It was another rollercoaster year for British film in 2015. In the ups, we discovered that more income was generated from the screen industries in the UK (£6bn directly and £840m from film-attributed tourism), but in the downs, the independent film-making sector felt more squeezed than ever. Jennifer Lawrence highlighted the gender pay gap, and sequel-itis hit new heights with further instalments of superheroes, dinosaurs and a certain galaxy far, far away.

With a new year comes a whole new set of challenges (or perhaps, a refocusing of old ones) and it’s unlikely that things are about to slow down any time soon for film-makers and the wider industry. Here are what I believe will be two key challenges the industry will face in 2016:

Diversity

One of the most positive developments last year was a marked industry push to highlight the huge lack of diversity (ethnicity and gender) both behind and in front of the camera – and to look at ways to tackle it. There has been a lot bubbling in the background, but last year was the first one in which it got more airtime and a higher profile.

We’re nowhere near cracking it yet. In fact, there’s a long road still to travel. While it was heartening to see films such as Suffragette being driven by a female director, writer and producer, it was unfortunately overlooked in this year’s Bafta (and Oscar) nominations. If you look at the list of nominated films for this year’s Baftas, there’s good news in terms of the number of female-centric films nominated, but shockingly bad news in that no female director is down for best film, outstanding British film, film not in the English language, nor animated film.

The discussion of female and minority ethnic film-makers must continue, but the industry must also do more to formalise plans that can make concrete change. Exhibitors, distributors and financiers are now accepting that there is an audience out there who want to see female-driven films, so I hope this will help drive change and breathe new life into an industry where the diversity of films is ever diminishing.

One of the biggest barriers to diversity is that once a producer confirms funding, there’s often a last-minute dash to assemble a crew, which means the first port of call will be the head of a department. That person will usually have the same production team assembled and ready to go at a moment’s notice. This clearly has implications for bringing fresh ideas and diverse blood into film crews.

The BFI recently took on this challenge with its £1m diversity scheme and Three Ticks diversity standard, which means you can only gain funding for projects if it checks certain boxes. Though the scheme has its critics (who think this kind of initiative restricts creativity), the majority, myself included, think this can only lead to positive results in the long term.

For an independent producer, this diversity push not only helps those wanting to work in the industry; it also gives us the chance to tell more diverse stories
for an audience that the industry is beginning to understand does exist, but needs to harness with the right product. It will be interesting to see how this will play out over the coming year, and hopefully 2016 will be the year real change happens.

Lack of UK films made for £2m-£5m

The number of films made in the UK for between £2m and £5m is diminishing year on year. It’s becoming increasingly problematic when it comes to making UK films that can draw in big audiences and make a mark globally. Unfortunately, this seems set to worsen in 2016.

In the UK, around 300 films are made every year, with the majority – around 60% – costing under £500,000 and never finding distribution, let alone theatrical distribution. Only about 10% are made between £2m and £5m. Last year, only about 13 of those were domestic UK independent projects.

It’s incredibly difficult to make a film that has the ability to perform at the box office for less than £2m. The issue is compounded because film-makers are under increasing pressure to use cast members who are known globally. This clearly comes at a price (and before any other production costs are considered).

Though reports state that 2015 saw the biggest box office takings in history (which is misleading because ticket prices are becoming extortionate), UK cinema audience numbers seem to be sustained only by the odd annual tentpole studio film. The bulk of mainstream films showing in the UK are either made in the US or by a US studio shooting in the UK.

So do we just accept things the way they are? The films that are going to get made in the £2-5m space are going to have to work even harder to compete in such a tough marketplace – and that all starts with the idea, script and talent.

At Met Film we’re using this as an opportunity to assess our own slate critically and charge ahead in the right frame of mind. I’m excited by the challenges ahead and feel energised by the great stories that we are working hard to bring to audiences.

Stewart le Maréchal is a Bafta-winning producer and head of Met Film Production

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