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<TITLE>Breaking News: Government Scraps UK Film Council.</TITLE>
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News just in via<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT COLOR="#3E3E3E"><FONT SIZE="6"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:24pt'>Women in Film and Television</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14pt'><B>The Voice of Women in Creative Media<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT COLOR="#993366"><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Georgia, Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:15pt'><B>BREAKING NEWS...</B></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Georgia, Times New Roman"><B><FONT COLOR="#3E3E3E"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:18pt'>Government Scraps UK Film Council</SPAN></FONT></B></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Georgia, Times New Roman"><B><FONT COLOR="#3E3E3E"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>The Department For Culture, Media and Sport informed the film agency over the weekend that it plans to abolish the UKFC. John Woodward, CEO of the UK Film Council, told staff about the decision this morning and Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt is due to inform the House of Commons at 2:30pm this afternoon.On their website, the DCMS has announced they will be:'abolishing the UK Film Council and establishing a direct and less bureaucratic relationship with the British Film Institute. This would support front-line services while ensuring greater value for money. Government and Lottery support for film will continue.'Tim Bevan CBE, Chairman of the UK Film Council, has responded by saying:“Abolishing the most successful film support organisation the UK has ever had is a bad decision, imposed without any consultation or evaluation. People will rightly look back on today’s announcement and say it was a big mistake, driven by short-term thinking and political expediency. British film, which is one of the UK’s more successful growth industries, deserves better.“Our immediate priority now is to press the Government to confirm that the funding levels and core functions that are needed to underpin British film are locked-in, especially at a time when filmmakers and film companies need more support than ever as they make the challenging transition into the digital age. To that end, we will work with the DCMS over the summer to identify how they can guarantee both continuity and safe harbour for British film.”We'll try to keep you up-to-date with any further information as this story progresses via our facebook <BR>
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