BBC Films told to take more creative risks

BBC Films must take more creative risks and increase the impact of its work among licence fee payers, the BBC Trust has ordered.

The BBC's film financing division, part of BBC Vision, has an annual budget of £12 million for backing around eight feature films every year. Previous hits have included The Damned United, In The Loop and An Education.

The BBC Trust, which approves the strategy for BBC Films, said that the division does a good job of supporting the UK film industry, but that more work needs to be done.

In a report published today, the Trust said that BBC Films must invest in more distinctive and creative films, while also backing the risky projects that the commercial sector may avoid.

The Trust also said that the awareness of BBC Films is "very low" among licence fee payers, and so the division must do more to increase its "audience recognition and impact".

Part of that will involve attracting bigger TV audiences for screenings of BBC-backed films, particularly on BBC Two, which has been earmarked as the 'home of BBC Films'.

BBC Films must also foster more partnerships with the British film industry and help develop new creative talent, including suitable TV talent within BBC Vision.

BBC Trustee David Liddiment, who led the review, said: "BBC Films has a key role to play in supporting a healthy UK film industry and delivers real benefits to licence fee payers.

"The Trust would like to see BBC Films continue to take creative risks and developing UK film projects that the commercial sector might not."

Reacting to the report, the BBC Films creative director Christine Langan said: "From Street Dance 3D to Made In Dagenham and Tamara Drewe, BBC Films has had a successful year and I'm pleased that that Trust has endorsed our strategy, including plans to increase the impact of our films and to keep developing UK creative talent."

BBC Films' annual budget will be protected at an average of £12m for the remainder of the current licence fee settlement, which finishes in 2013.

The budget was increased by £2m from the 2008/09 pot, but the Trust has decided that it "would not be appropriate" to pursue a further increase at a time when the BBC is facing a 16% overall budget cut as part of its new licence fee settlement.