After David Cameron’s comments last week that he wanted film funding to be pushed towards “commercially successful pictures”, the Department Of Culture Media & Sport has published its Film Policy Review, which is full of recommendations to the government and industry for what they believe is the way forward for the UK movie industry. While the report didn’t particularly focus on LGBT movies, its ideas will have an impact on what gay & lesbian UK films are made and where they’re shown.
The review was led by former culture secretary Lord Chris Smith, the man who set up the UK Film Council, the body whose dissolution led to this review. Perhaps because of Smith’s presence, the review pushes for many of the same aims as he has for the Film Council, although in a way that pushes for more transparency with what happens to the money. Smith commented, “British film is in prime position to make a major contribution to the growth of the UK’s economy, to the development of attractive and fulfilling careers for young people and to the creation of job opportunities across the country.”
As you’d expect, there are aims to support the film industry outside London and the southeast, to increase and improve film education and to ensure that as diverse a range of different types of film are supported. Alongside that are aims for any lottery funds put into movies to have clear goals for getting a return on the investment, although not to the point of disincentivising filmmakers and producer.
While many worried Cameron’s comments meant the indie sector was in jeopardy, the Review is keen on indie movies, encouraging the BFI to support the sector in various ways and also giving recommendations for the distribution and exhibition of indie movies, which to be honest is probably more of any issue. That’s particularly true for LGBT movies and gay and lesbian distributors, who are working on very tight budgets and have often been hamstring by the logistics and expense involved in the distribution and exhibition. The review contains recommendations to help indie distributors in this new digital age, where the fact a physical print no longer has to be shipped around offers new possibilities.
Lord Smith, who is gay himself, wanted to assure people the review “advocates support for the widest possible range of films from the overtly commercial to the overtly arty and much in between,” rather than just the commercial movies David Cameron talked about, and that they weren’t “trying to dictate an artistic vision”
The real question now though is what the government does with the review. The PM has already suggested he wants a more commercial focus, which is fine as long as that doesn’t mean ignoring the review’s other suggestions. Indeed the idea of marketing British Film as a brand and holding a British Film Week to celebrate the UK industry, which the review is very keen on, is very much in line with David Cameron’s ideas, and would allow for support for all types of British movie.
There have already been several responses to the report, with Iain Smith, Chair of the British Film Commission, saying: “The recommendations in the Film Policy Review show an understanding that ambitious, big budget, international movies choosing to shoot in the UK play a significant role in supporting our domestic industry as well as helping to build a world-class skilled workforce, while also generating vital income for the economy. I believe that if the UK successfully services the international industry, it plays an important role in helping to develop our home grown talent and supporting a healthy and growing domestic industry. Quite simply the UK’s highly skilled film-making talent represent some of the best in the business; they are one of the UK’s greatest assets and something we must value and ensure we support and maintain.”
Lord David Putnam, President of the Film Distributor’s Association commented: “We welcome the review’s acknowledgement of the fundamental issues for film distributors that arise, in particular, on break-out or limited releases, where the costs of keeping films on digital screens can be higher. If the audience for film is to grow and develop, it is important that there is sufficient flexibility in the digital value chain to maintain and develop the hugely diverse range of films that are brought to market – today and in future.
“Finally, I hope the review will trigger a series of bold new steps in embedding the role of film in education. The Report’s clear message that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with film, and that watching, exploring, understanding and creating film is important for young people and the audience as a whole, is as admirable as it is welcome.”
If you’d like to read the report you can find the DCMS Film Policy Review here (PDF), and if you just want the recommendations, flick to page 91.
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