The UK Film Council today welcomed the Government’s Green Paper on the review of the BBC’s Royal Charter – A strong BBC, independent of Government - which urges the BBC to do more to support the British film industry and publish a film investment strategy. 

The Green Paper states that:

• The BBC should accept the Select Committee recommendation to put together a film investment strategy to ensure that the best UK films are shown to a wider television audience.
   

The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee chaired by Rt Hon Sir Gerald Kaufman MP, urged the BBC to improve its involvement in the UK film industry in its December 2004 report A Public BBC.  The report states, “We recommend the BBC publish a strategy for promoting UK films, and should do so in concert with the UK Film Council.  We further believe there is a strong case for a substantial increase in BBC funding for both feature films and short films in the exhibition of modern UK films.”

• The BBC’s film strategy should reflect other aspects of BBC strategy, including its commitment to original content, its contribution to skills development and training and the way in which it reflects the UK’s cultural identity and its different communities.
• The BBC should stay out of bidding wars for expensive foreign imports except where it is clear that no other terrestrial broadcaster would show all the programmes or films in question, or that the acquisition would clearly contribute to a public purpose. 
• Under the Communications Act, all public service television services should ensure: ‘That cultural activity in the United Kingdom, and its diversity, are reflected, supported and stimulated by the representation in those services (taken together) of drama, comedy and music, by the inclusion of feature films in those services and by the treatment of other visual and performing arts.’
• A recurring theme of our qualitative research and public consultation was the value of the BBC’s cultural role. This value was placed not only on what the BBC brings to audiences and communities, but also on its role in supporting the wider creative industries and bringing on talent across a range of areas like the visual arts, music and film, as well as its contribution to other elements of the UK’s culture, like sport. When asked what type of programmes they personally watched nowadays, ‘films’ were the most popular choice amongst participants in our quantitative survey.
   

Welcoming the Green Paper published today by Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the UK Film Council’s Chief Executive Officer John Woodward said:

“This is a real step forward - the Green Paper underlines for the first time the importance of the BBC having a proper film investment strategy to champion British films.  The DCMS is now joining up broadcasting and film policy in a way that’s never been done before.  This is very welcome.

“Increased support from broadcasters is essential for a vibrant film industry in the future.  As the prime public service broadcaster, the BBC should lead the way in giving television audiences access to film and investing in UK film talent.  The UK Film Council welcomes today’s Green Paper from the DCMS which reaffirms this principle.”

A poll undertaken last year for the UK Film Council revealed widespread public agreement for supporting new UK films on TV. The vast majority (81%) of the public endorse the view that broadcasters have a responsibility to support the film industry by showing more recent UK films.

During the festive season 2004/05, three of the top four most watched films on UK terrestrial television were recent British films, with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Bend it like Beckham and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider pulling in more than 22.6 million viewers between them.

For more information on the opinion poll mentioned above please visit Ukfilmcouncil