The London UK Film Focus (LUFF) returns for a seventh year in a row with a four-day event dedicated to the export of British films.

LUFF, the only event of its kind in the UK, will take place from 28 June to 1 July 2010. Over 120 international film buyers are expected to gather at London’s BFI Southbank for a chance to be amongst the first in the industry to see brand new UK feature films.

To meet demands from the industry it serves, LUFF is expanding its remit this year. Alongside a programme of UK films presented by British sales agents, LUFF 2010 will also showcase a number of UK films represented by foreign sales agents and non-British productions by sales agents from the UK.

As well as showing films with sales representation, LUFF 2010 also returns with the successful Breakthrough strand. With a submission process currently open, Breakthrough gives unrepresented British film-makers a chance to find a sales agent, provides international buyers with a window to spot emerging talent from the UK and exposes new talent to a number of international film festival programmers.

Recent examples of films shown at Breakthrough include She, A Chinese (which won the Golden Leopard at last year’s Locarno Film Festival and releases in the UK later this month) and The Be All and End All, which subsequently gained sales representation and screened at international festivals including Chicago, Rome and Toronto. The deadline for submissions to the Breakthrough strand is 26 March.

LUFF, funded primarily by Film London and the UK Film Council, is widely regarded today as a foremost platform to promote British talent, films and companies to the international marketplace. Last year, UK sales agents accumulated $4m worth of sales as a direct result of LUFF, an increase of $1m from the previous year.

Helena Mackenzie, Head Inward Investment & Business Development at Film London, says: “There is no doubt LUFF has proved itself to be a well-established fixture in the international calendar and I am delighted the event has developed this year so a wider selection of British films and British sales agents can enjoy the benefits of this unique event.”

Press release