Corbett criticises film merger proposal
Writers' Guild General Secretary, Bernie Corbett, has criticised the proposed merger of the BFI and UK Film Council, announced today by Film Minister, Siôn Simon.
"A new, streamlined single body that represents the whole of the film sector will offer a better service both for film makers and film lovers," Simon said.
"There are practical issues which we need to resolve to ensure that this proposed merger brings about the benefits we want without impacting on the work currently done by the BFI and UKFC. DCMS will now work closely with both BFI and the UKFC to deliver a better service for film."
Corbett, however, disagreed.
"No one in the arts and entertainment world will believe this is any more that penny-pinching intended to free up a few more pounds to be sucked into the Olympics black hole," he said.
"The true extent of Government support for the BFI may be judged by observing that in the past ten years its world-class Museum of the Moving Image has been starved to death, its dreams of a new HQ on the South Bank have been dashed, and its vital task as the preserver and populariser of the UK film heritage has fallen ever further behind schedule because of shortage of funds.
"As for the UK Film Council, its principal creative achievement has been to dream up ever more laughable ways of classifying multinational projects as 'British film'. Recent examples of so-called UK films include Mamma Mia!, Quantum of Solace, Sweeney Todd, 10,000 BC and Son of Rambow. The UKFC so much prefers adaptations over original projects that it can no longer bring itself to use the term “screenwriter”, preferring to talk about “story material”. It has spent more effort on obtaining tax breaks for international co-productions than on finding and fostering genuine home-grown creativity.
"A merger between these two bodies makes about as much sense as a merger between the Science Museum and British Aerospace. Will it be this Government or the next one that finishes the job by throwing the fast-declining Arts Council into the same jumble-sale operation?
"Today’s announcement confirms Britain as a nation blessed with extraordinary reserves of talent and cultural heritage, delivering audiences and cultural tourists by the million, but governed by short-sighted philistines, box-ticking bureaucrats and self-deluding economists.
"RIP British film."
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