The British Film Commission team were delighted to once again connect with our European and international partners at the 78^th Festival de Cannes. We  represented the UK’s screen industries at the UK Pavilion, along with national and regional Screen UK partners – the British Film Institute, Creative Wales, Filming in England, Film London, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland.

The Festival de Cannes is a key moment in the British Film Commission’s annual festivals and markets calendar, providing opportunities to meet, establish and reinforce important relationships with European screen industry colleagues, at the same time highlighting the UK offer internationally. We were particularly pleased to discuss the UK’s new 40% Independent Film Tax Credit for projects up to £23.5m, and the VFX uplift – an enhancement to the standard AVEC, further incentivising international and European productions to bring their projects to the UK.

This year, our world class VFX and post houses were focal to the work we were doing in Cannes. UK headquartered companies have won the Academy Award for best VFX 11 times in the last 14 years, and our post sector features an optimal combination of award-winning independent houses and familiar global brands. The UK has the most comprehensive concentration of post-production and VFX talent and capacity in the world, and as a global centre for excellence, we were delighted to introduce UK talent to an international audience. In partnership with UK Screen Alliance, BFC hosted an event in the UK Pavilion in the Village International to highlight the phenomenal work of this sector.

The British Film Commission in partnership with UK Screen Alliance presented Working with the UK: A New Opportunity with Post-Production and VFX. This was an opportunity to update an international audience about our tax incentives and to introduce international producers to our UK VFX and post companies. Highlighting the talent, creativity, innovation, facilities and infrastructure in place in the UK that delivers excellence. The presentation was followed by a networking breakfast and the UK companies had an opportunity to meet international producers. We hope that new relationships have been established, and we hope to see more international productions bringing their post and VFX to the UK to work with our brilliant UK talent and to take advantage of the new incentives.

Screen Scotland joined us for the presentations in the UK Pavilion to announce their recently launched Project Post Fund. The fund is designed to encourage large-scale film and TV productions to undertake their post-production and VFX work in Scotland.

The Phoenician Scheme © 2025 TPS Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved

We were delighted to see films screening in Cannes that did their post and VFX work with UK companies such as One of Us, ILM, beloFX, BlueBolt, Untold Studios, The Third Floor, Warner Bros. De Lane Lea, Soundbyte Studios, Digital Orchard, Harbor, Bleat, Electric Theatre Collective, Grand Central Sound Studios. Titles include; Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, Die My Love directed by Lynne Ramsay, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Pillion, Urchin and My Father’s Shadow.

The BFC hosted a Marché de Cannes panel in partnership with Film-France CNC, Crossing Channels: Production and VFX in the UK and France. Case studies included The Yard (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S2) and their recent opening of a new studio in the UK and The Amateur, which filmed in both countries and did their post and VFX in the UK. The Amateur did their VFX with ILM and with Vine FX based in Cambridge.

Moderated by Adrian Wootton OBE, CEO, British Film Commission and with the contribution of our speakers; Neil Hatton MBE, Chief Executive, UK Screen; Michael Illingworth, Founder & Creative Director, Vine FX; Laurens Ehrmann, Founder/Senior VFX Supervisor, The Yard; Daphne Lora, Head of Film France – CNC, they discussed the financial and creative benefits to a production working across both countries for production and VFX and post. Within this European production hub, we have the infrastructure, facilities and talent to deliver award-winning and innovative VFX and post and we look forward to future projects and collaborations with France.

Building on our existing MOU partnerships and further developing our relationships with other European countries, the British Film Commission was involved in various activity in Cannes with European countries. The British Film Commission hosted a European Partners networking reception for European film commissions and a round table in partnership with Screen International. The round table brought together producers and European film commissions from UK, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Norway for an engaging and in-depth discussion on the importance and benefits of co-production and the potential impact of the Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) and wider enhancements. The roundtable discussed inward investment, co-productions and cross-border creative collaborations with European and International partners, and how, with a range of benefits, incentives and ambition, the UK and other European countries can support even more co-productions in the future.

Chaired by Matt Mueller, Editor in Chief, Screen Daily and Screen International. Participants included; Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive, British Film Commission, Stephen Woolley, Producer, Number 9 Films, UK, Roeland Oude Nijhuis, Netherlands Film Commission, Leontine Petit, Lemming Film (NL) and Lemming Film (Germany), Christiane Krone-Raab, Head of Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission, Germany, Sol Bondy, One Two Films, Germany, Piluca Querol, Vice President, Spain Film Commission, Carlo D’Ursi, CEO, Potenza Producciones, Spain, Meghan Beaton, Chief Executive, Norwegian Film Commission, Dyveke Bjokly Graver, Eye Eye Pictures, Norway, Denitsa Yordanova, UK Global Screen Fund, Isla Macgillivray, Head of Film, TV & Video Games, Saffery.

The British Film Commission also hosted a UK and international focused panel at the Marche; Future Proofing – How the UK and International Partners are Working Together for the Long-Term Stability of the Industry. UK and international producers discussed how to effectively work together to ensure future growth and economic sustainability of the industry. Discussion points included tax incentives, co-productions, cross-border financing of a film and overall strategies for building future-facing independent production companies.

Moderated by Adrian Wootton OBE, CEO British Film Commission. Speakers included Judith Chan, Executive Director, Media Banking at Coutts; Thomas Benski, Producer/Founder, Lumina; Maria Ekerhovd, Producer, Mer Fim and Mike Goodridge, Producer/Founder, Good Chaos. The panellists discussed the importance of global collaboration in the eco system of our industry and the necessity of working collectively for a sustainable industry. The overall takeaway from the session is that the UK has recently become an attractive option for European partners because of our tax incentives and talent and all the speakers agreed that working across borders is mutually beneficial from both a creative and financial perspective.

The British Film Commission were delighted that the UK was invited to be the participating country for the annual German lunch co-hosted by Film Fernseh Fonds Bayern and Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg/Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission. A delegation of UK producers were invited to meet a delegation of German producers at an organised networking lunch where they were encouraged to make connections for future cross-border collaborations and co-productions.

To celebrate the partnership between the British Film Commission and the Netherlands Film Commission, and to explore UK-NL co-production opportunities, we co-hosted a networking breakfast in Cannes with the Netherlands Film Commission. Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between our Commissions in December 2024 in London this was an opportunity for producers to reconnect and explore new potential partnerships

The British Film Commission values our relationship with the US and we co-hosted two US-UK events during Cannes. We were pleased to bring US executives and UK executives together in Cannes at a networking reception sponsored by Coutts and a networking dinner sponsored by Pinewood Studios.

At the Global Production Awards, presented by Screen International, we were thrilled to see that many awards were won by our partners and associates from around the UK! It was wonderful to attend the awards ceremony, alongside many international colleagues and partners. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

UK award-winners include: City Of Film Award to Belfast, Northern Ireland(Northern Ireland Screen), Location of the Year Award to Ravenscourt Park Hospital, UK (Location Collective), Sustainability Initiative Award to Re-Set Programme(Garden Studios, UK), Sustainable Production Award(TV) to Awesome Animals and Mini Me(Three Arrows Media, Final Pixel and Sky Kids)

As the festival comes to a close, we are pleased to have been involved in many networking events and panel discussions about our global industry with our valued European colleagues and international partners. We are looking forward to building on all the connections that we’ve made at this year’s Festival de Cannes and we look forward to a year of collaboration.

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