FILM COUNCIL APPOINT KAR AS SENIOR EXECUTIVE

THE Film Council's New Cinema Fund have announced that they have appointed Himesh Kar as Senior Executive with responsibility for culturally diverse issues within the UK film industry.
Previously a development producer at Tony Garnett's World Productions and a junior agent at the William Morris Agency (UK), Kar will help stimulate a growth in black and Asian film production through the Film Council's New Cinema Fund supported by £5 million a year.
With the exciting prospect of giving black and Asian film-makers the opportunity to become an integral part of the UK film industry at large, Kar will work within the New Cinema Fund to ensure and promote awareness of Film Council initiatives to Asian, black and other minority communities.
Film Director, Shekhar Kapur, said: "From my experience of working in the UK I've recognised the need for a move towards the active promotion of black and Asian film-makers. I think Himesh will bring about an awareness and create an environment that is essential for the growth of talent working here today."
Kar aims to bring black and Asian film-makers to the fore by encouraging mainstream genres such as horror, romantic comedies, teen oriented films and thrillers not normally associated with ethnic minority film-makers, to be looked at. Alliances with industry and non-industry agencies will be integral to the perpetuation of Kar's work.
Many blacks and Asians currently working in the industry are already offering their support to a move they feel is long overdue.
Paul Trijbits, Head of the New Cinema Fund, said: "Himesh's appointment is an exciting addition to the Film Council's New Cinema Fund, his experience in nurturing talent is a vital component in realising our goals and ambitions at the Film Council." (CD)