The government has announced that the biggest function of the axed UK Film Council – the distribution of National Lottery money to producers – is to be taken over by a beefed up British Film Institute.
The Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said the money available to film-makers would rise from £27 million a year to £43 million a year by 2014 and he stressed that the tax incentives to encourage production will remain intact.
The BFI will also be responsible for the promotion and support of film in the nations and regions.
Another of the key tasks of the UK Film Council was to promote the UK as a filming location for international producers. That role will be taken over by Film London, which already serves that function for the capital.
The announcement that the Film Council was being scrapped led to a chorus of anger from many leading actors and film-makers, who warned that the British film industy was being put at risk. But others said from the start that the government’s intention was to reduce the amount of money spent on administration, while maintaining – or even increasing – the amount of money available to invest.