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NESTA and UK Film Council to drive growth in UK independent film

13/03/2008

"The UK's creative industries are among the best in the world. But to remain competitive they must be prepared to rise to the challenge of the rapidly changing business environment."

A new initiative from NESTA and the UK Film Council will launch today to help drive growth in British independent film companies by encouraging them to take better advantage of new technologies.

NESTA and the UK Film Council are calling for film companies to come forward who want to explore the potential of online sales, distribution and marketing.

Many UK independent films released in the UK each year do not make it to DVD release. The 'Digital Innovation in Film' project will team-up independent film companies with specialist partners to reach audiences in new ways.

The £500K project is the first in a series from NESTA's new Innovators Growth programme, which will explore ways for creative businesses to grow by exploiting new technologies.

Over the next few months, NESTA and the UK Film Council will select up to 10 film companies from across the UK to take part in the project. They will be involved in workshops and receive one-to-one support from "innovation partners" to explore emerging opportunities for new revenue streams.

The new ways of driving business growth that emerge from the project will be shared with support agencies across the UK to help other businesses. With this in mind, the pilot is being developed in conjunction with national and regional development agencies. The UK Film Council estimate that if the pilot is successful, over 100 independent film companies could stand to benefit from the pilot's success.

Expressing her support for the project, Margaret Hodge MP, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, said:

"The UK's creative industries are among the best in the world. But to remain competitive they must be prepared to rise to the challenge of the rapidly changing business environment. This new project is an exciting example of how the sector can move forward and really use the new technologies to its advantage."

Commenting on their involvement, Jonathan Kestenbaum, CEO of NESTA, said:

"Creative businesses in the UK struggle to grow beyond a certain size. This pilot will show how new innovative technologies can drive business growth. If successful, the pilot will offer important learning across the creative industries".

John Woodward, CEO of the UK Film Council, added:

"We know that the world is moving on. Consumers increasingly want to be able to access film any time any place, anywhere and that means online. This is an incredible opportunity for the film industry but it also presents some considerable challenges and means that film companies are going to need to adapt to survive and flourish. That's why this is such an exciting initiative as we are going to give companies who have the right kind of pioneering spirit the tools to be true trailblazers."

Film businesses interested in taking part in the pilot or potential partners should apply now. The deadline for applications is 1 May 2008.

NESTA spokespeople are available for comment and interview. Please contact our press office on 020 7438 2608 or 2643.

About NESTA

NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts. Its mission is to transform the UK's capacity for innovation. We do this in three main ways: by working to build a more pervasive culture of innovation in this country; by providing innovators with access to early-stage capital; and by driving forward research into innovation, with a view to influencing policy.

UK Film Council

The UK Film Council is the Government-backed strategic agency for film in the UK. We aim to stimulate a successful, vibrant film industry and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the UK.

We invest Government grant-in-aid and Lottery money in developing new filmmakers, in funding exciting new British films and in getting a wider choice of films to audiences throughout the UK. We also invest in training, promoting Britain as an international filmmaking location and in raising the profile of British films abroad. We aim to deliver lasting benefits to the industry and the public through:

creativity - encouraging the development of new talent, skills, and creative and technological innovation in UK film and assisting new and established filmmakers to produce successful and distinctive British films;

enterprise – supporting the creation and growth of sustainable businesses in the film sector, providing access to finance and helping the UK film industry compete successfully in the domestic and global marketplace;

imagination - promoting education and an appreciation and enjoyment of cinema by giving UK audiences access to the widest range of UK and international cinema, and by supporting film culture and heritage.