BRITISH FILM COMMISSION
UK IN FOCUS 2016
The British Film Commission’s close relationships with the UK’s screen agencies and the
industry at large, along with its dedicated Los Angeles office, are key to the wide-ranging
support it offers productions shooting on our shores.
For more information, visit
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@filminuk_BFC
Kattie Kotok
Executive Vice President, US Production
My role as head of the BFC’s Los Angeles office is primarily one of
business development and tracking projects. We identify clients
and projects that might be a fit for the UK and assist to make
producing their project in the UK straightforward and seamless.
I work very closely with the UK office, and we act as a tag team to
bring in projects, address queries and follow up with clients. We
keep each other up to date on all our outreach and activity. The
US office is usually more involved in the early stages of projects,
and can guide productions in a timely and beneficial manner.
We also work to promote the UK industry and talent as a whole.
We hold networking events for UK filmmakers and talent at Sun-
dance and Toronto with our BFI partners. We host UK Film & TV
Week Los Angeles to showcase the UK production sector to the US
industry, and also offer clients our annual familiarisation trips,
which bring US film and television decision-makers to the UK for
a tour of the locations, facilities and infrastructure.
US film and high-end television productions are very receptive
to shooting in the UK. They are attracted by the tax credits, but
also by the UK’s rich history of film and television production and
its reputation for delivering professional, high-calibre services.
Many US companies already work with UK talent, and this is a
natural extension of that set-up. Additionally, with the film and
television businesses becoming ever more global it is an inter-
national destination, but there is still an innate familiarity that is
reassuring to American producers, studios and networks.
Samantha Perahia
Head of Production UK
A lot of international screen agencies act as a flag or a marketing
agency, but the BFC has always aimed to be a free production
office working with and alongside productions. The industry is all
about relationships — communication and trust between the BFC
and our clients is integral to everything we do. It’s key for us to
know everybody we need to work with in the UK. If, for example,
I’m asked to help find a line producer, I will go straight to the Pro-
duction Guild and we’ll work to put together an availability list of
the most appropriate of their members. If we can’t answer some-
body directly then we will know someone who can, and it’s fair to
say the national and regional screen agencies are a microcosm of
that within their own areas.
The success of films such as
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
and
Spectre
, along with the global profile of indigenous UK titles,
proves the tax relief is working and the UK infrastructure is the
best in the world. On the high-end television side there is more
business development to be done, which is very exciting, and on
the film side we’re busy but we’re never full.By 2017,Pinewood will
have doubled in size. Northern Ireland has announced major new
stages. Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden has expanded. Everything
is being done to increase capacity.We’re a tiny island,and we forget
sometimes how extraordinary it is that we produce so much talent.
“
us productIons are very receptIve
to the uK, attracted by Its reputatIon
FOR HIGH-CALIBRE SERVICES
”
Kattie Kotok
“
THE INDUSTRY IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS —
communIcatIonand trust Is Integral
to everythIngwe do
”
Samantha Perahia
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