SOUTH WEST SCREEN’S RESPONSE TO THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED ABOLITION OF THE UK FILM COUNCIL

The news that the Government is proposing to abolish the UK Film Council has come as a surprise.

South West Screen was originally set up by the UK Film Council in 2002 and the funding it has provided has enabled us to grow a vibrant regional creative economy that supports over 39,0001 jobs and attracts more than £60 million a year2 in inward investment. Funding from the UK Film Council has enabled us to nurture and support the region’s key media centres such as Bristol’s Watershed, and develop its filmmaking talent, including rising stars Esther May Campbell, Emma Lazenby and Conor McCormack. It has also been vital in helping us improve access to cinema, ensuring no one within our region has to travel more than 11 miles to enjoy big screen entertainment.

South West Screen, in common with the other eight screen agencies which comprise Screen England, has grown and diversified since its inception, and we acknowledge the flexibility of support from the Film Council, which has enabled us to do this. We now work across the full range of creative media industries and attract funding from other bodies for a range of projects which we will continue to deliver. We are confident the recently secured £3.2m Innovation Network (iNet) funding programme will unlock opportunities to leverage further support for innovation, export and knowledge-sharing within the creative industries over the next three years.

We are reassured that the DCMS has recognised as important the work the regional screen agencies do3, and welcome the intention to maintain a commitment to Lottery funding for the film industry. We will now work closely with Screen England, the coalition government and other local partners to discuss the best way of continuing this vital support for creative businesses in the future.