The full report of the seminar “The Cultural Impact of UK Film: Questions and Evidence” has now been published online. It includes the contribution of CMCI’s Dr Richard Howells, who was invited to present his thoughts on the issue.
By way of background: In 2008 the UK Film Council commissioned a consortium of Narval Media, Birkbeck College and Media Consulting Group to undertake a study of the cultural impact of UK film in the period 1946 to 2006, a project undertaken jointly with the British Film Institute. The final report, “Stories we tell ourselves: the cultural impact of UK film 1946-2006”, was published by the UK Film Council in June 2009, and in the following November the research was presented to academic, policy and commercial researchers at a seminar hosted by the UK Film Council, Birkbeck College and Royal Holloway, University of London.
Richard began: “You might expect me to be a cheerleader for the cultural and creative industries. But I want to stand up and proudly say the wrong thing, because I’m particularly interested in what Sara [Selwood] phrased rather well as the politics of cultural impact. So rather than being a cheerleader this afternoon, I’m probably going to end up as a provocateur…”
Whether or not you agree, the seminar report is published at: http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/media/pdf/6/4/Cultural_Impact_Seminar_Report_27_Nov_2009.pdf
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