FILM COUNCIL ANNOUNCE £1.262 MILLION FUNDING

THE FILM Council's Lottery-backed Development Fund have announced £1.262 million funding in their first round of slate deals to support six UK companies working on a range of film projects.
In addition to creatively developing film projects, the funding will help to build the pool of film development executives in the UK.
All of the producers involved in these companies have established track records in film production and are using development and overhead funding to build fast-growing businesses that can compete in the international marketplace. They are: Archer Street Tiger Lily producers Andy Paterson, Anand Tucker and Frank Cottrell Boyce are merging with new producers Natasha Dack and Nikki Parrott; Autonomous is a new company which brings together producers Cat Villiers and Chiara Menage; Dragon Pictures - producers Graham Broadbent and Damian Jones are expanding their development slate and production activities and will shortly be announcing additional executives; Fragile Films - producer Barnaby Thompson is part of the consortium that has bought Ealing Studios; The Jim Henson Company - the Camden-based producers of ‘The Muppets’ and ‘The Hoobs’ will create a new development post in London to focus on family entertainment films and fantasy films; Kuhn & Co - producer Michael Kuhn has recently sealed a production and distribution deal with 20th Century Fox and are bringing development executive Colleen Woodcock into a new commercially driven company for international filmmakers focusing on larger budget productions.
Separately, the Development Fund have also set up an innovative slate deal with the National Film and Television School to support producing students specifically to acquire and adapt properties during their course and for them to further develop as they move into the industry.
The slate deals provide support for the companies in year one of their relationship with the Development Fund but will likely extend beyond to two and three years. Overall the fund is looking to support a range of companies and a wide range of projects.
John Woodward, Film Council Chief Executive Officer said: "The Film Council have set up this slate funding mechanism as a way to strategically support the growth of companies which can maintain a flow of product which is key to developing a sustainable film industry." (CD)