Lottery $$ flowing

U.K. Council, Film Consortium seal pact

By VARIETY STAFF

TORONTO --- The Film Consortium can begin tapping into British lottery funds.

The franchisee, comprising several indie U.K. producers, is led by Scala Prods.' Nik Powell and Stephen Woolley and backed with money from Richard Branson's Virgin Group. It signed its contract with the Arts Council of England on Monday, thus freeing lottery money for productions.

Film Consortium was awarded some $48 million over six years. Powell confirmed this at a sesh here called "Let's Do Lunch." Alexis Lloyd, managing director of franchise winner Pathe Pictures, also noted that Pathe will ink with the Arts Council within a few days. Although a rep from DNA Films, the third winning franchise, was unable to attend the panel, moderator Simon Perry of British Screen confirmed that DNA --- producers Duncan Kenworthy ("Four Weddings and Funeral") and Andrew Macdonald ("Trainspotting") --- will "be in business by Nov. 1," according to a phone call from Kenworthy.

Although the franchises and the Arts Council had no signing deadline, without the signed contracts, no lottery money could be used to put films on a fast track, the ultimate goal of all three franchises.

The sesh mostly centered on the nuts and bolts of what each franchisee hoped to do with its money. Powell focused on the problems of distribution in the U.K., noting that the Film Consortium will specifically use a chunk of its war chest for P&A. Noting that Polygram spent a Hollywood major-style £750,000 ($1 million) on "Trainspotting" in Britain, which went on to gross $21 million there, Powell took an "if you sell it they will come" attitude. "The distributors need to have confidence to throw money behind films," he said.

Lloyd noted that with all the new multiplexes springing up in the U.K., the demand for mass-appeal pics has risen, making it even harder to sell exhibs on smaller, home-grown fare.

Perry and the other panelists, including producer Lynda Myles, part of the Pathe group, expressed ignorance at the sesh's odd moniker.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1116674879.html

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