Sunday night's Oscars proved that Britain has become a global centre for film-makers, an English-language door to Europe
As nights of triumph go, Sunday at the Dolby theatre in Hollywood was a spectacular confirmation of the breadth and depth of British talent. Steve McQueen's extraordinary transformation from artist to film director was crowned with best picture for 12 Years a Slave, but Gravity's seven awards for British technological skills are an even better tribute to the range of talent and creativity. Britain has become a global centre for film-makers, an English-language door to Europe that has developed an industry ecology which promises a golden future. The only mystery is why best director winner Alfonso Cuarón, a Mexican who describes himself as a Londoner, did not get a mention in the prime minister's congratulatory tweet.
The BFI – which, after the abolition of the UK Film Council in the government's bonfire of the quangos, is now sole guardian of the film industry – is justifiably proud of Sunday night's roll of honour. The chief executive, Amanda Nevill, said that it showed an industry punching above its weight. People at the South Bank headquarters describe a rare moment where optimal conditions have been created for an explosive growth in film and other creative industries. They point to the benefits of film tax relief, a carefully designed tax incentive scheme that facilitates co-productions and all-British film-making, from small projects such as the grimly compelling Selfish Giant to big-name productions such as Philomena.
From the expanding role of broadcasters such as the BBC and FilmFour in film-making, the crossover talents of video game design and the computer-generated imaging that turned Buckinghamshire into Gravity's outer space, the industry has developed a cultural confidence that is encouraging British film-makers to tell stories with a unique identity. And, according to Oxford Economics, all this is worth more than £4bn a year to the economy, and more than £1.3bn to the Treasury.
This is a great achievement, but it is a fiercely competitive world. In January, Chris Smith swapped his Environment Agency waders for the Film Policy Review and reported on progress on the recommendations he had made in 2012 to strengthen the industry. He found a less dazzling picture than the BFI presents. Small independents, for example, are indeed making more films than ever, but they struggle to get them out to an audience as distributors vie to show big-budget movies. That may be partly about success as well as weakness: more than 4,000 films were submitted to the UK's Raindance film festival, but only 127 were shown. Elsewhere, despite the success of some broadcasters, others – BSkyB, ITV and Channel 5 – have been slow to invest in home-grown film production. No room for complacency, then; but still, a good excuse for a party. Reported by guardian.co.uk 6 hours ago.
As nights of triumph go, Sunday at the Dolby theatre in Hollywood was a spectacular confirmation of the breadth and depth of British talent. Steve McQueen's extraordinary transformation from artist to film director was crowned with best picture for 12 Years a Slave, but Gravity's seven awards for British technological skills are an even better tribute to the range of talent and creativity. Britain has become a global centre for film-makers, an English-language door to Europe that has developed an industry ecology which promises a golden future. The only mystery is why best director winner Alfonso Cuarón, a Mexican who describes himself as a Londoner, did not get a mention in the prime minister's congratulatory tweet.
The BFI – which, after the abolition of the UK Film Council in the government's bonfire of the quangos, is now sole guardian of the film industry – is justifiably proud of Sunday night's roll of honour. The chief executive, Amanda Nevill, said that it showed an industry punching above its weight. People at the South Bank headquarters describe a rare moment where optimal conditions have been created for an explosive growth in film and other creative industries. They point to the benefits of film tax relief, a carefully designed tax incentive scheme that facilitates co-productions and all-British film-making, from small projects such as the grimly compelling Selfish Giant to big-name productions such as Philomena.
From the expanding role of broadcasters such as the BBC and FilmFour in film-making, the crossover talents of video game design and the computer-generated imaging that turned Buckinghamshire into Gravity's outer space, the industry has developed a cultural confidence that is encouraging British film-makers to tell stories with a unique identity. And, according to Oxford Economics, all this is worth more than £4bn a year to the economy, and more than £1.3bn to the Treasury.
This is a great achievement, but it is a fiercely competitive world. In January, Chris Smith swapped his Environment Agency waders for the Film Policy Review and reported on progress on the recommendations he had made in 2012 to strengthen the industry. He found a less dazzling picture than the BFI presents. Small independents, for example, are indeed making more films than ever, but they struggle to get them out to an audience as distributors vie to show big-budget movies. That may be partly about success as well as weakness: more than 4,000 films were submitted to the UK's Raindance film festival, but only 127 were shown. Elsewhere, despite the success of some broadcasters, others – BSkyB, ITV and Channel 5 – have been slow to invest in home-grown film production. No room for complacency, then; but still, a good excuse for a party. Reported by guardian.co.uk 6 hours ago.