BFI focuses on the future with Film Forever

The BFI is investing almost £500 million in UK film over the next five years to help drive industry growth, build audiences and a vibrant film culture and sow the seeds of the future in a bold new plan announced today.

BFI Press
Updated:

Film Forever: Supporting UK Film 2012-2017 outlines the BFI’s three key strategic priorities, funded by a combination of Grant in Aid, the BFI’s earned income and National Lottery funding, as:

  • Education and audiences – with an annual investment of £44.2m
  • British film and filmmaking with an investment of £32.3m per year
  • Film heritage with an investment of £9.9m per year

BFI Chair, Greg Dyke said:

With film industry growth currently outstripping the economy as a whole, we want to invest to ensure continued success. A central part of Film Forever is to nurture business growth and cultural vibrancy across the whole of the UK, with a particular emphasis outside London. This is a real moment for film and a bold long term vision for the sector and I look forward to us from today turning all the discussion into action.

BFI CEO, Amanda Nevill said:

Film Forever is founded on a renewed commitment to the future – the future generation of audiences, the future generation of filmmakers and the opportunities presented by digital technologies. We are investing where we think we can most make a difference, where we see potential for creative excellence and where we can be the supportive catalyst for change, innovation, business growth and jobs.

Film Forever is a comprehensive five year plan from the BFI and headline announcements made today, including a range of new partnerships with Accenture, Aardman, Samsung Smart TV, The Pinewood Group, with its flagship studios in Buckinghamshire, and BAFTA, for:

Audiences:

  • A real commitment to audiences outside of London with a new UK Audience Network including 8-10 regional hubs
  • Equipping 1000 community venues across the UK
  • Proactively working with BIG Lottery Fund on a joint proposal to build, educate and inspire audiences at community level across the UK
  • A new partnership with Samsung for a Smart TV app giving exclusive BFI content, including behind the scenes at the BFI London Film Festival. This will be the first of a series of initiatives towards a BFIPlayer

Education:

  • A new film education offer for every 5-19 year old in the UK, with the potential to reach 8.5 million young people, alongside the new youth film Academy network for 16-19 year olds with initial support from new partners Pinewood Studios and BAFTA

Supporting British Film:

  • More money for the production and development of UK films, rising annually to £24 million by 2017, with new opportunities for filmmakers working in documentary and animation and a greater focus on development
  • A New Talent Network to discover, grow and nurture new voices and stories all over the UK
  • A remodelled P&A (Prints and Advertising) Fund – now the new Distribution Fund – responding to widespread changes within the sector
  • A new International Fund including increased money for the British Film Commission
  • The new BFI Business Development Fund, in partnership with Creative England, strengthens the commitment to industry growth in England by providing seed funding to new businesses
  • A significant commitment to growing  skills with a new BFI Film Skills Fund, working in partnership with Creative Skillset and BIS alongside ensuring the UK’s world leading film schools are supported with a one-off £5 million in capital funding by 2017

Film Heritage:

  • Ambitious plans to digitise 10,000 films – the BFI 10K – over the next five years to bring our film heritage to new audiences, and a public vote on which those film should be.

The plan is the result of 18 months of consultation with the UK and international film industry, cultural organisations, the public and Government, which started with Lord Smith’s independent Film Policy Review. The BFI’s consultation, garnering almost 1000 official responses, has helped sharpen the BFI’s thinking in the areas of skills and infrastructure, international strategy and diversity. The BFI is launching a UK wide road-show to start implementing the plan across the country, throughout November. The road shows are open to everyone to attend and will visit Glasgow, Derry/Londonderry, Salford, Birmingham, Gateshead, Nottingham, Bristol and Cardiff.

Film Forever is available to download

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