Film Council and bfi welcome Parliamentary assessment

The bfi and the Film Council have welcomed the publication of a report (Film Council: Improving access to, and education about, the moving image through the British Film Institute) by the all-party House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.
Amanda Nevill, Director of the bfi, made clear that the recommendations of the committee are already being acted on by the British Film Institute. She said: “We welcome this report and are already addressing the key areas raised by the committee through our strategic review and archive review.
“We are actively engaged in refocusing bfi activity to widen access and increase our impact across the UK, while also addressing archive access and conservation issues raised in the report.
“The bfi appeared before the PAC committee in May and much activity has taken place since then. We are confident that the points made by the committee following on from an earlier National Audit Office report, are being addressed decisively."
Chief Executive Officer of the Film Council, John Woodward said: "The bfi plays an invaluable role in supporting film culture and education in the UK and the UK Film Council and bfi are committed to ensuring that bfi's role as guardian of the nation's film heritage and film education is carried out in the most effective way possible maximizing the opportunities for access and involvement across the country.
"This report highlights challenges facing the National Film and Television Archive and the bfi is addressing these though the strategic review taking place at the moment. The Film Council is prepared to contract an extra £1.5m next year to deal with the outstanding issues.”
Amanda Nevill added: “Over the coming months we will unveil a raft of initiatives which will increase our reach across the United Kingdom, increase access to our collections and reinforce the impact of our activities.
(GB)