UK Film Council consultation

The UK Film Council is consulting publicly on its policy and funding priorities from April 2010 to March 2013.

The proposals in UK Film: Digital innovation and creative excellence include:

* a new £15m 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 new space and funding stream to support experimental filmmaking;
* a producer equity position in all UK Film Council-funded feature films;
* a minimum 25% target for non-London originated film production;
* a new £5m 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;
* additional funding to support the industry in combating film theft;
* continued support for film distribution and audience-focused initiatives; and
* an ongoing commitment to achieving a more diverse and inclusive workforce and film culture.

We live in challenging times – a major economic downturn is adversely affecting film financing and we are experiencing rapid technological change and the collapse of traditional business models.

In addition, the UK Film Council needs to find savings of £25m over the next three years to help pay for the 2012 Olympic Games, so we've had to make some tough decisions. UK Film: Digital innovation and creative excellence therefore sets out the most significant revision of our activities since the UK Film Council was set up in 2000.

Our priorities are to protect production funding, to support filmmakers, to safeguard film culture and to promote digital innovation.

Entirely separate to this public consultation on our activities is the Board's decision to reduce the organisation's overheads by 20%. The UK Film Council has already run on a capped overhead for five years – but we must now cut deeper again in order to push as much money as we can in to front-line film activity.

We would very much welcome your views on what we propose in UK Film: Digital innovation and creative excellence. You can contact us by clicking on www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/survey and completing an online questionnaire.

Link via @edlebrosnan on Twitter.