Nurturing British Talent - Funding Independent British Film Productions.

The Prime Minister has allegedly decided to pre-empt a long awaited report into the funding of British Film Productions.  He suggests that funding should be directed towards those most likely to make substantial profits.  Aside from infuriating those who have worked hard and long on the report, he has missed the point.  It has proved impossible for Hollywood Gurus -including critics, producers, hedge fund managers, and directors - to predict success or failure in advance of actual receipts. 

The only effect of such a policy would be to starve new, young, innovative film directors and producers of the funding needed to grow the British Film Industry for the next two decades.  The same has been true of the publishing world where shrinking profit margins have led to a disproportionate number of TV celebrity cookbooks, celebrity autobiographies, and established authors, at the expense of new and fresh talent.

I recently had the privilege of working with nagnag productions on the film Echoes which premieres tomorrow in Leigh before moving on to the Bradford Film Festival.  Mine was just a bit part, but it was enough to leave me massively impressed by the skill, determination and commitment of three local young men working with virtually no funding, and  the services of actors from Tyldesley Little Theatre and St Josephs ADS.  Others will judge the result - a one hour twenty six minute feature film - but for me the quality of this wholly digital production is exceptional.  Given just a little seed corn funding I have no doubt it would have been even better.  More importantly, with this film nagnag have proved themselves worthy of investment.  If Mr Cameron has his way they, and many others like them, will never receive it.  And the British Film Industry, and we the filmgoers, will be the poorer for it.

                       Judge for yourselves @        http://echoesfilm.info/