The UK Film Council: A Case Study of Film Policy in Transition

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'Film matters. It matters because it is both a powerful engine of the creative economy, and a form of cultural expression which reaches huge audiences and influences lives. Yet without a well-structured set of interventions by Government, the UK film sector cannot begin to realise its potential. The UK Film Council was set up to provide a framework [for such] intervention[s]' John Woodward, CEO of UKFC (UKFC, 2004:4).Established in April 2000 but wound up at the end of March 2011, the UKFC was the key strategic body responsible for supporting the film industry and film culture in Britain for over a decade. Set up by the Labour Government (1997-2010) with a remit to build a 'sustainable' film industry, the Council's agenda shifted and broadened over its lifetime reflecting differing expectations in relation to the underlying purposes of public support for film. While the model of support it offered ensured the funding of a wide range of films and was viewed by some as effective, the more ambitious aims with which the UKFC was originally charged - of making the UK film production sector sustainable and of securing a global position in distribution - were not achieved. After only a few months of coming to power in May 2010, the new coalition Government announced a general cost-cutting strategy, part of which was the abolition of the UKFC and a reassignment of its responsibilities, mainly to the BFI. The UKFC's short-lived experience as lead support body for film raises fundamental questions about how strategic interventions for film in the 21st century may be framed and put into operation. While earlier research has addressed the history of film and film policy in the UK (Dickinson & Street 1985; Hill 2004; Murphy 2009; Richards 2009: Sargeant 2005; Street 2009), none has developed specific case studies that scrutinise how policy is understood and implemented institutionally and organisationally by public support bodies for film. The proposed research, focusing on the history of the UKFC from inception to demise, provides an exceptional and timely opportunity for such a case study and for in-depth investigation of the changing pressures on models of public support for film in the 21st century. The project sets out to investigate the history of the UKFC, to examine its effectiveness as a model of public support for film and also to analyse the policy implications of its closure for film in the digital era. The research will examine how and why the objectives pursued by the UKFC changed over time; how competing economic and cultural objectives were negotiated; the performance of the UKFC in fulfilling its objectives; the role of the Council in helping the UK film industry adjust to a digital environment; and ask what strategic lessons may be drawn from its overall experience. The principal data-gathering techniques include the assessment of documents and texts, analyses of secondary statistical data, archival research, and interviews with key actors to whom the project team are confident of achieving excellent access. The PI (Doyle), Co-Is (Schlesinger and Boyle) and PDRA (Kelly) collectively bring multi-disciplinary expertise in media, creative and cultural industries and policy analysis. Whereas the Co-Is' input will be focused mainly on interviews, analysis of findings and dissemination, the PI and PDRA will work on all phases of the research programme. Refs:Dickinson & Street (1985) Cinema and State: The Film Industry and the Government, 1927-1984, BFI.Hill (2004) 'UK Film Policy, Cultural Capital and Social Exclusion', Cultural Trends, 13(2). Murphy (2009), The British Cinema Book, BFI.Richards (2009), Best of British: Cinema and Society from 1930 to the Present, I.B. Tauris.Sargeant (2005), British Cinema: A Critical and Interpretive History, BFI.Street (2009), British National Cinema 2, Routledge.UKFC (2004), Our Second Three Year Plan: Funding and Policy Priorities 2004-2007.