Government cuts BFI funding by 10%
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While the BFI is still coming to terms with the extra activities it has had to take on when Cameron’s administration closed the UK Film Council, the organisation has now received news of a 10% cut to its resource funding from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
The cut, twice the reduction handed to museums and the rest of the cultural/arts sector, comes on the back of funding reductions amounting to 18% over the last two years.
The organisation, in a statement, warns that the timing is off as it is still absorbing the activities of the dissolved UK Film Council and annually releasing 50% back to the DCMS.
“We are also asked to fund and support within our reduced settlement new areas such ‘the wider screen industries’ and to identify a possible further 5% contingency,” the BFI says.
“As a national cultural body which is also the catalyst for the growth of the film industry, we are shocked that film has not been protected alongside the UK’s other national arts bodies and museums. This is even more surprising given the Government and industry’s endorsement of the BFI’s five year strategic plan for film, launched less than a year ago.”
Show us the money
In a letter to the BFI announcing the cuts, Secretary of State Maria Miller writes she recognises the huge contribution made by the organisation, however, the decision to cut seems to come back to comments previously uttered by the Prime Minister, who said the UK film industry should focus on the big budget productions that brought in the most money for the UK.
Miller writes: “In this Spending Round, the Government has decided to prioritise all projects based on their economic returns, with the Treasury focusing investment on those projects with the highest economic returns. Rising investment in major infrastructure projects has inevitably displaced spending in lower value capital programmes across all departments."
The DCMS herewith does not acknowledge the fantastic role the BFI fulfils when it comes to the development of (new) creative talent nor does it acknowledge film’s multi-billion pound contribution to the economy.
The BFI says that tax credits alone are not enough. “To maximise their potential, the UK should not be reducing its investment in world-leading creativity - through support for filmmakers, cultural programmes, skills, education, talent development and audiences - if we want to retain our competitive edge internationally.”
"No new activities at the expense of film"
In the new spending round Miller does include additional capital funding of £0.5m to create a “BFI player” platform from which archive content can be accessed online, and a further £0.8m for urgent maintenance projects.
However, the BFI states that the idea of expanding the BFI’s activities is “exciting but, at a point when we are facing a 10% cut, we cannot consider taking on these new activities at the expense of film.”
It also states that the organisation is engaging in urgent discussions with the Minister with a set of proposals to mitigate some of the impact of these cuts. “If these proposals aren’t achievable then the BFI will have no choice but to stop valuable front line activities and reduce support for partner organisations.” What these front line activities will be, the BFI cannot yet comment on.
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