A £7 million UK Global Screen Fund has been launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI). The scheme is intended to help support the UK independent film sector in exporting productions to the global market.
Independent companies will be able to apply for grants that can be used to invest in business development, co-production and international distribution. In addition to independent films, the Fund will also open to support other screen content including animation, documentary and television, among others.
According to the DCMS, the UK Global Screen Fund will ensure a UK-wide benefit and address geographical imbalance within the industry by considering where companies and projects are based. The Fund will also consider how these projects reflect the talent and culture of Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and English regions outside of London.
Oliver Dowden, the UK Digital Secretary, said: ‘The UK Global Screen Fund will export the extraordinary talent and creativity of the UK to audiences across the globe, supporting our talented filmmakers and screen businesses to compete and grow.’
Actor Jude Law, who starred in The Talented Mr Ripley and the Sherlock Holmes series, has endorsed the UK Global Screen Fund and stated that the ‘additional investment will assist in sparking new international partnerships for the UK [independent film] industry, generating more jobs and taking our productions to new global audiences’.
Gemma Arterton, who recently starred in a 2020 television adaptation of Black Narcissus and is due to appear in the upcoming title The King’s Man, added: ‘This new fund will help more UK projects and more UK companies reach new international audiences and achieve success with the exciting, independent, boundary-pushing content that we are all so proud of’.
Applications open for the UK Global Screen Fund on 28 April 2021.
For more details on the UK Global Screen Fund, click here.
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