UK Film Council funding looks to open doors to commercial success

The UK Film Council will invest up to £7.5 million in development slates in a bid to direct scripts towards commercial success through international distribution and sales partnerships.
The Development Slate Funding strand launched recently by the UK Film Council will be open to producers seeking Lottery development funding. The fund will make up to £2.5 million a year available over the next three years for up to eight slate investment packages to create new sustainable partnerships between producers, sales companies and distributors.
Jenny Borgars, Head of the Development Fund said: "This new round of slate funding is designed to enable companies from all areas of the film-making chain to get involved in development and to bring fresh approaches into the development arena.
"This initiative builds on the work of the Development Fund in its first three years of activity and offers real resources to create long term relationships in development and across the industry."
Each venture will receive between £250,000 and £500,000 a year from the UK Film Council and will be required to raise matching funding, resulting in up to £5 million a year of development funding to focus the development process towards bringing more high quality and commercial British films to audiences across the UK and internationally.
The Development Fund will also continue to directly invest between £1.5 and £2 million a year over the next three years in single projects outside this scheme.
With slate funding cash these partnerships will invest a minimum of 30% of the overall investment in the development of projects with third parties, enabling more UK producers to access the development slate funding through co-developments, first look deals or similar agreements.
The slate partnerships are also actively encouraged to form relationships with European mainland and other international partners.
The call for applications will begin this month, May 2004, with the criteria for assessment focusing on the commercial and financial viability of the partnerships and their ability to demonstrate effective and public facing business.
For application guidelines please visit www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/funding/features/development/sltfndapp/
(SP)