British Film Institute reaffirms its South Bank development ambitions

New centre for film in Britain will replace deteriorating South Bank venue

Article posted: 31 Dec 2010

The BFI has expressed interest in reconsidering its development options on London’s South Bank. The organisation has had a long-standing ambition to create a new centre for film in Britain and to replace its deteriorating South Bank venue.

The Government’s recent announcement that the BFI is to become the UK’s lead strategic organisation for film and the distributor of Lottery film funds will create a single body as the guardian and advocate for film culture and the film industry. With this new role there is arguably an even stronger need for a national centre for film. The BFI’s original preferred site was Hungerford Car Park on London’s South Bank.

As well as Hungerford Car Park, bordered by the River Thames, Hungerford Bridge, Jubilee Gardens and the Shell Centre, one of the other site options previously considered was the Shell Centre itself.

After a number of false starts over the past few years, Shell is known to have approached a limited number of leading developers this autumn with a view to receiving ideas and bids for the site early in the New Year. It is understood that the scheme will be anchored by Shell's return to its offices on the South Bank at Shell Tower after its temporary decant to offices in Canary Wharf. For its part, the BFI has its eye on the Shell Centre's vast basement space, which could offer an attractive and lower cost solution to the Car Park scheme.

Amanda Nevill, BFI Director, said: "With the BFI set to take on critical responsibilities from the UK Film Council now, more than ever, Britain needs a centre for film in the UK; a focus for film culture and for the film industry, an inspiring destination where audiences, filmmakers, artists, educators and families will engage and meet."

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Posted by Josh Sinyor