BFI to look into securing the future of UK Independent Film

The BFI has announced the setting up of a new Commission to consider the health of independent film in the UK. It says the new Commission on UK Independent Film will make recommendations, based on the evidence it collects, on how best to guarantee the long-term future of the sector.

The Commission – setup as part of the BFI’s five-year plan for UK Film – will be chaired by the head of Lionsgate UK and Europe, Zygi Kamasa, with the rest of the panel to be announced later this month.

The BFI says there’s a fresh cultural vibrancy in British independent cinema, but the challenges facing the sector are more pronounced than ever. The BFI’s Chief Executive Officer, Josh Berger, said, “The role of the BFI is to ensure that independent film – the incubator of creativity – flourishes.”

Locke was among the British independent films recently released by Lionsgate in the UK

In a statement, Kamasa said, “I am very happy to accept the BFI’s invitation to chair this Commission and look forward to working with them and our new board who have the depth of knowledge and experience to identify and consider the most critical issues facing our sector now and in the future.”

Under Kamasa, Lionsgate recently pledged to finance and co-invest in up to 25 British independent films over a four year period, having invested in and released films including Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus and the Tom Hardy one-hander Locke.

Over the next four months, contributions will be sought from specialists across the industry, including experts from production, sales, distribution and exhibition, with conclusions to be published in the autumn.