The UK government has established a £21 million ($28 million) Global Screen Fund to boost the country's international reputation for independent movies.
The expansion of a £7 million ($9.4 million) trial program that began last year has helped support UK independent films like Maggie Smith's The Miracle Club and Emma Thompson's Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, the latter of which landed a deal with Searchlight at Sundance last week. Ghastly Ghoul, a UK-Ireland TV cartoon, Drift, a UK-France co-pro, and The Settlers, a UK-Chile-Argentina-France-Denmark co-pro, are among the other films to receive funding.
The BFI will administer the fund for three years, and it will be used for co-production, distribution, and commercial development of UK independent films.
Global Screen, according to BFI CEO Ben Roberts, will provide "critical support" when it starts later this year.
“In its pilot, the fund has stimulated new international partnerships, boosting co-production, distribution and development opportunities to drive growth and export,” he added. “This continued investment recognises the power and potential of UK screen content.”
The initiative is part of a £50 million ($67.1 million) package of measures announced by UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in an effort to "level up" the country outside of London.
The Creative Scale Up Programme, worth £18 million ($24.2 million), will provide financial and business help to enterprises in the creative sectors that aren't situated in London. A extra £8 million ($10.7 million) is set aside for the games industry.
Dorries, who made headlines earlier this month when she stated she wants to abolish the BBC licence fee, claimed that creative enterprises will be "given the tools they need to expand their work and provide more jobs" across the UK.
"Levelling up" is one of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's core pillars, and the package comes as he tries to divert attention away from the "Partygate" crisis that has engulfed his government.
A report into parties at his Downing Street house was released a few hours before these measures were announced, and the Metropolitan Police is also looking into the events.
