WES ANDERSON - £4.5M BOOST FOR BRITISH FILM BIZ

£4.5M BOOST FOR BRITISH FILM BIZ

As the Times BFI 51st London Film Festival draws to a close tonight, a new £4.5 million drive for British film has been confirmed.

Culture secretary James Purnell has announced the huge financial injection ahead of tonight's closing gala, with Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited taking its UK bow.

The next three years will see £1.25 million a year dedicated to film festivals of international standing, while £250,000 per year for three years will fund up to eight festivals of national significance.

Speaking ahead of the closing gala, Mr Purnell said: "As the curtain closes on the 51st Times BFI London Film Festival, I'd like to congratulate the BFI on another quality, star-studded event and take this opportunity to launch a £4.5 million festival fund which will benefit film fans across the country.

"The UK is the third largest film industry in the world and we know that people in the UK love films," he continued.

"Film festivals are incredibly important in bringing new, exciting and important films to audiences and in the process deliver cultural, social and educational benefits. I hope this new fund will help festivals to boost their pulling power on the global stage."

And John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council, added: "We've got a very diverse array of film festivals in the UK, achieving great results with relatively little funding.

"With a bit more targeted support we believe that the bar can be raised for the benefit of UK audiences and for filmmakers from the UK and around the world. That's why we are committing £4.5 million of additional funding over the next three years to a new festival strategy."

Mr Purnell pledged £25 million to the UK Film Council at the festival's launch on Wednesday October 17th to protect the UK's national and regional film archives.