THE INDEPENDENT FILM PARLIAMENT

In July 2003 a new assembly was launched, The Independent Film Parliament. It offers a unique opportunity for those sustaining our most innovative, challenging and independently-minded cinema to develop and share ideas on structures and policy in an open, public forum. The moving image has the power to bring understanding and to influence constructive change in our divided world. This forum, whilst recognising the essential role played by the mainstream industry, aims to feedback from the less visible, specialist or cultural sector, in the interest of developing audiences and maintaining access on screen to the widest diversity of voices, forms and perspective.

Principal Aims:

• to be a consultation partner in audiovisual matters covering film & broadcasting alongside other organisations such as The UK Film Council, The British Screen Advisory Council, The Creators’ Rights Alliance, PACT, The Director’s Guild of Great Britain, BECTU
• to serve the specialist/cultural film sector, addressing a wide range of film forms including artists’ film and video, documentary, student production, animation and feature film
• to feedback from different areas of the specialist/cultural sector including education & training, development & production, exhibition & distribution
• to include regional, cultural, and ethnic issues of diversity
• to keep debate open on future policy options with regard to UK, Europe & beyond
• to seek a variety of hosts so that Parliaments can be held in different UK regions
• to be anchored with an academic institution for research & archival purposes, offering information to the widest community
• to assemble annually or bi-annually to feed back on film policy & initiatives.

The First Parliament was presented by Vertigo and The Cambridge Film Festival, organisations with impressive track records in representing the work and interests of the cultural/specialist film sector.

The event received wide publicity in the press including extensive reports in the Guardian and Independent newspapers. The one-day event resulted in constructive feedback on policy. This was formulated into a range of recommendations addressing development, production, distribution, exhibition and training. These recommendations have been widely circulated, and discussed with the Head of Film and the Head of Creative Industries at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, and with principal officers from the UK Film Council, BAFTA, PACT and several other London-based organisations.

A comprehensive report from the Parliament has also been published in Vertigo Magazine, Issue 5, and The Journal of British Cinema, Issue 1.

Plans for the Second Parliament are currently underway. It will be held in London, the UK’s largest region and home to our most diverse range of cultural producers. This one-day event will be held in October 2005 to coincide with UNESCO’s important initiative, a convention in support of cultural works and artistic expression, which is due to be ratified in October. This is also the month for the UK’s largest film festival, the London Film Festival.

Organisational Structure of the Independent Film Parliament:

The IFP is currently awaiting Charitable Trust status. As a consultative forum it represents a convergence of professional perspectives rather than any one interest group.

The Steering Group includes members with specialist knowledge of the different areas of the film industry/culture and meetings are held monthly to monitor policy developments and plan events.

The IFP is based at Vertigo Publications Ltd and Birkbeck College’s AHRB Centre for Film and Television Policy in London.

Members of the Steering Group :

Production:

David Kelly – The European Co-Production Bureau

James Mackay – Basilisk Communications Ltd & Development Executive, Sgrin Wales

Simon Perry – President, Ateliers du Cinema Europeen (ACE). 

Distribution:

Ian Christie – Vice President, Europa Cinemas; film historian

Catharine Des Forges – Head of The Independent Cinema Office

Exhibition:

Mark Cosgrove – Head of Programme, The Watershed, Bristol

Keith Shiri – Director, Africa at the Pictures

Education:

Dr Sylvia Harvey – Professor of Broadcasting Policy, University of Lincoln

Lynda Myles – Head of Directing (Fiction), National Film & Television School

General Policy:

Holly Aylett – Managing Editor, Vertigo Magazine, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at London Metropolitan University

David Balfour – Independent Producer; Student, National Film & Television School

Nancy Harrison – Development, The Independent Film Parliament

Carole Tongue – Chair, The Independent Film Parliament, Former MEP, President of Cities and Cinemas European Network, visiting Professor at London Institute and consultant on European audio-visual policy

Advisory Group includes:

Robert Cheek – Producer, First Film Company

Gaylene Gould – Project Manager, BFI’s Black World

Maudie Mansfield – Film Consultant

Margaret Matheson – Vice-chair of Pact (Feature Films), Producer, Bard Entertainments

Di Robson – Events Producer and Arts Consultant

Patrons:

Baroness Lola Young

Alex Cox

Michael Nyman

Sally Potter

Tilda Swinton