Wikipedia

Film4 Productions

For the television channel, seeFilm4.

Film4 Productionsis a British film production company owned byChannel Four Television Corporation.The company has been responsible for backing many films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first production wasWalter,directed byStephen Frears,which was released in 1982. It is especially known for its gritty,kitchen sink-style films andperiod dramas.

Film4 Productions
FormerlyChannel Four Films
FilmFour
FilmFour International
Company typeFilm production company
Founded1982
HeadquartersLondon,England,United Kingdom
Number of locations
2
Key people
Tessa Ross
ProductsMotion Pictures
ParentChannel Four Television Corporation
Websitewww.film4productions.com

History

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In 1981, producerDavid Roseleft theBBCfor Channel 4 where he was appointed the Commissioning Editor for Fiction byJeremy Isaacs,the channel's founding Chief Executive but became mostly identified with theFilm on Fourstrand. With an initial overall budget of £6 million a year,Channel Four Filmswas to invest in twenty films annually for Film on Four.[1]The first film backed wasNeil Jordan's debut filmAngel(1982).[2]The first film shown as part of Film on Four wasStephen Frears'sWalterwhich was screened on 2 November 1982, the launch date of Channel 4.P'tang, Yang, Kipperbangscreened the following day was also an early highlight.[3]Originally, the company's films were intended for television screenings alone; the "holdback" system prevented investment in theatrical films by television companies because of the length of time (then three years) before broadcasters could screen them. An agreement soon concluded with the Cinema Exhibitors Association allowed a brief period of cinema exhibition if the budget of the films was below £1.25 million.[3]Channel Four Films struck several deals with other film production companies including theBFI Production Board,Goldcrest FilmsandMerchant Ivory.[3]By 1984, Channel Four Films were investing in a third of the feature films made in the UK.[4]

Channel Four's Business Development Department was formed in 1983 for TV and film sales[5]and they also invested in foreign films includingWim Wenders'Paris, Texas(1984) andJan Svankmajer'sAlice(1988).[3]In 1985FilmFour Internationalwas created as a separate international film sales arm and to invest in foreign film, includingAndrei Tarkovsky'sThe Sacrifice(1986).[5][2][3]

Channel Four Film's first big hit was Frears' third feature film for the cinema,My Beautiful Laundrette,in 1985.[6]Originally shot in16mmfor Channel 4 it was met with such critical acclaim at theEdinburgh Film Festivalthat it was acquired byOrion Classicsand distributed to cinemas and became an international success.[7][8][2]

In 1987, FilmFour International agreed a licensing deal with Orion Classics to handle US distribution of two more FilmFour features,Rita, Sue and Bob TooandA Month in the Country.[9]By 1987, Channel 4 had an interest in half the films being made in the United Kingdom.[10]

Rose and Channel Four Films are credited by many as being a significant figure in the regeneration of British cinema and particularly remembered for films such asWish You Were Here,Dance With a Stranger,Mona Lisa,andLetter to Brezhnev.Channel Four Films also invested in earlyWorking Title Filmsas well as most of the films of Frears,Ken LoachandMike Leigh.[2]Leigh told writerHannah Rothschildaround 2008 that Film on Four had saved the British film industry: "This is a non-negotiable, historical fact of life and anybody who suggests that this isn't the case is simply either suffering from some kind of ignorance or has got some terrible chip."[1]

Rose remained in his post as Commissioning Editor until March 1990.[6]During his tenure at Channel 4, Rose approved the making of 136 films, half of which received cinema screenings.[11]Of the films Rose backed, 20 were from overseas sources, including work by directorsTheo Angelopoulos,Andrei TarkovskyandWim Wenders.[12]The company also helped British minority filmmakers includingPo-Chih Leong(Ping Pong(1986));Horace Ové(Playing Away(1986)) andHanif Kureishi(My Beautiful Laundrette;Sammy and Rosie Get Laid(1987)). This continued after Rose's departure with films directed byGurinder Chadha(Bhaji on the Beach(1993)) andSteve McQueen(Hunger(2008)).[13]

David Aukinjoined as head of drama in October 1990 and took over responsibility for Film on Four.[6]He changed his title to head of film in 1997 which he remained until 1998.[2]

The company had another big international success with Jordan'sThe Crying Gamein 1992.[2]In addition it was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Pictureas wasHowards Endthe same year.Damagealso received an Academy Award nomination that year.[6]Later in 1993, Leigh'sNakedand Loach'sRaining Stoneswere entered into competition at the1993 Cannes Film Festival.[6]

The following year,Mike Newell'sFour Weddings and a Funeralbecame thehighest-grossing UK film of all timeandDanny Boyle'sTrainspotting(1996) was also very successful.[2]

In the 1990s, Channel Four partnered withThe Samuel Goldwyn Companyto create a distribution company to release Channel Four films and Goldwyn films in the UK but Goldwyn pulled out late on and in August 1995,Film Four Distributorswas formed.[14]Its first release wasBlue Juice(1995) and its first major successes wereSecrets & LiesandBrassed Offin 1996.[15][16][2]

In 1998, the company was re-branded asFilmFourwith an annual budget of £32 million for 8 to 10 films.[6]East Is East(1999) becomes their biggest self-funded film.[6]In 2000, the company signed a three-year deal withWarner Bros.to make seven films with budgets of more than £13 million but their first,Charlotte Gray(2001) was not the success they hoped for.[6]

The company cut its budget and staff significantly in 2002, due to mounting losses, and was reintegrated into the drama department of Channel 4. The name "Film4 Productions" was introduced in 2006 to tie in with the relaunch of the FilmFour broadcast channel asFilm4.[citation needed]

Tessa Rosswas head of both Film4 and Channel 4 drama from 2002 to 2014.[17][18]

Selected list of productions

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This is a list of the most notable productions by Film4.

References

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  1. ^abRothschild, Hannah(2008).Labour of Love, C4 at 25.Archived fromthe originalon 3 July 2009.
  2. ^abcdefghTutt, Louise (26 September 1997). "Hope & Glory".Screen International.pp.30–36.
  3. ^abcdeBrooke, Michael."Channel 4 and Film".BFI screenonline.
  4. ^Susan Emanuel"Channel Four - British Programming Service"Archived4 December 2010 at theWayback Machine,Museum of Broadcast Communications website; Susan Emmanuel "Channel Four — British Programming Service", in Horace Newcomb (ed)Encyclopedia of Television: Volume 1, A-C,New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004, p487
  5. ^abTutt, Louise (26 September 1997). "The Four Element".Screen International.p. 30.
  6. ^abcdefghDeans, Jason (8 July 2002)."Timeline: FilmFour - where did it all go wrong?".The Guardian.
  7. ^"Laundry Days".www.artforum.com.3 August 2015.Retrieved1 February2019.
  8. ^"BFI Screenonline: My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)".www.screenonline.org.uk.Retrieved1 February2019.
  9. ^"Film Four Pic Pair To Orion Classics".Variety.18 February 1987. pp. 4, 46.
  10. ^David Rose quoted by Dorothy Hobson inChannel 4: The Early Years and the Jeremy Isaacs Legacy,London: I.B Tauris, 2008, p.64
  11. ^Isaacs, Jeremy (8 November 2004)."Happy Birthday to the leader with the golden touch".The Independent.
  12. ^Purser, Philip; Isaacs, Jeremy (15 February 2017)."David Rose obituary".The Guardian.Retrieved28 March2021.
  13. ^White, George (May 2022). "Ping Pong".Sight and Sound.p. 99.
  14. ^Dawtrey, Adam (10 July 1995)."Ch. 4 heads into distrib'n alone".Variety.Retrieved8 September2022.
  15. ^Duncan, Celia (8 November 1996). "Blowing Your Own Trumpet".Screen International.p. 22.
  16. ^Tutt, Louise (26 September 1997). "The Four Man".Screen International.p. 31.
  17. ^Gibson, Owen (6 February 2006)."Interview: Tessa Ross".The Guardian.Retrieved24 February2016.
  18. ^Plunkett, John (26 March 2014)."Channel 4 boss Tessa Ross appointed chief executive of the National Theatre".The Guardian.Retrieved24 February2016.
  19. ^Kay, Jeremey (21 August 2017)."Rooney Mara drama 'Mary Magdalene' held back for next year's awards season".Screen International.Retrieved21 August2017.


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