UK FILM COUNCIL - ARTICLE SNIPPET

[Chance1234]

sorry if this was mentioned in the other thread, but it looked like it had gone OTT anyway,

also im not really here at the moment (don;t ask )

anyway, only have this in hard copy so excuse the typing


Ridings of joy from the UK Film council, which announced over the christmas period that "British Films" -including harry potter, troy, alexander etc had a record share of the us box-office takings in 2004. This follws another triumphant announcement a month earlier, when the council boasted that two of the top five films in UK cinemas last year had been "british" - harry potter and Troy


In truth of course, these films are about as british as dick van dyke in mary poppins. All their revenues go to time warner, an american corporation, as the independant british producer Johnathan Gems pointed out in a recent letter to the FT:" Weirly having allowed the british industry to be destroyed by hollywood, the goverment is now taking credit for hollywood movies!"

To restore a genuine british film industry, gem addes, "We need to place limits on the US distribution cartel which currently controls 88 per cent of teh british marjet".The Cartel in question is UIP, the biggest distribution company in the world, jointly run by the american studios Universal and paramounbt and MGM. British and European fim-makers have long argued that UIP uses its monopoly powers to keep local product out of cinemas, for the benefit of its owners in california.

but its seems unlikeley that the UK Film council will be throwing its weight behind this campaign. The councils newly appointed chairman, Stewart Till, aslso happens to be the british chairman and chief executive of, er UIP.

so , who better to bang the drum and blow the trumpet on behalf of "british films" than the boss of a company that is wholly owned by hollywood studios

[Kev Owens]

"We need to place limits on the US distribution cartel which currently controls 88 per cent of teh british marjet...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The only people that can do that are the government, which I can't see happening in the near future.

Even if it does, a return to the days of British quota quickies is likely. American companies forced to put money into British production: Low budgets, poor quality, but allowing emergence of creative British talent, who when successful hangs a hasty body curve to Hollywood...

... revolution now!!!

[tim partridge]

Thanks for this, Chance.

Great post KevinO, it makes me wonder what cinema would be like today if Maggie Thatcher hadn't napalmed the Eady Levy...

We live in pretty ropey times when even a cheap old Carry On movie, with a built in market regardless of it's quality cannot find funding these days. :s