Written by David Lewis on Dec 4, 2009. Posted in On Location

UK Film Council three year plan

The UK Film Council has launched a three month public consultation into its most significant revision plans since it was created in 2000. The revisions, known as UK Film: Digital innovation and creative excellence, set out the council's policy and funding priorities for the next three years.

Specific proposals include:

A new GBP15 million Film Production Fund which has four distinct creative gatekeepers, is focused on the pursuit of creative excellence and puts more emphasis on first- and second-time filmmakers;

A producer equity position in all UK Film Council-funded feature films;

A minimum 25% target for non-London originated film production;

A new GBP5 million Innovation Fund, to promote new business models and ensure UK film's successful transition into a fully digital age;

Sustained investment in the BFI, to support the conservation of UK film heritage and improve access to film culture;

A renewed emphasis on attracting inward investment to the UK film sector and underlining the continued importance of the Film Tax Relief;

Prioritising skills training for new technologies and post-production;

An ongoing commitment to achieving a more diverse and inclusive workforce and film culture.

Tim Bevan, Chairman of the UK Film Council, said that the new three year business plan was a robust response to the economic downturn and its effect on film financing, rapid technological change and the reduction of the UK Film Council's income due to the 2012 Olympics.

Bevan added: "The support the UK Film Council has given film culture and the film industry over the past ten years has been enormous, but we're now operating in a very different environment and we need to adapt to meet the needs of a new generation of audiences and filmmakers. To do that when the UK Film Council is itself having to find savings of GBP25 million over the next three years is a real challenge. But it's now more important than ever to ensure we invest as much money as possible in film production, in creative and cultural excellence, and in helping UK film make a successful transition into the digital age – and that's exactly what we're proposing to do."