Is there a British film industry?

Is it important to seek to preserve a capacity to make British films about Britain in the UK?

  The rationale for the NFTS is to provide education for each new generation of creative talent for our film and television industries. Implicit in this is the encouragement of that talent to make a significant contribution to the making of "British films about Britain in the UK". The work of the NFTS would be limited to vocational training if it did not address how our films can continue to reflect contemporary life across the whole spectrum of our society.

  For the NFTS to fulfil this objective its doors must be open to all talented applicants, regardless of economic, social or ethnic background. The access to education and development for diversity in its broadest sense should underpin our attempts to reflect Britain in our films. Otherwise white, male, middle-class perspectives will continue to characterise most of what the world sees of Britain on its cinema screens and VHS/DVD players.

Does the film industry merit support from Government, if so, how can existing support be improved?

  The NFTS, which is a unique partnership between Government and Industry, lacks long-term agreement over Industry funding. The DCMS provides reliable and generous financial support to the annual NFTS budget, but alongside the hoped-for support from Film Council, Ofcom needs the muscle to protect the support which the School receives from the Broadcasters.

  The NFTS is currently in a dialogue with the Film Council to create a stronger working relationship between talent and Industry. We believe that their objectives regarding the nations and regions and diversity can find common cause with our need to recruit talent from the whole of British society. All Government initiatives that encourage and support these aims are welcome.

How can the production, distribution and exhibition of British films be improved in the UK?

  The finding and development of talent can be frustrated by the lack of opportunity to make films and have access to audiences. The NFTS believes that alternative opportunities for exhibition, such as the Film Council's plan to encourage the establishment of a digital cinema chain, can be a healthy development for the future, providing a window for the work of new and emerging film-makers.

June 2003