Bond producer joins UK Film Council board
Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films and Chair of First Light Movies, has been appointed to the board of the UK Film Council by Culture Minister Margaret Hodge.
LONDON – 14 August 2008: Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films and Chair of First Light Movies, has been appointed to the board of the UK Film Council by Culture Minister Margaret Hodge.
The appointment will run for four years from 4 August 2008 and Ms Broccoli's first board meeting will take place in September.
Barbara Broccoli is one of the UK film industry's most successful producers and she is currently producing the forthcoming Bond film, Quantum of Solace.
Chairman of the UK Film Council, Stewart Till CBE said, "I'm absolutely delighted that Barbara is joining the team. She's produced some of the most successful films in the world and her understanding of how big budget British films get financed out of Hollywood is extensive and unique. Barbara will be an enormous asset for the UK Film Council in our efforts to attract inward investment into the UK film production sector."
Barbara Broccoli grew up in the world of James Bond, travelling around the world with her family. Her first credited job on the Bond films was as assistant director on Octopussy followed by A View To A Kill. Later, she became associate producer on The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, a post she shared with the long-established Bond associate producer Tom Pevsner. Broccoli was then made producer alongside her brother Michael G Wilson on GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day and the most successful Bond to date, Casino Royale.
Her non-Bond producing credits include Crime of the Century for television about the murder trial from the famous Lindberg kidnapping, as well as the popular London stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was co-produced by her mother Dana Broccoli and brother Michael G Wilson.
For the last four years, Barbara Broccoli has been Chair of First Light Movies, an organisation which provides funding and expertise to enable five to 19-year-olds throughout the UK to create digital short films. It receives £1.1 million of National Lottery funding per year from the UK Film Council.
For further information please contact:
Tara Milne / Caroline Nagle
UK Film Council Press Office
T: 44 (0)20 7861 7901 / 7508
Notes to Editors
1. The appointments do not attract remuneration but board members may claim reasonable travel and subsistence.
2. The appointments process was carried out in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. Barbara Broccoli has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.
3. The UK Film Council is the Government-backed strategic agency for film in the UK. We aim to stimulate a successful, vibrant film industry and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the UK.
We invest Government grant-in-aid and Lottery money in developing new filmmakers, in funding exciting new British films and in getting a wider choice of films to audiences throughout the UK. We also invest in training, promoting Britain as an international filmmaking location and in raising the profile of British films abroad. We aim to deliver lasting benefits to the industry and the public through:
· creativity - encouraging the development of new talent, skills, and creative and technological innovation in UK film and assisting new and established filmmakers to produce successful and distinctive British films;
· enterprise – supporting the creation and growth of sustainable businesses in the film sector, providing access to finance and helping the UK film industry compete successfully in the domestic and global marketplace;
· imagination - promoting education and an appreciation and enjoyment of cinema by giving UK audiences access to the widest range of UK and international cinema, and by supporting film culture and heritage.
4. First Light Movies funds and inspires film projects with five to 19-year-olds throughout the UK. Since launching in 2001, it has enabled over 12,000 budding young filmmakers to write, act, shoot, light, direct and produce over 900 films. Working with filmmakers and organisations, First Light Movies films cover a diverse range of topics and genres, and makes use of accessible digital film technology.
