The UK Film Council is the Government backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad.


UK Film Council at a glance
Who we are, why we're here, what we do, where our funding goes, our key aims and policy priorities.

Who we are: We're the Government's strategic agency for film in the UK.

Why we're here: We're here to help make the UK a hub and natural home for film in the digital age: a place with a diverse and vibrant film culture and a flourishing, competitive film industry.

What we do: We work closely with the Government and the film industry - offering policy advice about industrial, economic and cultural issues affecting film. We make policy and provide funding.

Where our funding goes: Every year we distribute around £27 million from the National Lottery and £27 million from the Government to support: script development, film production, short films, film export and distribution, cinema, film education, culture and archives, festivals and audience support schemes.

We fund First Light, Skillset, the British Film Institute and several regional and national screen agencies.

Our four key aims:
* Build a competitive film industry with the creativity and skills to succeed
* Stimulate greater choice for film audiences
* Widen opportunities to learn about film and encourage more people to use them
* Promote UK film around the world

Our policy priorities:
* Develop film education and media literacy.
* Support film culture and archives.
* Promote the relationship between UK film and UK broadcasters.
* Encourage inward investment into UK film.
* Support international co-production.
* Combat piracy.
* Build diversity and inclusion in UK film.
* Improve digital access to film.

Diversity
Diversity is one of our key policy priorities. We aim to help the UK film industry build a more diverse workforce: behind and in front of the camera.

Our diversity objectives
* We aim to help the UK film industry build a more diverse workforce: behind and in front of the camera and in other linked areas, including development, production, post-production, distribution and exhibition.
* We want to help all groups in society to participate in and enjoy film.
* We work hard to make sure that equality and diversity commitments are integrated into all core UK Film Council activities.

Taking action on diversity
* We work with various interest groups and industry partners to create ways of working that support equal opportunities and diversity in the film industry.
* We provide practical tools and information to encourage diversity.
* We make sure all our funding criteria and application processes are'equality-proofed'.
* We support initiatives designed to give people from minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities and women equal opportunities to get into and succeed in the UK film industry.
* We support activities and events that champion and celebrate diversity in film, film making and film viewing.

Our Diversity Unit provides grant-in-aid funding for programmes that support our diversity objectives. It does not fund film productions.


What we fund
We fund script development, film production, short films, film distribution and export, film education, festivals, skills development, national and regional film agencies.

Script development
Script quality can make or break a film. Our Development Fund provides £4 million a year to support the development of high quality, commercially viable screenplays. Funded screenplays include Brideshead Revisited and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

Film production
We support the production of British feature films through two funds.

The Premiere Fund provides £8 million a year to finance production of popular, mainstream films, for example St. Trinian's, Stormbreaker, Severance, Miss Potter and Becoming Jane.

The New Cinema Fund releases £5 million a year to innovative film-makers, helping to back movies like Red Road, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, This is England and London to Brighton.

Short films
Short films can help new film-makers break into the mainstream. Our New Cinema Fund supports several short film schemes. Finance provided through the scheme has allowed Andrea Arnold (Wasp, Red Road), Duane Hopkins (Love Me or Leave Me, Better Things) and other directors to move from shorts to full features.

Film distribution and export
We want to widen the choice of films shown at UK cinemas. Our Prints and Advertising Fund provides £4 million a year to support the distribution of films that might otherwise not be shown widely, among them, The Curse of the Golden Flower, Volver and Tell No-One.

Our Export Development team provides access to funding to help to sell and support British films, products and services around the world.

Cinema
To help make'going to the pictures' an even better experience we've invested in 240 digital cinema screens across the UK. We also provide improvement grants to independent cinemas.

Film education, culture and archives
We promote knowledge about film through a range of funding schemes, including our, Archive Fund and First Light.

Festivals and audience support schemes
Stimulating greater audience choice is one of our four key aims and supporting film festivals is a great way to do this. We also fund findanyfilm.com - one of the UK's leading websites for film fans looking to watch, buy, download or rent great films.

Skills
We provide £6.5 million a year to Skillset to support a national film skills and training strategy.

National and regional film
We provide around £8 million a year to national and regional film bodies, supporting their efforts to build a clear film strategy and provide financial support for a wide range of film related activities.


UK Film Council US
The UK Film Council US represents the UK Film Council and the UK film industry in the US.
What we do: We support the (British Government's) Department for Culture, Media and Sport on UK film matters in the US, and liaise with the British Embassy in Washington DC, the British Consulate General Los Angeles and other British Consulates in the US.

Why we're in the US:
Being based in Los Angeles allows us to promote and represent the UK film industry and film talent in the heart of the world's biggest film business.

Our key priorities:
* Attracting film production into the UK - maximising US inward investment.
* Sharing information - keeping the UK and US film industries informed about business practices, policies and creating marketing opportunities in both countries.
* Developing skills and talent - creating opportunities for new and experienced UK film professionals to benefit from the best of US training and industry practices.
* Building creative and business relationships - helping the UK and US film industries to develop and sustain creative and business relationships with each other.

Contact us:
UK Film Council US
8938 Keith Avenue
West Hollywood
CA 90069
Tel: +1 310 652 6156

in LONDON
TalkByText: 180015 02074908913 Ext: 02
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