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The UK executive was previously director and CEO of the London Film School (Lfs).

Neil Peplow, the former director of international and industry affairs at the British Film Institute (BFI), has joined Neom Media Industries to spearhead talent development at the Saudi media hub.

As industry learning executive director, Peplow will lead efforts to train local talent at Neom and develop the Industry Vocational learning campus being established at the fast-growing production hub. The UK executive was previously director and CEO of the London Film School, which he joined in January this year.

The role is effective immediately and Peplow has relocated to Neom,...

Exclusive: The London Film School (Lfs) has been hit with a new round of senior managerial exits.

Dan Lawson, the school’s Chief Operating Officer, and Véronique Fricke, the longstanding Head of Marketing and Student Recruitment, have resigned from their positions. The pair announced their departures at a recent managerial meeting. The rest of the school and staff have yet to be informed of Lawson’s resignation.

Lawson will leave the school on October 31. An interim COO will be appointed. Veronique will leave on November 1 for a new position at a higher education institution. Senior Communications Manager Holly Blake will be appointed Acting Head of Marketing.

The exit of Lawson and Fricke comes shortly after Neil Peplow resigned from his position as CEO just ten months after taking the post. Peplow has been replaced by Chris Auty, who joins from the National Film and Television School, where he has been...

The London Film School has appointed Chris Auty as its new Director. He will take over from Neil Peplow and start his new role in November.

Auty has been a senior Head of Department at the National Film and Television School for the past ten years. He ran the school’s two-year Ma producing program and was responsible for designing, validating, and running new Ma courses.

Prior to taking up his role at the Nfts, Auty worked several roles within the industry. He was the founder and CEO of The Works plc, and before that, Managing Director of the Recorded Picture Company. He has worked with directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, David Cronenberg, Michael Winterbottom, and Vincent Ward.

“I’m delighted to be taking on the leadership of this renowned film school in the heart of London. It happens to be the place where my own journey into film began...

He takes over the role in November.

Chris Auty, a senior head of department at the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts), is taking over from Neil Peplow as CEO and director at the London Film School (Lfs).

Auty has been at the Nfts for the past 10 years, where he has been head of producing, supervising the development and production of up to 30 short films a year; running the two-year Ma producing programme; and responsible for designing, validating and running Ma courses such as an Ma in entrepreneurship for the arts and marketing across film, television and games.

He takes over the role in November.

Chris Auty, a senior head of department at the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts), is taking over from Neil Peplow as CEO and director at the London Film School (Lfs).

Auty has been at the Nfts for the past 10 years, where he has been head of producing, supervising the development and production of up to 30 short films a year; running the two-year Ma producing programme; and responsible for designing, validating and running Ma courses such as an Ma in entrepreneurship for the arts and marketing across film, television and games.

Artificial Intelligence will be fully integrated into the production process within five years, offering new creative opportunities while endangering the future of creative jobs, according to the latest edition of the Goteborg Film Festival’s Nostradamus report.

The tenth annual report, traditionally released at the Swedish festival in January, launched for the second time today in Cannes. The report charts the near future of the audiovisual industry through interviews with experts and analysis by author Johanna Koljonen. This year’s report is titled Nostradamus Report: Everything Changing All At Once.

The headline finding presented in the report is the speed with which experts expect AI to be fully integrated into the film and TV production process. The report predicts that full integration will occur within 3-5 years and will: “unlock resources and creative capacity.” However, for the industry as a whole, “jobs will start disappearing, and most of them will change.

More than 70 speakers from 17 countries, including “Skam” showrunner Julie Andem, “It Takes Two” game creator/filmmaker Josef Fares, and top commissioners from Viaplay, Netflix, Amazon Studios, Dr, Svt, Nrk and Yle will take center stage at Göteborg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision.

The festival’s flagship drama confab will run Feb. 1-2 both on-site in Sweden’s second largest city, and online, with all streamed sessions open to accredited professionals.

A record 542 delegates – including 39 online visitors – have signed up for the sold-out event, set under the overarching theme “Navigating Disruption and Cultivating Talent.”

”It’s been a challenge to set the core of this year’s program, considering the drastic changes in the drama industry, fuelled by the macroeconomic uncertainties, streaming wars and changing strategies,” acknowledges TV Drama Vision honcho Cia Edström. “But our top industry guests will offer inspiring best-practices on how to navigate these changing times, cultivate talent and innovate in storytelling.

Who does the industry believe would be a good fit to take over from Tricia Tuttle?

The British Film Institute (BFI) has formally begun its search for a new festivals director to take over from Tricia Tuttle.

Tuttle is moving on after officially taking on the role in 2018, having previously held the post of interim festival director for a year and deputy head of festivals for five years.

The role, which comes with an annual salary of £85,000, will include festival director of the flagship BFI London Film Festival (BFI Lff) and also Lgbtqia+ festival BFI Flare, which next takes place...

Who does the industry believe would be a good fit to take over from Tricia Tuttle?

The British Film Institute (BFI) has formally begun its search for a new festivals director to take over from Tricia Tuttle.

Tuttle is moving on after officially taking on the role in 2018, having previously held the post of interim festival director for a year and deputy head of festivals for five years.

The role, which comes with an annual salary of £85,000, will include festival director of the flagship BFI London Film Festival (BFI Lff) and also Lgbtqia+ festival BFI Flare, which next takes place...

New distributor Conic will release the film in February next year.

New distributor Conic has acquired all UK-Ireland rights to Bifa-longlisted documentary Electric Malady.

Conic will release Electric Malady theatrically in February 2023.

It is a first acquisition of a Scottish title for Glasgow-based Conic. The company officially launched last month and has already acquired Sundance winners Utama and Leonor Will Never Die.

Directed by Swedish-born, Glasgow-based artist and filmmaker Marie Liden in her feature debut, Electric Malady portrays the life of a man living with an allergy to electronics, who is forced to retreat from society and live in isolation.

Annabel Grundy currently project-manages the BFI’s UK Global Screen Fund.

Sheffield DocFest has hired Annabel Grundy to the newly created role of managing director.

Grundy will join in December from her current position project-managing the BFI’s UK Global Screen Fund.

The role is a new joint leadership position alongside acting creative director Raul Niño Zambrano, and will see Grundy head up DocFest’s business affairs, partnerships and fundraising, production and operations, and audience development. Former head of film programmes Zambrano was promoted in August to help deliver the 2023 edition.

Grundy, a Sheffield local, has also worked with the British Council,...

Peplow will take up the role from January 30, 2023.

Neil Peplow is to take over as director and CEO of the UK’s London Film School (Lfs), leaving his role as director of international and industry affairs at the British Film Institute (BFI).

Peplow will remain in his BFI role until mid-January, and start leading Lfs from January 30, 2023. He will take over from interim director Peter Holliday, with the appointment made by the Lfs board of governors after what the school describes as “a process that saw wide interest from a broad and highly talented field.”

Peplow was appointed to the...

The London Film School has appointed Neil Peplow as its new Director and CEO. He will take over from Interim Director Peter Holliday and start his new role on January 30, 2023.

Peplow, who is currently Director of International and Industry Affairs at the British Film Institute, was previously an independent Producer and Head of Production at The Film Consortium. A former Chief Executive of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School – Neil left in 2019 after four years to return to the UK. He also had an earlier period in Australia as Director of Screen at the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School.

The appointment was made by the London Film School Board of Governors after what they described as a process that saw interest from a “broad and highly talented” field of candidates.

Governor Peter Holliday, who temporarily stepped away from the board to lead the School as the recruitment process took place,...

First event will be staged in London next spring with Flemish initiative Connext.

The British Film Institute (BFI) is launching a quarterly initiative to bring UK producers and industry representatives together with potential international partners.

Talent from a particular country or region will be invited to screen films in the UK and participate in meetings, case studies and seminars about funding and coproduction opportunities. There will also be some public screenings.

The first event will be with Flanders and Belgian showcase Connext, and will take place in spring 2023 in London.

“It’s about developing a greater understanding of how to...

With UK funding stretched, international partners become more important than ever.

International co-production will be a priority for the British Film Institute (BFI) as part of its 10-year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, announced today (September 23).

“We will grow the number of co-productions,” says the report.

“Co-production is vital in order to be able to nurture, protect and promote the UK independent sector,” said Neil Peplow, the BFI’s director of industry and international affairs.

“The inward investment story has been fantastic in terms of the number of jobs it has created, the level of production and having significant studio and streamer...

The emphasis is on using Lottery funding for widest possible public benefit.

Free monthly screenings in indie cinemas, distribution support for streaming releases and a renewed focus on video games are some of the new measures with which the British Film Institute (BFI) hopes to develop a broader reach and engagement with audiences over the next 10 years, according to the organisation’s 10-year strategy Screen Culture 2033 unveiled today, September 23.

“If there is any kind of learning in the market, it is that there is not one way of doing something. If you’re only doing that one thing, you’re...

The emphasis is on using Lottery funding for widest possible public benefit.

Free monthly screenings in indie cinemas, distribution support for streaming releases and a renewed focus on video games are some of the new measures with which the British Film Institute (BFI) hopes to develop a broader reach and engagement with audiences over the next 10 years, according to the organisation’s 10-year strategy Screen Culture 2033 unveiled today, September 23.

“If there is any kind of learning in the market, it is that there is not one way of doing something. If you’re only doing that one thing, you’re...

Other signess include Sky, Paramount, Apple TV+ and Screen Scotland.

Warner Bros, Disney, BBC, Sky, Paramount and Apple TV+ are among the organisations that have signed a pledge from UK performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity to tackle bullying and harassment in the TV industry

Equity has led on the creation of a Statement of Commitment which aims to safeguard cast and crew, make productions more accountable, and open up reporting lines for those who have experienced inappropriate behaviour on productions.

The statement commits to:

Safer castings and auditions, with professional recruitment standards and auditions undertaken in appropriate workspaces.

The panel explored the most elaborate national policy on inclusion in some of the selected countries.

Taking inclusion seriously can reap financial benefits, according to the British Film Institute’s [BFI] director of industry and international affairs, Neil Peplow, who spoke at Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days.

“For us, this is an opportunity. This isn’t a burden, it’s a benefit. There are people from diverse backgrounds who are talented, who don’t think this is an industry for [them],” Peplow said. ”There are stories that we haven’t yet heard that actually hit a market that is financially viable.

Includes keynote with Good Chaos founder Mike Goodridge.

Sarajevo Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for CineLink Talks, the conference section of its industry programme CineLink Industry Days, which takes place from August 13-18.

This year’s edition of CineLink Talks will host 21 panels and 59 speakers, spanning masterclasses, debates and seminars on topics such as gender equality through to film and drama series financing.

The panels will discuss topics including distribution challenges, new funding strategies for social impact films, and producing and releasing short films. The latter features senior execs from Vimeo and WeTransfer.

Good Chaos founder Mike Goodridge, who...

Critical crew shortages caused by the ongoing U.K. production boom can be alleviated by an industry-led investment approach, a study published by the British Film Institute (BFI) recommends.

Film and high-end television production spend in the U.K. reached over 7.65 billion in 2021 and is forecast to hit 9.3 billion by 2025. A skills review commissioned by the U.K. Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport and executed by the BFI found that the boom is leading to increasing crew shortages at all levels, which are beginning to negatively impact the industry and contribute to highly stressed workplaces. The consequent production budget rises are affecting the independent sector most acutely, the review found.

U.K. production will require up to 20,770 additional full-time employees by 2025, needing an overall training investment of over £104 million (128 million) a year, a figure which is approximately 1.4 of the projected level of production spend that year.

To meet the eye-watering demand,...

Click here to read the full article.

The U.K.’s unprecedented and record-breaking growth in film and high-end TV production is in danger of hitting a wall should the industry not address a looming — and, in large parts, already present — skills shortage.

So warns the British Film Institute, which as part of a new Skills Review looking at scripted productions has urged for major internal investment in training to ensure that an additional 20,770 full-time employees are working in the sector to reach the level of demand expected by 2025.

Total spend on film and high-end TV topped £5.64 billion (7.67 billion) in 2021, a new record and way ahead of already soaring pre-pandemic production levels. Research published last week by U.K. organization ScreenSkills forecasted that this figure would rise to £7.66 billion (9.37 billion) by 2025.

This rise is obviously something for the local sector to be extremely proud of, with Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Warner Bros...

The BFI and British Council have revealed the line-up for this year’s Great8 showcase, which allows international distributors and festival programmers to get an early look at eight releases from emerging U.K. filmmakers in the run-up to Cannes Marché.

Now in its fifth year, the showcase on May 12 will allow filmmakers to screen unseen footage from the films, which will be available to buy during the market, which runs from May 17-28.

Of the eight films selected for the showcase, one has also been selected for the official Directors’ Fortnight and another for the Critics’ Week line-up. The remaining six films are in post-production.

The Great8 showcase is funded and organized by the BFI and the British Council, in partnership with BBC Film and Film4. It has previously presented films including “I Am Not A Witch” and “Calm with Horses.”

Neil Peplow, the BFI’s Director of Industry and International Affairs,...

“What we really need from Europe is help with lethal weapons,” said producer Volodymyr Yatsenko.

Ukrainian filmmakers and executives more used to attending festivals and film markets are now carrying weapons – and joining the battle to protect their country against the invading Russian army. Other producers are hiding with their families in makeshift bunkers as the Russian military draws nearer.

Speaking to Screen today (February 25), producer Volodymyr Yatsenko, chairperson of the Film Industry Association of Ukraine (Fiau) who until recently attended Eurimages meetings on behalf of his country, said he will be returning to Kyiv tomorrow to fight. He had...

The UK and Australia have signed an updated audiovisual co-production agreement in a bid to enhance collaboration between the countries’ film and TV industries.

First put in place 30 years ago, the co-pro agreement governs cooperation on screen projects between the two nations. The new rules, which follow the UK’s exit from the European Union and its various film and TV initiatives, will modernize the pact and make it easier for UK and Australian filmmakers to co-produce together, according to the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms).

Updated terms include allowing UK-Australia co-productions to hire staff from third-party countries more easily, while co-producers will now also be able to make a smaller minimum financial contribution towards their project in order to benefit from the treaty.

Since 2010, there have been more than 180 co-productions made with the UK, including The Father (France) and Brooklyn (Canada/Ireland), while projects...

“The Miracle Club,” an Ireland-u.K. co-production starring Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney, is one of a further nine independent co-productions being supported by the U.K. Global Screen Fund with a total of £1.32 million ($1.74 million).

The film is produced by Chris Curling and Zephyr Films with Irish producer ShinAwil Limited and funding from Screen Ireland and is being executive produced by Embankment Films.

Previously announced grant recipients include “My Happy Ending,” a U.K.-Israel official co-production, starring Miriam Margolyes and Andie MacDowell, which has recently wrapped production in Wales, and “The Coop Troop,” a U.K.-China-France animated co-production, which is now in the principal animation stage in Northern Ireland.

The U.K. Global Screen Fund is worth £7 million, which is financed by the U.K’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and administered by the British Film Institute. It was set up...

Filmmakers praise one-on-one attention, programmer presence.

The disruption of events over the past two years might have been the reset Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Poff) needed for its 25th edition.

“Over these past two weird years, we’ve realized that anything is possible if we put in the work,” said Poff festival director Tiina Lokk. ”I would never have imagined that PÖFF would have a web cinema or that we would equip our guests with personal air purifiers around their necks.”

To overcome the challenges posed by Covid, the festival provided all industry guests with a Covid-19 antibody nose...

Focus, an event for international production professionals from across film, television, animation, documentary, advertising and games, returns to London as a live event Dec. 7-8. Now in its seventh year, the confab combines two days of live events at London’s Business Design Centre, and four more days of online streaming.

The industry event, which presents its conference program in partnership with Variety, allows delegates to meet in person or virtually with content makers, film commissions, production services and location providers from across the globe.

Designed to be inclusive, entrance to the live event is free — a nod organizers say to the extensive use of freelance workers in the creative industries — and digital access for the online section carries a modest charge.

Billed as “the meeting place for international production,” Focus has more than 60 program sessions, including keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops and presentations, both in person and live-streamed, from more than 150 leading industry experts.

It’s been a challenging year-and-a-half for co-productions between Switzerland the U.K., but there appears to be cause for optimism.

Directors of media funds from both countries, as well as a pair of producers, gathered at a Locarno Film Festival panel to discuss co-financing and co-production opportunities between the two countries, and to try and entice the room to share in that positive outlook.

Neil Peplow, BFI director of industry and international affairs, was at the center of proceedings as he explained how the U.K. Global Screen Fund (Ukgsf), launched earlier this year, has the potential to replace the financial support that was lost by the U.K. leaving Creative Europe’s Media program due to Brexit.

“We’re very much here, we’re very much present, and we very much appreciate the importance of co-production, especially with our European partners,” Peplow said. “Although we may have left the EU,...

While India does not have its usual physical pavilion at the Cannes market this year, due to pandemic travel restrictions, and Bollywood stars aren’t setting the red carpet on fire, the business of cinema continues to be discussed at the virtual India pavilion.

At a lively session on Thursday, moderated by Vikramjit Roy, head of India’s Film Facilitation Office (Ffo), Dhanpreet Kaur, MD of the country’s National Film development Corporation (Nfdc), said that the long-awaited incentives for international productions shooting in India, are “on the verge” of being finalized.

“Co-productions should not be bogged down with so many rules and checklists. We need to keep some leeway,” Kaur said. Once the incentives are revealed, the Ffo will handle applications.

Flexibility was also the mantra for panelist Neil Peplow, head of the £7 million ($9.77 million) U.K. Global Screen Fund administered by the British Film Institute. Peplow talked up...

Virtual sessions include talent talks with Mark Cousins and Eva Husson.

Talent talks featuring directors Mark Cousins and Eva Husson, and producers Kat Mansoor, Elizabeth Karlsen and Tracy O’Riordan all feature in We Are UK Film’s online programme of industry sessions running during this year’s Cannes Film Festival (July 6-17).

We Are UK Film will be a virtual UK pavilion presence in Cannes this year owing to challenges around travel during the pandemic. Set up and funded by the BFI with partners including British Council, the national and regional screen agencies and the British Film Commision (Bfc), the...

The British Film Institute (BFI) has kicked off its U.K. Global Screen Fund with cash awards for Cannes titles “Ali & Ava” and “Mothering Sunday.”

“Mothering Sunday,” directed by Eva Husson from a screenplay by Alice Birch and starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth, will launch in the festival’s Cannes Premiere section and is represented by Rocket Science, who are awarded £32,930 by the fund.

“Ali & Ava,” written and directed by Clio Barnard and starring Claire Rushbrook and Adeel Akhtar, will premiere in Directors’ Fortnight and is represented by Altitude Film Sales, who are awarded £40,000.

The fund, from the U.K.’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and administered by the BFI, is worth £7 million. It is designed to support U.K. sales agents to increase their international promotion and sales of U.K. feature film projects and is awarded in the form of non-repayable grants.

Virtual sessions include talent talks with Mark Cousins and Eva Husson.

Talent talks featuring directors Mark Cousins and Eva Husson, and producers Kat Mansoor, Elizabeth Karlsen and Tracy O’Riordan all feature in We Are UK Film’s online programme of industry sessions running during this year’s Cannes Film Festival (July 6-17).

We Are UK Film will be a virtual UK pavilion presence in Cannes this year owing to challenges around travel during the pandemic. Set up and funded by the BFI with partners including British Council, the national and regional screen agencies and the British Film Commision (Bfc), the...

It’s proving to be a pivotal few weeks for the £7 million ($9.77 million) U.K. Global Screen Fund (Ukgsf).

Launched earlier this year by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and the British Film Institute (BFI), the fund is widely seen as the U.K. government’s replacement for the money disbursed by Creative Europe’s Media program, which ceased once Brexit came into effect.

A one-year pilot, the Ukgsf is designed to be a new source of international distribution, business development and co-production coin for U.K. companies in the film, TV, documentary, animation and interactive sectors.

The ambition is that the Ukgsf helps U.K. indies spread their wings on the global stage, not just with partners in the EU but with other international territories as well.

Earlier this week, former All3Media exec VP of corporate development Denitsa Yordanova was named as head of the Ukgsf.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has appointed Denitsa Yordanova as head of the recently launched U.K. Global Screen Fund, reporting into Neil Peplow, BFI director of industry and international affairs.

The fund is set up as an export booster, designed to help the U.K. screen sector compete effectively in the international marketplace. Financed by the U.K.’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and administered by the BFI, the one-year pilot fund, worth £7 million ($9.7 million) is now open for applications across three strands – international distribution, international business development and international co-production.

Yordanova will join July 12 and work closely with the Dcms. The executive has considerable experience, most recently as EVP corporate development at All3Media and head of strategy and corporate development at Endemol Shine. Prior to this, she was responsible for business development and investment initiatives at Guardian Media Group and helped manage an investment fund of over £1 billion.

The BFI has named former All3Media and Endemol Shine exec Denitsa Yordanova as the head of its new UK Global Screen Fund, which is being introduced to plug funding gaps left post-Brexit.

The initial £7M ($9.7M) pot aims to support the UK’s independent screen sector encompassing film, TV, animation, documentary and interactive narrative games.

Questions have been raised about whether the Global Screen Fund will do enough to aid producers impacted by Brexit. Just yesterday, it was revealed that the European Union is exploring declassifying UK film and TV content as ‘European’ in the eyes of the audiovisual media services directive, which currently allows it to qualify for quotas that apply to broadcasters and online platforms across the content. Any such decision could decrease the appeal of UK shows to Euro funders and buyers.

The UK received €12.2M (£10.9M / $14.5M) in Media funding in 2018 and a total of €74m...

New role will come active from July 12.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has appointed former All3Media and Endemol Shine executive Denitsa Yordanova as head of the recently-launched UK Global Screen Fund.

Starting on July 12, Yordanova will lead the promotion, delivery and growth of the Fund, which is operating initially on a one-year pilot. She will report to BFI director of industry and international affairs Neil Peplow, and will work closely with the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms).

Yordanova had been EVP corporate development at UK-based media company All3Media since November 2020. Prior to that,...

Neil Peplow, director of industry and international at the BFI, outlined how the fund will work at Screen’s Restart conference.

Neil Peplow, director of industry and international at the British Film Institute (BFI), has outlined in detail how companies can access the new £7m UK Global Screen Fund (Gsf), the creation of a UK version of Unifrance, and a summit to discuss the progress of the fund later this year.

The Gsf went live as a one-year pilot in April by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and is being administered by the BFI. Its aim...

The British Film Institute (BFI) has promoted Harriet Finney as deputy CEO and executive director of the newly formed corporate and industry affairs team.

Finney joined the BFI in 2017 as director of external affairs and heads the organization’s Screen Sector Task Force, which guides industry engagement with government on issues like Brexit and policy recommendations during the pandemic, including the Production Restart Scheme, the Culture Recovery Fund, quarantine exemptions for the film and TV industries, and the recently launched U.K. Global Screen Fund.

In her expanded new role, Finney will work closely alongside BFI chief executive Ben Roberts and focus on strategic leadership of the BFI’s work with stakeholders from the cultural sector, industry and government. In this role Finney will lead on the successor to the BFI’s five-year strategy, BFI2022, and will oversee the BFI Film Fund, which will be led by Mia Bays who...

Appointments relate to BFI’s strategic plans and work with government.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has promoted Harriet Finney to deputy CEO and executive director of the new corporate and industry affairs team.

Working alongside CEO Ben Roberts, Finney will focus on the strategic leadership of the BFI’s work with the cultural sector, industry and government. She will lead on the successor to the BFI’s five-year BFI2022 strategy.

The BFI has also expanded the role of director of international affairs Neil Peplow to director of industry and international affairs, with a specific focus on policy and funding interventions to drive industry growth.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has upped Harriet Finney to the role of Deputy CEO and Executive Director of the newly formed Corporate and Industry Affairs team.

That team will include Neil Peplow, taking on an expanded role as Director of Industry and International Affairs, and Rishi Coupland, who is joining in July as Head of Research and Insight. Finney will also have oversight of the BFI Film Fund, which will be led by Mia Bays who is joining the BFI in the fall as Film Fund Director, and the Young Audiences Content Fund led by Jackie Edwards.

Finney will report to Ben Roberts, who made the step up from Deputy to CEO in 2020 after the departure of Amanda Nevill. The org said her role will be focused on strategic leadership of the BFI’s work with stakeholders from the cultural sector, industry and government to advance the UK’s...

The panel will feature Neil Peplow, director of international affairs at the BFI, Number 9 Films’ Elizabeth Karlsen and Paper Owl Films’ Grainne McGuinness.

The upcoming Restart Conference (May 18-20) will hear how UK filmmakers and companies can get the most out of the new £7m UK Global Screen Fund. Financed by the Dcms and administered by the BFI, the Fund aims to help UK content and companies reach international audiences.

Register here

Neil Peplow, director of international affairs at the BFI, will outline how the fund will work in practice, how to apply and what success will look like at...

The UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and the BFI have announced the launch of the UK Global Screen Fund, the one year pilot fund designed to help plug the sizeable gap left by the absence of Creative Europe’s Media funding post-Brexit.

The £7M ($9.7M) Global Screen Fund for the UK’s independent screen sector is aimed at “developing and producing projects with international appeal, expanding the worldwide distribution of UK content and encouraging collaboration with international partners.”

The pilot fund is led by Neil Peplow, Director of International Affairs BFI, and will allocate funding to three open access strands:

International distribution funding: support for sales and distribution of one or more UK feature films in international territories.

International business development: financial support for business strategies that drive international growth and IP...

The U.K’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and the British Film Institute (BFI) have formally launched an export booster fund to replace the European tap that ran dry with Brexit.

Grants disbursed from Creative Europe’s Media program were worth an average of €18.5 million ($22.2 million) a year to the cultural and audiovisual sectors in the U.K. and ceased once Brexit came into effect.

The new U.K. Global Screen Fund, announced by U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak last year, is worth £7 million ($9.7 million).

Financed by Dcms and administered by the BFI, the one-year pilot fund will will target support across the independent screen sector including film, TV, animation, documentary and interactive narrative games content.

It will allocate funding to three open access strands. These include international distribution funding providing support for sales and distribution of one or more U.K. feature...

Recruitment for the head of the Fund is ongoing.

The first strand of the UK’s new Global Screen Fund (Gsf) is launching next week.

International distribution funding goes live from Wednesday April 28 and will support the sales and distribution of one or more UK feature films in international territories.

Companies can apply via the BFI website which will also host guidelines for the Fund.

With the goal of engaging global audiences in UK film and TV content, the £7m Fund will allocate money in a further two open access strands.

International business development will be open to applications from May.

BFI has opened applications for the £70,000 fund head.

The UK’s new BFI Global Screen Fund (Gsf) is set to go live in April as the BFI opens the recruitment process for a fund head to lead the pilot programme in its first year.

Neil Peplow, BFI director of international affairs, has confirmed he and his team are “working at pace” to get the £7m government-backed fund in place.

“We hope to be able to publish guidelines in due course and the recruitment process for a fund team is underway,” said Peplow. “We are excited this new fund will help...

The showcase and pitching event will run online on Friday, October 16.

Making stars out of the UK’s black film, TV and novel writers is the ambition of theatre, film and TV director Alby James, head of development at the Ida Rose production outfit.

He has teamed with Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of London’s Young Vic Theatre, for the ’Taking Black Writers Seriously’ showcase and pitching event for 10 black novelists and film and TV screenwriters at the BFI London Film Festival on Friday, October 16.

James has been working with the selected writers throughout the year to workshop projects with...

“There is a dividend in diversity,” agreed Neil Peplow, head of international at the BFI.

Films will become more representative and more international in scope as the industry emerges from the Covid-19 crisis, suggested a group of experts talking on the TIFF panel ‘Unprecedented Territory: Financing In The Shadow Of A Pandemic’ earlier this week.

Leading US producers Effie Brown CEO of Gamechanger Films and Mike Jackson, managing partner of Get Lifted Film Company, were joined by Neil Peplow, head of international at the British Film Institute (BFI). They were all optimistic about the dynamic forces shaping the new entertainment world.

With the struggling U.S. indie film sector deeply impacted by the Covid 19-era industry shutdown, being without Coronavirus insurance cover needed to return to production, filmmakers at the Toronto Film Festival were told to look overseas for solutions.

“There can be in a moment of crisis a tendency to look inwards and build barriers and to think about local first. But this is a point where we need to look internationally with renewed focus,” Neil Peplow, director of international at the British Film Institute, told a virtual panel on film financing during the pandemic.

The indie film ...

With the struggling U.S. indie film sector deeply impacted by the Covid 19-era industry shutdown, being without Coronavirus insurance cover needed to return to production, filmmakers at the Toronto Film Festival were told to look overseas for solutions.

“There can be in a moment of crisis a tendency to look inwards and build barriers and to think about local first. But this is a point where we need to look internationally with renewed focus,” Neil Peplow, director of international at the British Film Institute, told a virtual panel on film financing during the pandemic.

The indie film ...