CHANNEL FOUR INDY FUND REAPS SUCCESS

CHANNEL Four’s Indy Fund productions have won four major awards this year.
These include the RTS Sports Award for an investigation into Olympic Corruption, Industrial society, Campaigner Of The Year award for an investigation into Call Centre employment practices, which has since been nominated at the RTS Regional News Awards in Birmingham and a Special Commendation at the Rory Peck Awards for David Modell filming of Drumcree.
Insight News continues to collect awards for their Sierra Leone films with Sorious Samura in conjunction with Channel Four News and Channel Four.
The Indy Fund, which started in 1998, has commissioned over 40 different production companies both in the UK and abroad. This year they have set up a Regional Investigate Fund for Independents (RIFI) and set aside £100,000 for this fund, which is proving to be very successful as two of the awards originated from this fund.
So far this year regional independents have exposed the complicity of BAT executives with smuggling cigarettes worldwide and the brutal legacy of a former British Officer working for the government of Bahrain.
They have also begun experimenting with innovative productions of hard news stories using DV, stills, video diaries, music and authored reports.
Channel Four dedicated £1.2 million to the independent production sector for contributions to Channel Four News. Investment in independents tripled last year and there were as many as half a dozen Indy stories on the Channel Four News each week.
The Indy team consists of Deborah Rayner and a commissioning producer who is yet to be appointed. New funds will be available from January 2001.
For further information on the fund contact Channel Four News on tel: +44(0) 207 430 4607 or visit the Channel Four website on www.channel4.co.uk