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Investing in the UK’s creative and cultural future: new funding for national film centre and Stonehenge visitor centre

138/09
16 October 2009

Commitment to other key projects confirmed.

A new state-of-the-art national film centre is to be created on London’s South Bank, thanks to a Government commitment of £45 million, the Prime Minister announced today.

It is one of a number of announcements of flagship cultural projects to help secure Britain's future as a world leader in the creative industries. They include major extensions to the Tate Modern and British Museum and a new visitor centre at Stonehenge.

The British Film Institute (BFI) National Film Centre will showcase the best of British and world cinema across five screens, as well as creating an innovative new space for exhibitions, cultural events, research and study. The UK’s cultural sector is an important and growing part of the country’s economy, with the potential to grow even faster in the future.

Speaking ahead of the project’s launch at the BFI London Film Festival, the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said:

"Britain has achieved worldwide respect for its innovative and vibrant film industry, exceptional arts and rich cultural heritage. This project creates a new home for British film right at the heart of London's cultural centre on the South Bank.

"These are challenging economic times but with backing from the public and private sector, the commitment to the new BFI National Film Centre demonstrates the Government's continuing support for the arts in Britain, and our determination to invest in leading creative industries as part of our economic recovery.

“This is a great British success story and shows what can be achieved with a Government that backs talent and gets behind industry."

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The film centre investment comes on top of £25 million that the Government has already committed to preserve for the nation the BFI’s internationally acclaimed film collection, as well as significant collections held in regional archives - the visual memory of the UK.  This will allow the BFI to creative permanent, safe storage for the country’s cinematic heritage and fund an ambitious digitisation programme which will allow people across the UK to access their screen heritage - wherever they live and wherever the material is held.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ben Bradshaw, also confirmed that the Government is to invest £10 million in a new Stonehenge visitor centre.

Mr Bradshaw, said:

“Stonehenge is one of our best known historic attractions, but facilities for visitors are below par. This will mean Stonehenge will be ready to cope with all the extra visitors expected because of the Olympics. The proposed design was unveiled by English Heritage on Monday and the capital investment announced today means that our most iconic World Heritage Site will finally be able to welcome visitors in a way that is fitting to its international importance.

”These initiatives are part of a programme of Government investment to ensure the continued vibrancy of the country’s cultural infrastructure.”

The Culture Secretary also today confirmed the Government’s commitment to help fund several other significant arts projects - £50 million towards the extension of Tate Modern, £22.5 million towards the creation of the British Museum’s World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, and £33 million to secure the future of the British Library’s newspaper archive in new premises in Yorkshire.

Mr Bradshaw added:

“It is a sign of the Government’s commitment to culture and the arts and a recognition of their importance to our future economic success that we are, even in difficult economic times, investing in these major projects.  Britain's arts and cultural life are the envy of the world and make a huge contribution to the quality and fabric of our individual and national lives.  But they also have a vital economic role – in encouraging overseas and domestic tourism, creating jobs, and nurturing and supporting our creative industries.”


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Notes to editors:

  1. The total cost of the National Film Centre is expected to be £166 million. The London Development Agency is providing £5 million, and the BFI will fundraise to meet the balance.  The centre is expected to be completed by 2015. For further information about the BFI and the National Film Centre contact: Nick Mason Pearson on 020 7957 8901/ 07968 747879.

  2. The Government announced in 2007 that it was to invest £25 million in the UK’s screen heritage (DCMS press notice 122/07, 17 October 2007).

  3. The Government has proposed a merger of the BFI and the UK Film Council, bringing increased efficiency and streamlined support for UK film (DCMS press notice 117/09, 20 August 2009). 

  4. The Government announced in 2007 that it was to invest £50 million in the new gallery at Tate Modern (DCMS press notice 148/07, 5 December 2007). The extension will create a new building, increasing the gallery’s size by 60 per cent and to allow it to display more of its permanent collection.  The new gallery is expected to lead to an extra million visitors a year to Tate Modern, already the most popular museum of modern art in the world.  For further information about the Tate contact: Helen Beeckmans, Head of Communications, 07887 952375.

  5. DCMS announced earlier this year that it has approved in principle the proposed location of the Stonehenge visitor centre (DCMS press notice 77/09, 13 May 2009). English Heritage announced the designs for the visitor centre earlier this week (press notice available on the English Heritage website). For further information about the Stonehenge visitor centre contact: Renee Fok at English Heritage on 0207 973 3250.

  6. The British Museum grant will support the development of the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, which will house state-of-the-art laboratories and studios for the conservation, preservation and research of the collection, a new gallery for special exhibitions, world-class stores for the study collection as well as facilities to support the Museum's extensive national and international loans programme. For further information about the British Museum contact: Esme Wilson on 0207 323 8394.

  7. This British Library newspaper storage project will provide efficient, high-density, low-oxygen storage for the national newspaper collection, securing the preservation of a unique, fragile and deteriorating national asset. For further information about the British Library contact: Ben Sanderson on 020 7412 7110.

 

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