18/09/2003

The UK Film Council (FC) has invited local film distributors planning to release UK films between December 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004 to apply for funding, as part of the UK Film Distribution Programme.

In order to be eligible for support, applicant companies must be registered, centrally managed and controlled in the UK or in another EU member state. UK distributors must commit to a British release with a minimum of 175 prints and a minimum publicity and advertising spend of £750,000 and in addition, any film selected must achieve a minimum B.O. gross of £750,000 to trigger the award. A film judged suitable for funding by the FC does not therefore automatically receive a grant.
The maximum amount granted by the FC is £300,000 but the sum paid out is reduced on a sliding scale according to the success of the film. According to Pete Buckingham, the Head of Distribution and Exhibition at the UK FC, “this programme has been designed to help UK distributors at the point where the release pattern of a film and its potential in reaching a broader audience at cinemas across the UK, can be materially improved”.
Following the announcement of a £1m fund to support the wider release of specialised works (including foreign language films), this UK Film Distribution Programme is the second in a range of measures introduced by the UK FC to stimulate the availability of a broader range of films in UK cinemas.