The UK Film Council Binned

The cut backs and tax rises from our newly formed government have struck another blow; this time its target was the UK Film Council. Deadline ran with the report that the decision confirmed in Parliament by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has come about as part of the many cost cutting exercises that have combed the government funded public sector. Hunt stated;

"In the light of the current financial situation, and as party of our drive to increase openness and efficiency across Whitehall, it is the right time to look again at the role, size and scope of these organisations" 

The overall intention by the government is to have the UKFC to cease come April 2011. However, the government has did continue to back its £15 million commitment funded by the National Lottery and its tax relief system for home-grown film productions. 

Established in 2000 with an annual budget of £15million the UKFC was created to "stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UL." Though only blessed with a small budget, in modern cinema terms at least, it was a dedicated pot of money to invest in the British film industry, an industry dwarfed by its American counterpart. 

The UKFC facilitated many project categories, from the development of new promise or in benefiting major releases such as Armando Iannuci's In the Loop and Shane Meadows' This is England. 

The CEO of the UKFC, John Woodward has called the decision 'short sighted and potentially very damaging" and continued to say that there had been 'no notice or period of consultation". 

So what do we make of this? A necessary follow through on their own mandate to make the tough decisions in order to get Britain back on track, or is it a further back hand slap to current generation and  the individuals that aspire to be part of this creative and diverse industry?