UK Film Council Policy and Funding Priorities Consultation

The UK Film Council has published a consultation document, inviting responses to its proposed priorities for 2010 – 2013. Encouragingly, there’s a proposal that they should “provide a new space and funding stream to support experimental filmmaking.” They don’t however define ‘experimental’, but that’s something they are likely to want to establish partly by way of the consultation process. APEngine hopes they’re thinking about a broad range of stuff – including artists’ work, animation, and even work for different platforms.

Let’s not count our chickens though. The proposal echoes what they said last time, proposing an Experimental Production Fund that would “provide a space for singular and experimental directorial and artistic talent.” They reported that some responses to the consultation “readily backed the proposals”, but “others believed that experimental production did not come under the UK Film Council remit” – and that’s the opinion that won out.

So all credit to UK Film Council for not letting it drop. In the last three years, despite not pulling off an actual fund, they’ve at least made some effort. The Moving Image Initiative, a New Cinema Fund collaboration with Arts Council England, produced the successful multi-platform Single-Shot project, and developed several feature projects, including a project by Gillian Wearing, said to be about to get a green light. The Development Fund put some money into Clio Barnard’s forthcoming feature The Arbor, commissioned through the Artangel/Jerwood OPEN. And in September’s issue of Sight & Sound, the head of the New Cinema Fund, Lenny Crooks affirmed that he was looking to make “challenging work” with gallery artists in the future.

So if you want to let them know that you too are supportive of experimental filmmaking then respond to their consultation, via their online survey, which closes on 9 February 2010.