06/11/2002 - Film Council Chair announces three key elements essential to the survival and prosperity of the UK film industry

In a speech delivered yesterday, 5 November, at the British Academy for Film and Television Arts, BAFTA in London, before an audience of film industry operators and British government representatives, Alan Parker, filmmaker and chairman of the UK Film Council, unveiled its mid to long-term strategy to build a sustainable and strong British film industry. It is hoped that this will enable the UK industry to take a bigger slice of the $60 billion worldwide film market.
The three key areas on which both the UK government and film industry will have to concentrate are improving the distribution of UK films at home and abroad by reviewing the current 100% tax write-off for a film’s first year of production expenditure (due to expire in July 2005) and providing all film distributors with an incentive to invest in and acquire UK films.
Developing UK creative and technical talent and skills, using a mix of Lottery money, government and industry support.
Encouraging inward investment and film production in the UK by offering the global film industry state-of-the art studio infrastructure and the best production services possible. This could be facilitated with the introduction of new measures such as the revision of the definition of a British film, the creation of strategic alliances with new territories outside Europe such as Australia, India, South Korea and Thailand, and the reinforcement of the UK’s position in the European Commission.
“The UK film industry is not in need of quick fixes and band-aids if we are to succeed on the world stage. It needs nothing less than radical re-invention,” said Alan Parker. “We are at a crossroads. The tide is turning and we can’t sit here like cultural Canutes. We can retreat back to “Little England” or we can mount a sustained assault on wider horizons. The choice is there for all of us”.