BFI: 'Lottery funds, tax breaks are safe'

The director of the British Film Institute (BFI) has said that lottery funding for films and tax breaks for the industry are both safe.

Amanda Nevill made the comments today at the launch of the 54th BFI London Film Festival at the Leicester Square Odeon.

Nevill noted that much has changed in the period since last year's event. At that time, the Institute was in talks for mergers with the UK Film Council, which will be abolished under the new Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.

She added that "film certainly isn't being singled out" in the cutbacks from the new government, as "nothing is protected" in the current economic circumstances.

"The money for filmmaking from lottery funds is safe, and will almost certainly increase," Nevill claimed. "The tax breaks that were intelligently and carefully and forcefully argued for are to be protected."

She suggested that this funding would continue to make filmmaking in the UK "extremely attractive and competitive" and added that "however callous it might appear", the industry must move on from the Film Council axe and look to the future.

Nevill also underlined that public money is essential to the industry to allow filmmakers to take risks and "sustain solid British excellence", as well as to encourage British audiences to be less conservative in their movie choices.