DCMS and BFI launch UK Global Screen Fund to boost global exports of UK content

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the BFI have announced the launch of the UK Global Screen Fund, a one-year pilot fund designed to boost international development and distribution opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector.

The new £7 million fund will target support across the screen sector including film, TV, animation, documentary and interactive narrative games (Interactive) content. Financed by DCMS and administered by the BFI, it will focus on accelerating export growth, boosting revenues to independent UK screen companies and deepening international relationships.

Following extensive consultation with industry from all four nations of the UK and drawing on expertise from across the screen sector, the UK Global Screen Fund has been established to directly address industry need. Aimed at boosting the international competitiveness of UK screen content whilst growing the revenue and sustainability of domestic independent businesses, the fund is designed to help develop and produce projects with international appeal, expand the worldwide distribution of UK content and encourage collaboration with international partners.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The United Kingdom has an independent screen industry to be proud of. World renowned, our film, TV, video game and animation industries create jobs and growth the length and breadth of the UK. 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.”

Ben Roberts, BFI CEO, said: “Today’s announcement of the £7m pilot UK Global Screen Fund will deliver a vital boost to the UK’s exceptional independent screen sector by stimulating international partnerships and generating new export opportunities. As we look to this weekend’s Oscars, and the incredible line up of UK nominees, it’s clear our screen industries continue to punch above their weight internationally, and contribute significantly to the UK economy. It’s vital we continue to build on the global impact of our diverse and brilliant independent screen content, enabling the creativity and success for which the UK is so renowned.”

Constructed to complement the UK’s wider screen landscape, the pilot UK Global Screen Fund is led by Neil Peplow, Director of International Affairs BFI, and will offer funding support across the screen sector value chain. The new one year pilot will allocate funding to three open access strands:

• International distribution funding: support for sales and distribution of one or more UK feature films (drama, documentary, animation) in international territories.
• International business development: financial support for business strategies that drive international growth and IP development for companies working in film, TV (animation, drama and documentary) and interactive narrative gaming.
• Co-Production investment: support for UK companies to be partners in international productions, sharing IP and revenue on film and TV animation and documentary projects with audience potential.

Alongside financial support for UK screen businesses, the UK Global Screen Fund will drive and fund a new international promotional campaign. Informed by newly commissioned audience perception research focusing on key international territories, the campaign will engage global audiences and reflect the extraordinary quality and diversity of screen content coming from the UK. Recognising the vital role of film, TV, animation, documentary and interactive in shaping how the UK is viewed around the world, the activation of this major campaign, set to go live later in 2021, will showcase independent UK screen content through multi-territory promotion of talent, content, and companies.

Underpinning the aims of the UK Global Screen Fund, further investment will support research into a new data hub. This will explore the possibility of providing international data that can allow financiers, screen content creators, sales agents and distributors to make better-informed decisions, establishing an evidence base to compete internationally, and thereby enhancing the UK screen sector’s global opportunities.

Screen content is a major UK cultural export. Recent research by Parrot Analytics, exploring the global reach of British content, found that it ranked second only to the US in its ability to engage audiences around the world, also demonstrating a strong correlation between demand and global availability. The UK Global Screen Fund presents a unique opportunity to increase UK exports by supporting the independent screen sector in maintaining its existing international relationships, whilst further building global networks, growing audiences and in turn generating jobs and skills.

The screen sector is one of the UK’s fastest growing industries, contributing significantly to the national economy. Prior to the impact of COVID-19 the UK was experiencing a major production boom with 2019 figures revealing the highest spend ever on film and high-end television production in the UK, at £3.62 billion and including high levels of international production investment. Despite disrupted production schedules throughout 2020, production spend for the whole of year was £2.84 billion, down just 21% on 2019’s record levels, with the final quarter demonstrating strong recovery with the second highest quarterly result on record.

This success was further proven by spend on animation programme production in the UK, which reached £61 million in 2020, an increase of 55% compared with 2019, with 74% generated by inward investment and co-production programmes. 2020 was also a record year for the UK video games market, hitting £7bn and up 30% compared to 2019. Games development and publishing directly contributed £2.91 billion in GVA to the UK economy in 2019, and a report released by Ukie in 2020 showed that UK games businesses were operating at an average of 80% productivity even throughout lockdown.

This proven talent, innovation and resilience of the screen sector, together with the work of the BFI-led Screen Sector Task Force and UK Government interventions, sees it well-placed for continued economic growth and further potential for making a vital contribution to the UK’s cultural recovery. By supporting and promoting continued collaboration with international partners, and boosting UK exports, the UK Global Screen Fund will stimulate brand new opportunities for growth across the nations and regions.

Independent screen production plays a vital role in this growth and, prior to Covid-19, UK independent film accounted for over £200 million in production spend. The UK Global Screen Fund aims to give a platform to diverse voices, stories and talent by boosting the international profile, appeal and consumption of UK independent content.

UK-based companies eligible for the UK Global Screen Fund will be able to apply from next week, with the International Distribution strand opening on 28 April. Companies will be able to apply for business development funding from May, followed by co-production funding from June.