Funding and the British Film Institute
- Nov 20, 2020
- 2 min read
The British Film Institute (BFI) is the lead body for films in the UK by creating a flourishing film environment. It funds towards film production, distribution, education, market intelligence/research and audience development.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/
Background
The British Film Insitute was created in 1933 by Royal Charter. at that time the institute was a private company, though it has received public money throughout its history. The BFI had, and still has, a purpose to encourage the development of the arts of film, teveltion and the moving image throughout the UK. The BFI is now responsible for several cinema and exhibition venues, as well as the world's largest film and moving image archive; the BFI National Archive and the BFI Reuben Libary. Today, the BFI is currently managed by its chief executive, Amanda Nevill.
Cinemas
The BFI runs the BFI Southbank (was the National Film Theatre) and London IMAX cinema. The IMAX has the largest cinema screen in the UK and shows popular recent releases and short films showcasing its technology.
The BFI also distributes archival and cultural cinema to other venues – each year to more than 800 venues all across the UK, as well as to a substantial number of overseas venues.
Funding
The BFI supports film culture across the UK. This includes investing Lottery funds in film development and production, and to increase audiences. The BFI operates with three sources of income. The largest source of income is public money allocated by the Department for Culture, Media and sport. In 2012, this funding amounted to approximately £20m. The second largest source is commercial activity, for example, from ticket sales at BFI Southbank or the BFI London IMAX theatre, DVD sales etc. Thirdly, grants and sponsorship of around £5m are obtained from various sources, including National Lottery funding, private sponsors and through donations.
Why It Is Important
In my opinion, the BFI is highly important for many reasons, here are some reasons why:
1) It backs British films and filmmakers by distributing lottery funding to productions that might not otherwise be supported. Meaning that new individuals gets to share their talent to the public.
2) Part of its purpose is to educate people with media education in schools or skills-based training programmes. But they have an annual glitzfest that is the London Film Festival, which showcases the work of new British talent and hosts, and offers a chance to learn from international film makers.
3) Although the BFI is centered in London, classic films, reissues, and movies that wouldn’t otherwise get screened are seen in cinemas across the country thanks to the BFI. They've made a commitment that by 2022, a quarter of all BFI production funding will be shared to decision-makers based outside London.
4) The BFI has base rules for funding. Those wanting to apply for funding must obide by the policies on minorities. The BFI’s minimum targets are:
12% target for those identifying as D/deaf and disabled
20% target for those identifying as belonging to an under-represented ethnic group
50-50 gender balance
10% target for those identifying as LGBTIQ+
Here is the BFI inclusion principles:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/inclusion-film-industry/inclusion-principles
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