Its work has helped ensure films such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Kandahar, and City of God reach cinema audiences across the UK.
But cuts by the British Film Institute could make it more difficult for independent cinemas in the regions to show foreign and arthouse movies.
Yesterday, regional cinemas launched a campaign to save the BFI's regional programme unit, which the organisation says it must "rationalise" because of a lack of funds. Independent cinemas see the unit as a vital link between regional cinemas and the distributors of non-mainstream films.
Local cinema owners say without the service their collective buying power will be lost. Cinemas will have to deal directly with distributors and inevitably costs will increase.
They claim tracking rare or older titles will also become more difficult. It is feared that small or part-time venues may be forced to shut. Smaller distributors could also be affected.
The bosses of 26 cinemas have written to the new chairman of the BFI, film director Anthony Minghella, demanding that the planned cuts be dropped.
Alan Alderson-Smith, head of cinema at Phoenix Arts in Leicester, said the BFI was in danger of becoming an organisation which only benefited London."It is a tragedy for cultural cinema that the BFI are even contemplating abolishing this last true link with the rest of the UK."
He said if the unit was wound up it would "erode yet further the opportunities for UK audiences to see something than the increasing number of Hol lywood movies permeating British cinema screens".
Tony Whitehead, cinema programmer at the Chapter in Cardiff, said the regional programme unit played a crucial lobbying role."An important conduit between the regions and London is going to be lost."
Andrew McIntyre, cinema director at the Metro in Derby, said he was angry that the BFI had not consulted over the moves. "We have had a long and very positive relationship with the programme unit. I'm upset at the skills which will be lost.
"Independent cinemas have a combined audience of 1.2 million people per year. I think the unit gave the BFI a real connection with the people of this country but that will be lost if they cut us adrift."
The film director Alex Cox said organisations such as the BFI and Film Council seemed more willing to support multinationals than local concerns.
On its website yesterday, the BFI continued to praise the programme unit, which it said helps audiences outside London see "new prints of classic movies like Kes or Fellini's Nights of Cabiria".
But it confirmed that staff had been warned they faced redundancy. The BFI blamed financial constraints, saying the Film Council, the body established to develop the film industry, was likely to peg its grant at last year's level.
The BFI's acting director, Adrian Wootton, claimed it would be consulting the independent cinemas and insisted that a service would still be provided to the very small venues which still needed it. Many larger venues were already dealing directly with distributors.
Mr Wootton said: "The reality is there have been changes in the market place and we have to change."
The controversy is another blow to the BFI, which has already lost its production arm - which nurtured the talents of directors such as Mike Leigh, Terrence Davies and Ken Loach through dark times - to the Film Council.
