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Earlier yesterday (4th) the Film Distributors’ Association President, Lord Puttnam, gave a film industry Keynote Address and launched the 2023 FDA Yearbook. The event was held at BAFTA headquarters in London, and attended by FDA member companies, cross-industry partners and invited guests.
At the launch event hosted by FDA Chief Executive Andy Leyshon, BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip introduced Lord Puttnam whose engaging and informative speech acknowledged the impact of the recent pandemic whilst looking to a bright future for the business. Lord Puttnam emphasised the importance of both skills investment and sector unity to the longevity and prosperity of the national film ecosystem.
Whilst reflecting upon his own lengthy career, Lord Puttnam spoke fondly about one of his mentors, producer and Ealing studios head Sir Michael Balcon, and his certainty that a more collegiate mode of operation within the industry remains fundamental to its survival, “Balcon strongly believed that our industry only functioned successfully when it was unified – unified in practice, and unified in purpose.”
Lord Puttnam talked further of the film sector’s responsibility to audiences as being its “greatest unifier” and that “…our commitment to provide engaging and entertaining films that can inform and uplift people from every taste, age and background, irrespective of the platform on which they decide to engage” is the key to attracting a robust diversity of viewers.
Alongside this rallying call for unity, Lord Puttnam also stressed the vital need for investment in training the next generation of skilled industry operatives, “The reality is that investment in skills, and the ability to maintain growth need to be universally acknowledged as being synonymous, and therefore to sustain its growth, the industry must invest far more in its workforce.”
A full transcript of Lord Puttnam’s FDA Keynote speech is available to read here.
The latest FDA Yearbook is principally focused on the UK and Irish theatrical market of 2022, containing data and analysis from across the year. Now in its 21st year of publication, the book also includes reports on cinema accessibility; charity and education work in the sector; film diversity, piracy and sustainability; as well as a look at home entertainment and some of the top theatrical box office markets worldwide.
2022 was the first full year of cinema operation since 2019 and, combined with a broad distributor offer, saw UK and Irish box office rise to £979m (up 64% vs. 2021) with a total footfall of 128m admissions (up 60%). 911 new titles were released in cinemas, 26 of which grossed more than £10m each, including the year’s no.1 film Top Gun: Maverick (£83m) from Paramount Pictures.
Box office data for both the UK & Ireland and Worldwide territories was provided by Comscore.
The book is available to download free in its entirety with physical copies also available upon request here
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