The Director of the British Film Institute’s (BFI) Film Fund will make the keynote address at this year’s Film London Production Finance Market (PFM). Ben Roberts has nearly 20 years of experience in the film industry and will share his knowledge and future vision with delegates.
Film London has revealed details of some of the high-profile feature projects coming to the English capital in the coming months. The London region made nearly GBP1 billion in direct production spending through 2011 and this year’s high-profile shoots have already included Bond film Skyfall.
The Film London Production Finance Market (PFM) has announced a partnership with the Indian film industry. Film London will pick an independent European producer to head to Goa for the regional Film Bazaar training programme.
Film London has been given funding to launch EuroScreen, a two-year initiative designed to drive the growth of film tourism across Europe. The development comes in the aftermath of a 2011 report from Sweden that considered the film tourism impact of the Millennium films.
Film London is developing a permanent, dedicated Portal to streamline the location filming process in the English capital. The organisation wants to make sure London maintains its profile as an international filming location in 2012 when the Olympics will get most of the attention.
Film London has advised productions filming in the capital to exercise caution given the recent widespread rioting. Many shops across the city have been closing early to avoid the unrest. Ealing Studios in west London was attacked on Tuesday night and had an office looted.
Film London and the Rio Film Commission have agreed at the Cannes Film Festival to share advice and ideas about how best to attract international productions to the respective cities. The agreement will focus partly on how to benefit from the Olympics.
The newly created British Film Commission (BFC) will operate under Film London in attracting inward investment film projects to the UK. Funding will be channelled to the new unit through the British Film Institute from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
A partnership agreement has been signed between Film London and the Ile de France Film Commission at the Cannes Film Festival. The collaboration will include post-production talents from London attending Parisfx in December this year. Several French producers will attend October’s Film London Production Finance Market.
Film London recently soft-launched its Concierge Service, a scheme designed to drive down the cost of filming in the capital. We’ve negotiated deals with a number of airlines and hotels, available to both local and international film-makers, and are offering competitive rates on the following services: