With partners Northern Film & Media, Hosting Events in London and Gateshead to Boost the Export of Films from Emerging British Talent

Film London has joined forces with BAFTA and associate partners Northern Film & Media, to deliver events in London and Gateshead in January 2012 to guide UK emerging producers through the role of sales companies and distributors. Breakthrough: A Guide to International Film Sales & Distribution, which is supported by Kodak and Creative England, aims to boost both domestic distribution and the international export of British independent films.

Breakthrough: A Guide to... is from the organisers of the annual London UK Film Focus (LUFF), the UK's premier film export event. Breakthrough is LUFF's popular strand, which offers emerging British film-makers a unique and vital platform to showcase their work to international buyers and programmers of prominent international film festivals. Breakthrough: A Guide to... will cover the role of international sales companies, how film-makers can best utilise the festival circuit to form a global film festival strategy and guidance on presenting projects to the international marketplace.

Speakers at the events will include Stephen Kelliher, Head of Sales and Marketing at Bankside Films and Chair of Film Export UK, Carey Fitzgerald, Managing Director of High Point Media Group, Natalie Brenner, EVP, International Sales at Ealing Metro International, Julia Short, Head of Acquisitions at the Works Film Group, Rebecca Hawkes, Managing Director of Schedule 2, Nicola Kettlewood, Edinburgh Film Festival, and Mia Bays, producer and Sales/Distribution Consultant.

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission said: "Supporting grass roots talent is central to Film London's objectives and in order for the UK to sustain a healthy domestic industry and capitalise on the strength of our talent, we - together with our partners - believe it is important to support film-makers through the complexities of exhibition and distribution."

Helena Mackenzie, Head of Inward Investment & Business Development at Film London said: "LUFF plays an important role in promoting British talent internationally and I am especially delighted that the Breakthrough strand has gone from strength to strength, successfully showcasing work from new film-makers that consistently sparks the interest of the international buyers. These events are a natural progression in our aim to support even more film-makers as well as increase the number of British films which reach an international audience."

Topics will range from acquisitions and distribution, festivals and markets, the role of delivery agents as well as a session where sales companies pitch their service to producers so they better understand the sales agent's role in the value chain. Both events will be followed by networking drinks.

Breakthrough: A Guide to... in London will take place at BAFTA on Tuesday 24 January 2012, in Gateshead it will run at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts on Tuesday 31 January 2012. Early bird tickets available now at www.filmlondon.org.uk/breakthroughevents, priced at £30 (VAT inclusive). The events also aim to boost entries to LUFF's Breakthrough strand, which will launch a call for submissions in January 2012.

ENDS

For further press information, please contact:
Colette Geraghty
T: +44 (0) 20 7613 7680
M: +44 (0) 7917 437 699
E: colette.geraghty@filmlondon.org.uk

About Breakthrough: A Guide to International Film Sales & Distribution

Tuesday 24 January 2012: London event at BAFTA

Tuesday 31 January 2012: Gateshead at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts

Early bird tickets available before 6 January: £30 (VAT inclusive)

After 6 January, tickets: £40 (VAT inclusive)

Limited travel and admission bursaries are available (recoupable after the event). Please send an email to events@bafta.org and include a company profile with credits. If you are successful, we will send you details of how to claim the bursary payment. Please note that you must live in the English regions (not Greater London) and you must live at least 50 miles from the venue to be eligible for the travel bursary.

www.filmlondon.org.uk/breakthroughevents

About Film London
Film London, as the capital's film and media agency, aims to ensure London has a thriving film sector that enriches the city's businesses and its people. The agency works with all the screen industries to sustain, promote and develop London as a major international production and film cultural capital, and it supports the development of the city's new and emerging film-making talent. Film London is funded by the Mayor of London, the National Lottery through the BFI, and receives significant support from Arts Council England and Skillset.

Film London's activities include:

• Managing the national remit for inward investment through film
• Maintaining, strengthening and promoting London and the South East's position as a film-friendly region to attract investment
• Investing in new and established talent through a range of specialised production schemes
• Boosting employment and competitiveness in the capital's film and media sectors by facilitating funding as well as supporting training and business development activities
• Maximising access to the capital's film culture by helping audiences discover film in all its diversity
• Working with a wide range of partners to promote London through the production industries
• Utilizing opportunities provided by London 2012 and its legacy to strengthen the capital's film industry and culture

An independent evaluation of Film London concluded that for every £1 invested in the agency, £4 comes back to the city. www.filmlondon.org.uk

Film London also manages the British Film Commission through a public/private partnership which is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through the BFI. www.britishfilmcommission.org.uk

About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world's most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit www.bafta.org.

About Northern Film & Media

Northern Film & Media (NFM) is a creative industry development agency based in Newcastle. Our vision is to create a strong commercial creative economy in the North East by commercialising talent and ideas.

Historically we have generated £4 for every £1 of public money we have invested.

NFM provides the link between talent, experts and the market, introducing the talent to the market and introducing the market to the talent.  

The independent agency invests in talented individuals and innovative companies, ensuring that creative enterprise succeeds in national, regional and international markets.

NFM takes an entrepreneurial rather than bureaucratic approach, drawing funding from a number of sources to deliver a high economic return for the North East. However, funding is only part of the picture. Because the agency is industry-led and agile, NFM uses seed investment, influence, leverage, industry expertise and partnership working to make an impact.

Northern Film & Media have become an efficient and dynamic entity for supporting creative industry development and have an industry board, including practitioners from film, television, games, web, mobile, games and music.

www.northernmedia.org