§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representatives of the Film Council attended the latest Cannes Film Festival; at what costs to public funds; and how many new British films were screened at the festival. [115]
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§ Tessa Jowell[holding answer 25 June 2001]: 28 Film Council and British Film Commission (BFC) staff attended the Cannes "Marché"—the commercial film market—which runs parallel with the main Film Festival, at a cost of £66,500. 100 British films were shown or promoted at the Marché.
The BFC ran a series of seminars and workshops for international/European producers and other industry professionals explaining film finance opportunities in the UK; the range of the production section in the UK; and financial and fiscal mechanisms that can benefit films that shoot in the UK. In addition the BFC organised three showcases exploring different areas of production expertise and co-hosted a reception with the British Screen Advisory Council for European producers.