive lineup of events, screenings and services for UK and international film professionals.

With more screenings for industry delegates than ever before, all held in central London’s Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue, the LFF industry programme also features a broad range of essential film industry events.

Clare Stewart, the BFI’s Head of Cinemas and Festival Director of the BFI London Film Festival, comments:

The industry programme is at the heart of the LFF and we’re thrilled to present events and screenings that will support film professionals at every level, from those beginning their careers through to established players looking to grow their business and engage directly with industry colleagues and policy-makers. UK Film is riding high – the LFF film programme is a great showcase for the singular creativity and expert craftsmanship evident in British film. Our wide-ranging industry programme, with its growing links to the BFI’s strategic leadership role, provides opportunities for UK and international industry to connect, share knowledge and forge creative and commercial collaborations for the future.

In 2013 the festival will welcome back flagship events including the world-leading Cross-Media Forum with Power to the Pixel; the Film London Production Finance Market (PFM), which helps to foster financing relationships between UK industry professionals and their international counterparts; and LFF’s key feature film talent and project development scheme, Think-Shoot-Distribute.

Press and industry screenings

Cineworld Shaftsbury Avenue will become a hub of activity for press and industry delegates this year, with the cinema hosting dedicated and centralised press and industry screenings of films from the festival programme from 9am to 5pm on 10-16 October. Running simultaneously will be four days of Buyer and Seller screenings from 12-15 October, with a focus on titles seeking UK distribution and culminating in the festival’s popular Meet the Buyer event on Tuesday 15 October overseen by the Festival’s Buyers & Sellers facilitator, Mary Davies.

Headlining the LFF Industry events programme will be the keynote address from leading UK producer, Alison Owen (Saving Mr Banks, Jane Eyre). In her keynote, The Power of the Story, Alison will examine how cinema can withstand fierce competition from games and online, exploring what makes the form of the two-hour dramatic experience as we know it so unique.

Alison Owen, Producer and Managing Director of Ruby Film and Television, said:

Stories have been used to order and explain our existence since cavemen told stories around the fire. But the movies are under threat. Surrounded by alternative forms of entertainment encroaching on every side, from Netflix to YouTube to Facebook to Grand Theft Auto, can the form of the two-hour dramatic experience as we know it survive, or is it destined for the archives and museums?

This year, the LFF’s outstanding programme of events for industry professionals aligns itself to strategic aims for UK film as set out in Film Forever the BFI’s five year plan, developed in partnership with the film industry.

Events which augment the Film Forever plan include: the launch of the BFI International Strategy, led by Head of International Isabel Davis with a panel of key industry experts exploring global opportunities for UK film businesses; a Focus on Sustainability event from the BFI and BAFTA with Oscar-winning actor, Colin Firth and creative director of Eco-Age, Livia Firth; the BFI Distribution Fund present Remodelling the Release: Insights from the BFI New Models scheme, sharing insights and learnings from funded projects which have eschewed traditional release models and found new ways to bring films to audiences; It All Starts With the Audience… exploring how audiences across Europe are choosing to watch film and the implications for film business models; and UK MEDIA Desk presents Developing films for an international market, featuring a panel of seasoned European producers who will share their tips for developing films with international appeal.

The BFI London Film Festival’s Industry Office, generously supported by the Mayor of London and Film London, partners and collaborates with a wide range of film industry businesses and organisations to deliver a varied programme with appeal for professionals working right across the film industry value chain.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, comments:

The BFI London Film Festival is more than just a fabulous opportunity to enjoy an eclectic array of films from around the world. It also brings together key players in a hugely important sector for the capital’s economy. Working with Film London, my goal is to ensure London remains one of the world’s top cities for film, which is why it is so important to support the festival’s industry office and events like the Production Finance Market.

The BFI London Film Festival Industry Programme is also generously supported by Creative Skillset, who partner the festival across Think-Shoot-Distribute, the Industry Keynote and Power to the Pixel.

Dan Simmons, Head of Film, Creative Skillset said:

I’m delighted that Creative Skillset is once again a main partner of the industry programme at the BFI London Film Festival. We have supported Think-Shoot-Distribute since its inception many years ago, we are continuing to partner on the 4th Annual Industry Keynote Lecture, and it’s fantastic to see one of our UK powerhouse female producers delivering the lecture this year, and we are also once again supporting Power to the Pixel, and the Production Finance Market. One year on since Film Forever was launched there is a wide range of high calibre training and development being delivered for UK filmmakers, and we are proud to be supporting some of these flagship initiatives at the festival.