U.K. Documentary Film Council to Lobby for Support as Sector Faces ‘Existential Threat’: ‘It’s Really Now or Never’
variety.comNaman Ramachandran The U.K.’s Documentary Film Council (DFC) is seeking funds to support the independent documentary sector, which is under “existential threat.” The DFC was formed in response to a three-year study on the U.K.
feature-length documentary film industry and co-designed by several organizations in the field, including Doc Society, Sheffield DocFest, the Grierson Trust, The Whickers, Scottish Documentary Institute, Docs Ireland and BBC Storyville.
An open letter to the U.K. screen industries compiled by the DFC states that the formation of the DFC is “based on the recognition that independent documentary in the U.K.
faces an existential threat and that there is urgent need for coordinated, long-term interventions across the sector.” “Films at the independent end of the spectrum – creative, observational, character-led films, films that originate outside of a commissioner’s brief or which explore difficult-but-vital political or cultural questions – are increasingly hard to get made,” the letter adds. “Production funding for independent docs is chronically low and support for development, let alone distribution and exhibition, is practically non-existent.
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