Background
Over recent years we have witnessed a real increase in public appetite for films which bring to life the last century of the UK’s cultural and social history in ways that no other medium can. The Strategy for UK Screen Heritage seeks to respond to this burgeoning interest by increasing access to our national and regional moving image heritage and by supporting the organisations that create this access.
In June 2007 the Screen Heritage Group, led by the BFI and comprising representatives from the UK Film Council, Regional Film Archives, Regional Screen Agencies and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, launched a consultation paper outlining a Strategy for UK Screen Heritage. Following the consultation period, the Strategy was presented to DCMS, and in October 2007, the Culture Secretary James Purnell announced an award to the UK Film Council (UKFC) of £25 million to safeguard the future of the UK’s national and regional film archives. This £25 million fund will be used to implement the Screen Heritage Strategy over the next two years and we believe this investment by Government acknowledges the real public value of archive film collections. This is a unique and exciting moment for our collective screen heritage. We are now seeking your help and input in turning our vision into reality.
We are currently in Phase 1 of an ongoing strategy. This phase is primarily concerned with securing the BFI National Archive and English regional collections. Phase 2 of the Strategy will include collections in the Home Nations, commercial archives, broadcasters or other national collections such as the Imperial War Museum.