Atonement and Spencer Producer, Paul Webster, to give keynote interview at this year’s Film London Production Finance Market
Latest 5 Oct 2021News Story
Paul Webster
Film London is pleased to announce that award winning producer Paul Webster will join this year’s Film London Production Finance Market (PFM), set to take place from 12 - 13 October as part of the 65th BFI London Film Festival Industry Programme.
Paul Webster is an Oscar nominated, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning producer. In a career spanning 40 years, he has made over 100 films as a producer and executive. This includes some of the UK’s most commercially and critically successful features such as The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Sexy Beast, Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Radioactive.
In partnership with Joe Wright and fellow producer Guy Heeley he owns Shoebox Films. He has produced five films with Steven Knight. The latest from that collaboration is Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart and directed by Pablo Larrain, which will be released on November 5th 2021.
After forty-six years in the film business, I have seen huge changes but one thing remains constant and that is the belief in the power and beauty of cinema and its ability to touch the hearts and minds of people the world over.Paul Webster
Spencer (2021), courtesy of Shoebox Films
The PFM has been connecting filmmakers with financiers for 15 years, kick starting exciting new projects and cementing London’s reputation as a centre for the global film and screen content business. This year, it is more important than ever that we continue to foster a collaborative and diverse environment, where filmmakers and financiers can work towards potential deals. We are delighted to open the event with award-winning producer Paul Webster delivering this year’s keynote interview and bringing a wealth of insight from a successful career spanning more than four decades. We’re also excited to welcome back alumni of PFM New Talent - the team behind Censor, who attended the market in 2017 - for a behind-the-scenes look at the British horror film. The Production Finance Market is made possible thanks to support from DIT, the Mayor of London and the BFI. I’d like to express our gratitude for enabling Film London to continue to deliver the Market every year.Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission
The PFM is an annual two-day financing event for film held during the BFI London Film Festival. The market connects filmmakers and financiers from across the globe through 1-2-1 meetings as a way to navigate potential business partners and investment. The main strand accommodates feature film projects with budgets above €1m, while the New Talent Strand targets budgets below €1m.
Producer Helen Jones from Silver Salt Films and writer/director Prano Bailey-Bond are set to deliver this year’s Production Finance Market case study, taking a behind the scenes look at British horror, Censor.
Censor (2021), courtesy of BFI Film Fund
Meeting so many financiers in a short space of time, and so many different types of financiers was incredibly helpful. There are a lot of people that we first met at the PFM that we still have relationships with today.Helen Jones
With the health and safety of speakers and delegates at the forefront of event planning, this year’s event is set to take place online, allowing for greater international participation and engagement.
PFM continues its international partnerships with Breaking Through The Lens, EAVE, MIFF 37 South, The Netherlands Film Commission, Ontario Creates IFF@TIFF and South Africa’s National Film & Video Foundation in addition to establishing a new partnership with Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2021. PFM also continues to work with its Spanish and Italian industry colleagues and others across Europe.
The Market is supported by the Mayor of London, the BFI London Film Festival and the Department for International Trade (DIT).
