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As the UK Film Council announces a funding boost, distributing £325,000 of Lottery money to young film-makers, the National Audit Office (NAO) has published its report into the British Film Institute (bfi), the biggest beneficiary of the Film Council?s Government grant-in-aid.

The report ?Film Council ? increasing access to, and education about, the moving image through the British Film Council? makes criticisms and recommendations which the Film Council?s other projects may already be doing something to address.

The National Audit Office scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament. Its 43-page report (HC 593 Session 2002-2003) details the role of the Film Council in funding and overseeing the bfi, and examines its access and education policy, its strategy to broaden access and the preservation and display of material from the National Film and Television Archive.

Edward Leigh MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, has welcomed some of the report?s findings. People are taking up more opportunities to see and learn about films, and there has been a strong growth in the numbers seeing bfi films. But Mr Leigh says ?it is disappointing that some activities have been much less successful.? The audience for the National Film Theatre has dropped sharply, and the Museum of the Moving Image closed in 1999 due to decreasing audiences. He adds, ?The bfi and the Film Council need to do much more to attract new audiences and extend access to young people, those on lower incomes, and those living outside London?.

There are worries too that the National Film and Television Archive is largely inaccessible and may be vulnerable to damage. Less than half its collection is on display. Adrian Wootton, Acting Director of the bfi, commented ?I am glad that the NAO underlines the challenges we face in respect of the National Film and Television Archive. Our Archive is one of the largest such archives in the world, and one of the most accessible? Preservation and restoration on this scale is an expensive and detailed process.? There is a substantial backlog of material waiting to be accepted.

Meanwhile the Film Council is ensuring that the backlog will grow, with its First Light scheme benefiting young film-makers aged seven to 18 through 25 projects across the UK. The young people will make and star in over 60 digital films, on subjects ranging from teenage pregnancy through live action comic fantasy to thrillers. John Woodward, the UK Film Council?s Chief Executive Officer, said: ?The UK has produced some of the best filmmakers in the world, but we?ve got to develop the next generation of film talent now if we are going to have an even more successful film industry in the future.? Skills covered by the project include writing, directing, shooting, producing and editing.

Launched in May 2001, First Light makes its awards through Lottery funding. Almost three-quarters of the Film Council?s grant-in-aid goes to the bfi, and the recommendations made by the NAO?s report highlight the necessity for the two organisations to work on several key points: the lack of evaluation of the impact of the bfi?s work, the lack of complete information on exactly how the bfi spends its money on individual projects, and the length of time it is taking to ?align fully the Film Council?s and the bfi?s objectives?. The report also says that greater knowledge of the film audience is required.