The BBC has come under fire for not showing enough British films over the two-week Christmas period - it will broadcast only three UK movies that have been made since 2000.

Pact, the producers' trade body, accused the corporation of an "appalling attitude" towards British film-making.

About 2,000 films will be shown on TV over the Christmas and New Year fortnight. However, only three British films less than four years old will appear on BBC1 or BBC2 between December 18 and 31. None are being shown between December 19 and 26, according to Pact.

Tim Willis, the director of film at Pact, said he wanted the corporation to spend half its annual £80m acquisition budget on UK films. The BBC currently spends around £7m.

"You would expect support for independently produced British films to be a key part of its offering as a public service broadcaster," said Mr Willis.

Pact said the corporation should "fully recognise its responsibility to support British film, something it manifestly fails to do. The BBC continues to show hundreds of American films despite there being a wealth of British films available."

The trade body said it was "extremely concerned" that the BBC was seeking to avoid increasing its investment in the production and acquisition of British films in the negotiations for its next licence fee settlement.

Pact said it had twice asked the BBC creative director, Alan Yentob, for a meeting with the BBC's film strategy group but had not received a reply.

The attack comes four days after the House of Commons' culture and media select committee called on the BBC to publish a strategy to promote British films in partnership with the UK Film Council.

The committee chairman, Gerald Kaufman, accused the former BBC director general, Greg Dyke, of adopting a "cursory" approach to film funding. He said he hoped this would change under Mr Dyke's successor, Mark Thompson.

The BBC invests about £10m a year in original film production. Pact said "the prospects for British film and British film talent will diminish further" without the corporation's explicit support.

Recent BBC Film hits have included My Summer of Love and Stage Beauty. The latter, starring Claire Danes and directed by Richard Eyre, is part of the BBC's Christmas season and aired BBC2 on December 18.

Another BBC film, The Mother, starring Daniel Craig, will appear on BBC2 on December 27.

Other recent critical successes for the BBC include In this World, Iris and Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears. Recent acquisitions include Bend it Like Beckham and Calendar Girls.

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