British Council appoints new Director Film
14 June 2011
The British Council – the UK’s international cultural relations organisation – has appointed Briony Hanson as its new Director Film.
Graham Sheffield, British Council Director Arts, said: "I am delighted to announce that Briony Hanson has been appointed to the role of Director Film. Her creativity and experience will add further strength to the British Council’s UK arts team and regional network. Briony’s skills and ideas will ensure a strong profile for film within the arts and the British Council’s global activity"
Briony has spent the last ten years at The Script Factory, a filmmakers’ organisation focusing on the development and training for the film community. Before that, she was head of the programme unit at the BFI. In addition to her full-time work she has taken on roles varying from being a BAFTA jury member to a tutor in film programming. Briony will join the British Council in mid July.
In many countries, film festivals are an extremely effective way of enabling large numbers of predominantly young, intelligent people to regularly refresh their perceptions of the UK. The British Council film team works to enable festivals to programme high-quality work from the UK. If new work seems particularly suitable for an international market we will actively promote it to our overseas partners and colleagues. Opportunities for UK artists are constantly being created through this ongoing dialogue and advocacy.
The arts are at the heart of the British Council’s cultural relations work around the world. Whether it is in Egypt or India, the USA or China, international projects in the visual arts, music, drama, literature, architecture, film and the broader creative industries have the power to shape people’s understanding of the UK. International collaborations with institutions and artists bring British creativity to the attention of huge audiences and unlock creative and commercial opportunities for the next generation of artists.
Speaking of her appointment, Briony Hanson commented: "Much of my career has been focused on training, developing and supporting British film talent. To get the chance now to help promote and celebrate that talent internationally is hugely exciting. While it was a hard decision to leave The Script Factory, I simply couldn't resist the chance to join the British Council. I can't wait!"
For more information about the British Council’s work in film visit the newly re-launched http://film.britishcouncil.org which replaces britfilms.com. The site is a central resource containing a large database of contemporary British short and feature films and information about the film sector in the UK.
A summary of the British Council’s arts programme of work for 2011
can be found here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/bc_arts_calendar-issue-02.pdf
For more information contact:
Alex Bratt
+44 (0) 207 389 4872
alex.bratt@britishcouncil.org
Mark Moulding
+44 (0) 207 389 4889
mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org
Notes to Editors:
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build opportunity and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the Arts, English, Education and Society, including science and sport - and in the process contribute to the security and prosperity of the UK and the countries where we work. Last year we engaged face to face with 18.4 million people and reached 652 million. We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government. Our total turnover in 2009/10 was £705 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £211 million. For every £1 of government grant we receive, we earn £2.50 from other sources. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org
