£500m for film scheme, Gromit? That’ll do nicely

Published on 03/10/2012 02:13

THE team behind Wallace and Gromit will help train a new generation of animators as part of a multimillion-pound boost for the film industry.

The British Film Institute (BFI) said it was investing almost £500 million over the next five years as part of its Film Forever scheme.

The money, which includes lottery funding and the BFI’s own income, will be spent on putting cinema equipment into “community venues”, investing in film schools and digitising thousand of British films.

BFI chairman Greg Dyke said: “With film industry growth currently outstripping the economy as a whole, we want to invest to ensure continued success. This is a real moment for film, and I look forward to us turning all the discussion into action.”

The organisation will set up a New Talent Network and Aardman Animations, best known for Wallace and Gromit, will set up an animation lab to “support and guide filmmakers”.