The BBC's film-making department responsible for big-screen releases including Made in Dagenham, In the Loop and An Education was today told by the BBC Trust to aim for bigger TV ratings and review the way it deals with independent producers.
There was "strong support" from within the film industry for BBC Films, the trust found, but said awareness of it among licence fee payers was "very low".
BBC Films should "make more impact on television by attracting greater audience reach and appreciation" and the trust singled out the opportunity to build a "stronger and more consistent presence on BBC2".
The corporation's film-making arm is set to make more of its movie archive by making older releases available online and via YouView, said the trust.
But it added that the BBC should review the terms on which it deals with independent producers and look to give up the rights to films which it is unlikely to use.
The trust stopped short of calling for an increase in the film department's £12m annual budget, which will be unchanged for the remainder until 2013. BBC Films' funding grew by 20% in 2008/09 at a time when other parts of the corporation's budget were being reduced in real terms.
"The trust has decided it would not be appropriate to pursue an increase in funding for BBC Films, at a time when the corporation faces some difficult decisions to meet the terms of the new licence fee settlement," said the BBC Trust.
Other BBC Films releases include East is East sequel West is West and the upcoming Brighton Rock adaptation.
BBC trustee David Liddiment, who led the review, said: "BBC Films has a key role to play in supporting a healthy UK film industry and delivers real benefits to licence fee payers. The trust would like to see BBC Films continue to take creative risks and developing UK film projects that the commercial sector might not."
The trust said the performance of BBC Films output when aired on the corporation's channels, including some TV premieres, was "variable", with audiences from fewer than 500,000 to more than 5 million for the first showing of Miss Potter.
Christine Langan, the BBC Films creative director, said: "From StreetDance 3D, to Made in Dagenham and Tamara Drewe, BBC Films has had a successful year and I'm pleased the trust has endorsed our strategy, including plans to maximise the impact of our films on television and online, and to keep developing UK creative talent."
John McVay, the chief executive of independent producers' trade body Pact, added: "While the trust has chosen not to increase BBC Films' budget at this point, Pact's proposals offer a way of making the BBC's existing investment go further in terms of delivering the BBC's public purpose of fostering UK creativity. We look forward to working with the BBC next year to explore how to take them forward."
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