Editing Cinema of the United Kingdom (section)

==History==
[[File:Williamfriesegreen.jpg|thumb|upright|William Friese-Greene]]
[[File:Charles Urban.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Charles Urban, 1914]]
[[File:Cecil M. Hepworth 1915.jpg|thumb|upright|Cecil Hepworth]]
[[File:Sir-Oswald-Stoll-1922.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Sir Oswald Stoll, 1922]]

===Origins and silent films===
The world's first moving picture was shot in [[Leeds]] by [[Louis Le Prince]] in 1888<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/education/local_heroes/biogs/biogleprince.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128020048/http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/local_heroes/biogs/biogleprince.shtml |archive-date=28 November 1999|publisher=BBC Education|work=Local Heroes|title=Louis Le Prince|date=28 November 1999|access-date=14 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Howells|first=Richard|title=Louis Le Prince: the body of evidence|journal=[[Screen (journal)|Screen]]|volume=47|issue=2|pages=179–200|publisher=Oxford Journals|date=Summer 2006|issn=0036-9543|doi=10.1093/screen/hjl015}}</ref> and the first moving pictures developed on [[Nitrate film|celluloid film]] were made in [[Hyde Park, London]] in 1889 by British inventor [[William Friese Greene]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.victorian-cinema.net/friesegreene|title=Who's Who of Victorian Cinema|website=www.victorian-cinema.net|access-date=2016-09-28|archive-date=5 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105020847/http://www.victorian-cinema.net/friesegreene|url-status=live}}</ref> who patented the process in 1890.

[[File:Charlie Chaplin with doll.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Charlie Chaplin]], c. 1918]]
The first people to build and run a working [[35mm movie film|35 mm]] [[camera]] in Britain were [[Robert W. Paul]] and [[Birt Acres]]. They made the first British film ''[[Incident at Clovelly Cottage]]'' in February 1895, shortly before falling out over the camera's patent. Soon several British film companies had opened to meet the demand for new films, such as [[Mitchell and Kenyon]] in [[Blackburn]]. [[Auguste and Louis Lumière|The Lumière brothers]] first brought their show to London in 1896. In 1898, American producer [[Charles Urban]] expanded the London-based [[Warwick Trading Company]] to produce British films, mostly documentary and news.

Although the earliest British films were of everyday events, the early 20th century saw the appearance of narrative shorts, mainly comedies and melodramas. The early films were often melodramatic in tone, and there was a distinct preference for story lines already known to the audience, in particular, adaptations of [[Shakespeare]] plays and [[Dickens]] novels.

In 1898, [[Gaumont-British|Gaumont-British Picture Corp.]] was founded as a subsidiary of the French [[Gaumont Film Company]], constructing [[Lime Grove Studios]] in [[West London (sub region)|West London]] in 1915 in the first building built in Britain solely for film production. Also in 1898, [[Hepworth Studios]] was founded in [[Lambeth]], South London by [[Cecil Hepworth]], the [[Bamforths]] began producing films in [[Yorkshire]], and [[William Haggar]] began producing films in [[Wales]].

Directed by [[Walter R. Booth]] in 1901, ''[[Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost]]'' is the earliest film adaptation of Charles Dickens's festive novella ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blackfriars Bridge|first=Ewan|last=Davidson|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/698299/|work=BFI Screenonline Database|access-date=18 October 2022|archive-date=18 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018232627/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/698299/|url-status=live}}</ref> Booth's ''[[The Hand of the Artist]]'' (1906) has been described as the first British animated film.<ref>{{cite web|title=Booth, W.R. (1869-1938)|first=Luke|last=McKernan|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/837323/|work=BFI Screenonlinee|access-date=24 April 2019|archive-date=20 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520130750/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/837323/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Walter Robert Booth|first=Denis|last=Gifford|url=http://www.victorian-cinema.net/walterbooth.htm|work=Who's Who of Victorian Cinema|access-date=24 April 2019|archive-date=15 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315153959/http://www.victorian-cinema.net/walterbooth.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1902, [[Ealing Studios]] was founded by [[Will Barker (director)|Will Barker]]. It has become the oldest continuously operating film studio in the world.

In 1902, the earliest colour film in the world was made; capturing everyday events. In 2012, it was found by the [[National Science and Media Museum]] in [[Bradford]] after lying forgotten in an old tin for 110 years. The previous title for earliest colour film, using Urban's inferior [[Kinemacolor]] process, was thought to date from 1909. The re-discovered films were made by pioneer [[Edward Raymond Turner]] from London who patented his process on 22 March 1899.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19423951 "World's first colour moving pictures discovered"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914164531/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19423951 |date=14 September 2017 }}. [[BBC News]], 12 September 2012. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.</ref>

[[File:Alice in Wonderland (1903 film).jpg|thumb|Screenshot from the first film version of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1903 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1903)]]
In 1909, Urban formed the [[Natural Color Kinematograph Company]], which produced early colour films using his patented Kinemacolor process. This was later challenged in court by Greene, causing the company to go out of business in 1914.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=McKernan |first=Luke |title=Charles Urban: Pioneering the Non-Fiction Film in Britain and America, 1897–1925 |publisher=University of Exeter Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0859892964}}</ref>

In 1903, [[Cecil Hepworth]] and [[Percy Stow]] directed [[Alice in Wonderland (1903 film)|''Alice in Wonderland'']], the first film adaptation of [[Lewis Carroll]]'s children's book ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The First Film Adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (1903)|url=http://www.openculture.com/2016/03/the-earliest-film-adaptation-of-alice-in-wonderland-from-1903.html|website=Open Culture|last=Mills|first=Ted|date=31 March 2016|access-date=19 May 2017|archive-date=17 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517062332/http://www.openculture.com/2016/03/the-earliest-film-adaptation-of-alice-in-wonderland-from-1903.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 1903, [[Frank Mottershaw]] of [[Sheffield]] produced the film ''[[A Daring Daylight Robbery]]'', which launched the chase genre.

In 1911, the [[Ideal Film Company]] was founded in [[Soho, London]], distributing almost 400 films by 1934, and producing 80.

In 1913, stage director [[Maurice Elvey]] began directing British films, becoming Britain's most prolific film director, with almost 200 by 1957.

In 1914, [[Elstree Studios]] was founded, and acquired in 1928 by German-born [[Ludwig Blattner]], who invented a magnetic steel tape recording system that was adopted by the [[BBC]] in 1930.

In 1915, the Kinematograph Renters’ Society of Great Britain and Ireland was formed to represent the [[film distribution]] companies. It is the oldest film trade body in the world. It was known as the Society of Film Distributors until it changed its name again to the Film Distributors’ Association (FDA).<ref>{{cite web|website=Film Distributors’ Association|url=https://filmdistributorsassociation.com/about-us/what-we-do/|title=FDA - What We Do|access-date=18 April 2022|archive-date=27 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327183226/https://filmdistributorsassociation.com/about-us/what-we-do/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1920, Gaumont opened [[Islington Studios]], where [[Alfred Hitchcock]] got his start, selling out to [[Gainsborough Pictures]] in 1927. Also in 1920 [[Cricklewood Studios]] was founded by Sir [[Oswald Stoll]], becoming Britain's largest film studio, known for [[Fu Manchu]] and [[Sherlock Holmes]] film series.

[[File:Leslie Howard GWTW.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Leslie Howard]]

In 1920, the short-lived company [[Minerva Films]] was founded in London by the actor [[Leslie Howard (actor)|Leslie Howard]] (also producer and director) and his friend and story editor [[Adrian Brunel]]. Some of their early films include four written by [[A. A. Milne]] including ''[[The Bump (film)|The Bump]]'', starring [[C. Aubrey Smith]]; ''[[Twice Two]]''; ''[[Five Pound Reward]]''; and ''[[Bookworms]]''.<ref>{{cite book| author = Estel Eforgan| title = Leslie Howard: The Lost Actor| date = 30 June 2010| publisher = [[Vallentine Mitchell]]| isbn = 978-0-85303-971-6 }}</ref>

By the mid-1920s the British film industry was losing out to heavy competition from the United States, which was helped by its much larger home market – in 1914 25% of films shown in the UK were British, but by 1926 this had fallen to 5%.<ref name=Times48/> A slump in 1924 caused many British film studios to close,{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} resulting in the passage of the [[Cinematograph Films Act 1927]] to boost local production, requiring that cinemas show a certain percentage of British films. The act was technically a success, with audiences for British films becoming larger than the quota required, but it had the effect of creating a market for poor quality, low cost films, made to satisfy the quota. The "quota quickies", as they became known, are often blamed by historians for holding back the development of the industry. However, some British film makers, such as [[Michael Powell]], learnt their craft making such films. The act was modified with the Cinematograph Films Act 1938 assisted the British film industry by specifying only films made by and shot in Great Britain would be included in the quota, an act that severely reduced Canadian and Australian film production.

The biggest star of the silent era, English comedian [[Charlie Chaplin]], was [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]-based.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462570/index.html|title=Chaplin, Charles (1889–1977)|access-date=11 December 2010|publisher=British Film Institute|archive-date=8 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808161146/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462570/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Hitchcock, Alfred 02.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Alfred Hitchcock]] established himself as a name director with his first thriller, ''[[The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog]]'' (1927)]]

===The early sound period===
Scottish solicitor [[John Maxwell (producer)|John Maxwell]] founded [[Associated British Picture Corporation|British International Pictures]] (BIP) in 1927. Based at the former [[British National Pictures Studios]] in Elstree, the facilities original owners, including producer-director [[Herbert Wilcox]], had run into financial difficulties.<ref>{{cite book|last=Warren|first=Patricia|title=British Film Studios: An Illustrated History|publisher=B. T. Batsford|location=London|year=2001|page=61}}</ref> One of the company's early films, [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Blackmail (1929 film)|Blackmail]]'' (1929), is often regarded as the first British sound feature.<ref>{{cite book| first=Paul Matthew |last=St. Pierre | title = Music Hall Mimesis in British Film, 1895–1960: On the Hall on the Screen| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AvxgFdRJ66kC&pg=PA79| date =31 May 2009| publisher = Associated University Press| isbn = 978-0-8386-4191-0| page = 79 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| author = Richard Allen|author2=S. Ishii-Gonzalès| title = Hitchcock: Past and Future| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cFEYI_wNKAcC| year = 2004| publisher = Routledge| isbn = 978-0-415-27525-5 }}</ref> It was a part-talkie with a synchronised score and sound effects. Earlier in 1929, the first all-talking British feature, ''[[The Clue of the New Pin (1929 film)|The Clue of the New Pin]]'' was released. It was based on a novel by [[Edgar Wallace]], starring Donald Calthrop, Benita Home and Fred Raines, which was made by [[British Lion Film Corporation|British Lion]] at their [[Beaconsfield Film Studios|Beaconsfield Studios]]. John Maxwell's BIP became the Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) in 1933.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Burton|first1=Alan|last2=Chibnall|first2=Steve|title=Historical Dictionary of British Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8SRjwJqwukC&pg=PA43|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, MD and Plymouth, England|year=2013|page=43|isbn=9780810880269}}</ref> ABPC's studios in Elstree came to be known as the "porridge factory", according to Lou Alexander, "for reasons more likely to do with the quantity of films that the company turned out, than their quality".<ref name="Alexander">{{cite web|last=Alexander|first=Lou|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/460815/|title=Associated British Picture Corporation (1933-70)|work=BFI screenonline|date=2003–2014|access-date=17 July 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924121835/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/460815/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Elstree]] (strictly speaking almost all the studios were in neighbouring [[Borehamwood]]) became the centre of the British film industry, with [[Elstree Studios|six film complexes]] over the years all in close proximity to each other.<ref>Warren (2001), pp. 57, 58.</ref>

By 1927, the largest cinema chains in the United Kingdom consisted of around 20 cinemas but the following year [[Gaumont-British]] expanded significantly to become the largest, controlling 180 cinemas by 1928 and up to 300 by 1929. Maxwell formed [[ABC Cinemas]] in 1927 which became a subsidiary of BIP and went on to become one of the largest in the country, together with [[Odeon Cinemas]], founded by [[Oscar Deutsch]], who opened his first cinema in 1928. By 1937, these three chains controlled almost a quarter of all cinemas in the country. A booking by one of these chains was indispensable for the success of any British film.<ref name=Times48>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=21 January 1948|title=The British Film Industry|page=5}}</ref>

With the advent of sound films, many foreign actors were in less demand, with English [[received pronunciation]] commonly used; for example, the voice of Czech actress [[Anny Ondra]] in ''Blackmail'' was substituted by an off-camera [[Joan Barry (British actress)|Joan Barry]] during Ondra's scenes.

Starting with [[John Grierson]]'s ''[[Drifters (1929 film)|Drifters]]'' (also 1929), the period saw the emergence of the school of realist [[Documentary Film Movement]], from 1933 associated with the [[GPO Film Unit]]. It was Grierson who coined the term "[[Documentary film|documentary]]" to describe a non-fiction film, and he produced the movement's most celebrated early films, ''[[Night Mail]]'' (1936), written and directed by [[Basil Wright]] and [[Harry Watt (director)|Harry Watt]], and incorporating the poem by [[W. H. Auden]] towards the end of the short.

[[Music hall]]s also proved influential in [[comedy films]] of this period, and a number of popular personalities emerged, including [[George Formby, Jr.|George Formby]], [[Gracie Fields]], [[Jessie Matthews]] and [[Will Hay]]. These stars often made several films a year, and their productions remained important for morale purposes during [[World War II]].

[[File:Alexander-Korda-1936.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Alexander Korda]]
Many of the British films with larger budgets during the 1930s were produced by [[London Films]], founded by [[Hungary|Hungarian]] ''emigre'' [[Alexander Korda]]. The success of ''[[The Private Life of Henry VIII]]'' (1933), made at [[British and Dominions Elstree Studios]], persuaded [[United Artists]] and [[Prudential plc|The Prudential]] to invest in Korda's [[Denham Film Studios]], which opened in May 1936, but both investors suffered losses as a result.<ref>Warren (2001), pp. 26, 28.</ref> Korda's films before the war included ''[[Things to Come]]'', ''[[Rembrandt (1936 film)|Rembrandt]]'' (both 1936) and ''[[Knight Without Armour]]'' (1937), as well as the early [[Technicolor|Technicolour]] films ''[[The Drum (1938 film)|The Drum]]'' (1938) and ''[[The Four Feathers (1939 film)|The Four Feathers]]'' (1939). These had followed closely on from ''[[Wings of the Morning (1937 film)|Wings of the Morning]]'' (1937), the UK's first three-strip Technicolour feature film, made by the local offshoot of [[20th Century Fox]]. Although some of Korda's films indulged in "unrelenting pro-Empire flag waving", those featuring [[Sabu Dastagir|Sabu]] turned him into "a huge international star";<ref>Mark Duguid, [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445836/index.html "Korda and Empuire"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927163953/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445836/index.html |date=27 September 2012 }}, BFI screenonline.</ref> "for many years" he had the highest profile of any actor of Indian origin.<ref>Michael Brooke, [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/459165/index.html "Sabu (1924–1963)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808162056/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/459165/index.html |date=8 August 2012 }}, BFI screenonline.</ref> [[Paul Robeson]] was also cast in leading roles when "there were hardly any opportunities" for African Americans "to play challenging roles" in their own country's productions.<ref>[[Stephen Bourne (writer)|Stephen Bourne]], [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/446731/index.html "Robeson, Paul (1898–1976)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808152040/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/446731/index.html |date=8 August 2012 }}, BFI screenonline.</ref>

In 1933, the [[British Film Institute]] was established as the lead organisation for film in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/british-film-institute |title=British Film Institute – GOV.UK |date=31 March 2022 |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=18 April 2022 |archive-date=18 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118150317/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/british-film-institute |url-status=live }}</ref> They set up the [[National Film Library]] in 1935 (now known as the BFI National Archive), with [[Ernest Lindgren]] as its curator.

In 1934, [[J. Arthur Rank]] became a co-founder of [[British National Films Company]] and they helped create [[Pinewood Studios]], which opened in 1936. Also in 1936, Rank took over [[General Film Distributors]] and in 1937, Rank founded [[The Rank Organisation]]. In 1938, General Film Distributors became affiliated with Odeon Cinemas.

[[File:Pygmalion-1938.jpg|thumb|[[Scott Sunderland (actor)|Scott Sunderland]], [[Leslie Howard]] and [[Wendy Hiller]] in ''[[Pygmalion (1938 film)|Pygmalion]]'' (1938)]]
Rising expenditure and over-optimistic expectations of expansion into the American market caused a financial crisis in 1937,<ref>Sarah Street ''British National Cinema'', London: Routledge, 2009, p. 12.</ref> after an all-time high of 192 films were released in 1936. Of the 640 British production companies registered between 1925 and 1936, only 20 were still active in 1937. Moreover, the 1927 Films Act was up for renewal. The replacement Cinematograph Films Act 1938 provided incentives, via a "[[Cinematograph Films Council|quality test]]", for UK companies to make fewer films, but of higher quality, and to eliminate the "quota quickies". Influenced by world politics, it encouraged American investment and imports. One result was the creation of [[MGM-British Studios|MGM-British]], an English subsidiary of the largest American studio, which produced four films before the war, including ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'' (1939).

The new venture was initially based at Denham Studios. Korda himself lost control of the facility in 1939 to the Rank Organisation.<ref>Warren (2001), pp. 29, 119.</ref> Circumstances forced Korda's ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1940 film)|The Thief of Bagdad]]'' (1940), a spectacular fantasy film, to be completed in California, where Korda continued his film career during the war.

By now contracted to Gaumont British, Alfred Hitchcock had settled on the thriller genre by the mid-1930s with ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' (1934), ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]'' (1935) and ''[[The Lady Vanishes (1938 film)|The Lady Vanishes]]'' (1938). Lauded in Britain where he was dubbed "Alfred the Great" by ''[[Picturegoer]]'' magazine, Hitchcock's reputation was beginning to develop overseas, with a ''[[New York Times]]'' feature writer asserting; "Three unique and valuable institutions the British have that we in America have not. [[Magna Carta]], the [[Tower Bridge]] and Alfred Hitchcock, the greatest director of screen melodramas in the world."<ref>Leff, Leonard J., ''The Rich and Strange Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and David O. Selznick in Hollywood''. University of California Press, 1999, p. 16.</ref> Hitchcock was then signed up to a seven-year contract by Selznick and moved to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]].

===Second World War===
{{Quote box|width=28%|bgcolor=#FFFFF0|align=right|quote= "The idea of a nation of devoted cinema-goers is inextricably linked with the number of classic films released during the war years. This was British cinema’s ‘golden age’, a period in which filmmakers such as Humphrey Jennings, David Lean, Powell and Pressburger, and Carol Reed came to the fore."<ref name="War Cinema">{{cite news |title=Going to the pictures: British cinema and the Second World War |url=https://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/2810/1/Glancy,_Going_to_the_pictures.pdf |access-date=14 November 2020 |publisher=[[School of Advanced Study]] |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020000727/https://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/2810/1/Glancy,_Going_to_the_pictures.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Published in ''[[The Times]]'' on 5 September 1939, two days after Britain declared war on Germany, [[George Bernard Shaw]]’s letter protested against a government order to close all places of entertainment, including cinemas. ‘What agent of Chancellor [[Hitler]] is it who has suggested that we should all cower in darkness and terror “for the duration”?’. Within two weeks of the order cinemas in the provinces were reopened, followed by [[central London]] within a month.<ref name="War Cinema"/> In 1940, cinema admissions figures rose, to just over 1 billion for the year, and they continued rising to over 1.5 billion in 1943, 1944 and 1945.<ref name="War Cinema"/>

[[Humphrey Jennings]] began his career as a documentary film maker just before the war, in some cases working in collaboration with co-directors. ''[[London Can Take It]]'' (with [[Harry Watt (director)|Harry Wat]], 1940) detailed [[the Blitz]] while ''[[Listen to Britain]]'' (with [[Stewart McAllister]], 1942) looked at the home front.<ref name="indep3909">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/britains-world-war-ii-films-were-more-than-just-propaganda-1780730.html|title=Britain's World War II films were more than just propaganda|author=Gerard Gilbert|access-date=3 May 2012|work=The Independent|date=3 September 2009|archive-date=2 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902144115/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/britains-world-war-ii-films-were-more-than-just-propaganda-1780730.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Crown Film Unit]],<ref name=indep3909/> part of the [[Ministry of Information (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Information]] took over the responsibilities of the GPO Film Unit in 1940. [[Paul Rotha]] and [[Alberto Cavalcanti]] were colleagues of Jennings. British films began to make use of documentary techniques; Cavalcanti joined [[Ealing Studios|Ealing]] for ''[[Went the Day Well?]]'' (1942),

Many other films helped to shape the popular image of the nation at war. Among the best known of these films are ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' (1942), ''[[We Dive at Dawn]]'' (1943), ''[[Millions Like Us]]'' (1943) and ''[[The Way Ahead]]'' (1944). The war years also saw the emergence of [[Powell and Pressburger|The Archers]] partnership between director Michael Powell and the Hungarian-born writer-producer [[Emeric Pressburger]] with films such as ''[[The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp]]'' (1943) and ''[[A Canterbury Tale]]'' (1944).

[[Two Cities Films]], an independent production company releasing their films through a Rank subsidiary, also made some important films, including the [[Noël Coward]] and David Lean collaborations ''[[This Happy Breed (film)|This Happy Breed]]'' (1944) and ''[[Blithe Spirit (1945 film)|Blithe Spirit]]'' (1945) as well as [[Laurence Olivier]]'s ''[[Henry V (1944 film)|Henry V]]'' (1944). By this time, [[Gainsborough Pictures|Gainsborough]] Studios were releasing their series of critically derided but immensely popular period melodramas, including ''[[The Man in Grey]]'' (1943) and ''[[The Wicked Lady]]'' (1945). New stars, such as [[Margaret Lockwood]] and [[James Mason]], emerged in the Gainsborough films.

===Post-war cinema===
Towards the end of the 1940s, the Rank Organisation became the dominant force behind British film-making, having acquired a number of British studios and the Gaumont chain (in 1941) to add to its Odeon Cinemas. Rank's serious financial crisis in 1949, a substantial loss and debt, resulted in the contraction of its film production.<ref>Warren (2001), p. 120.</ref> In practice, Rank maintained an industry duopoly with ABPC (later absorbed by EMI) for many years.

[[File:Deborah Kerr 3.jpg|thumb|left|[[Deborah Kerr]] as Sister Clodagh in ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947)]]
For the moment, the industry hit new heights of creativity in the immediate post-war years. Among the most significant films produced during this period were [[David Lean]]'s ''[[Brief Encounter]]'' (1945) and his Dickens adaptations ''[[Great Expectations (1946 film)|Great Expectations]]'' (1946) and ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948), [[Ken Annakin]]'s comedy ''[[Miranda (1948 film)|Miranda]]'' (1948) starring [[Glynis Johns]], [[Carol Reed]]'s thrillers ''[[Odd Man Out]]'' (1947) and ''[[The Third Man]]'' (1949), and Powell and Pressburger's ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946), ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947) and ''[[The Red Shoes (1948 film)|The Red Shoes]]'' (1948), the most commercially successful film of its year in the United States. Laurence Olivier's ''[[Hamlet (1948 film)|Hamlet]]'' (also 1948), was the first non-American film to win the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. Ealing Studios (financially backed by Rank) began to produce their most celebrated comedies, with three of the best remembered films, ''[[Whisky Galore! (1949 film)|Whisky Galore]]'' (1948), ''[[Kind Hearts and Coronets]]'' and ''[[Passport to Pimlico]]'' (both 1949), being on release almost simultaneously. Their [[Portmanteau film|portmanteau]] horror film ''[[Dead of Night]]'' (1945) is also particularly highly regarded.

Under the [[Import Duties Act 1932]], [[HM Treasury]] levied a 75% [[tariff]] on all film imports on 6 August 1947 which became known as Dalton Duty (after [[Hugh Dalton]] then the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]]). The tax came into effect on 8 August, applying to all imported films, of which the overwhelming majority came from the United States; American film studio revenues from the UK had been in excess of US$68 million in 1946. The following day, 9 August, the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] announced that no further films would be supplied to British cinemas until further notice. The Dalton Duty was ended on 3 May 1948 with the American studios again exported films to the UK though the [[Marshall Plan]] prohibited US film companies from taking foreign exchange out of the nations their films played in.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.terramedia.co.uk/reference/law/british_film_import_duty.htm|title=British film import duty 1948-49|access-date=27 February 2019|archive-date=2 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502211553/http://www.terramedia.co.uk/reference/law/british_film_import_duty.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the Cinematograph Film Production (Special Loans) Act 1949, the [[National Film Finance Corporation]] (NFFC) was established as a British film funding agency.

The [[Eady Levy]], named after [[Wilfred Griffin Eady|Sir Wilfred Eady]] was a tax on [[box office]] receipts in the United Kingdom in order to support the British Film industry. It was established in 1950 coming into effect in 1957. A direct governmental payment to British-based producers would have qualified as a [[subsidy]] under the terms of the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]], and would have led to objections from [[Cinema of the United States|American film]] producers. An indirect levy did not qualify as a subsidy, and so was a suitable way of providing additional funding for the UK film industry whilst avoiding criticism from abroad.

In 1951, the [[National Film Theatre]] was initially opened in a temporary building at the [[Festival of Britain]]. It moved to its present location on the [[South Bank]] in London for the first [[London Film Festival]] on 16 October 1957 run by the BFI.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=October 9, 1957|page=14|title=10-Day London Fest Films Preems Oct. 16|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety208-1957-10#page/n93/mode/1up|via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref>

[[File:Terry-Thomas in Where Were You When the Lights Went Out.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Terry-Thomas]] starred with [[Peter Sellers]] in four films between 1957 and 1959. Their last film, ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'', was the highest-grossing film at the British box office in 1960]]
During the 1950s, the British industry began to concentrate on popular comedies and World War II dramas aimed more squarely at the domestic audience. The war films were often based on true stories and made in a similar low-key style to their wartime predecessors. They helped to make stars of actors like [[John Mills]], [[Jack Hawkins]] and [[Kenneth More]]. Some of the most successful included ''[[The Cruel Sea (1953 film)|The Cruel Sea]]'' (1953), ''[[The Dam Busters (film)|The Dam Busters]]'' (1954), ''[[The Colditz Story]]'' (1955) and ''[[Reach for the Sky]]'' (1956).

The Rank Organisation produced some comedy successes, such as ''[[Genevieve (film)|Genevieve]]'' (1953). The writer/director/producer team of twin brothers [[John and Roy Boulting]] also produced a series of successful satires on British life and institutions, beginning with ''[[Private's Progress]]'' (1956), and continuing with (among others) ''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'' (1957), ''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'' (1958), and ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' (1959). Starring in ''[[School for Scoundrels (1960 film)|School for Scoundrels]]'' (1960), the [[British Film Institute]] thought [[Terry-Thomas]] was "outstanding as a classic British [[wikt:bounder|bounder]]".<ref>
{{cite web|last=Brooke|first=Michael|title=School for Scoundrels (1959)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/487382/|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=12 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213060426/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/487382/|archive-date=13 February 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}
</ref>

Popular comedy series included the "Doctor" series, beginning with ''[[Doctor in the House (film)|Doctor in the House]]'' (1954). The series originally starred [[Dirk Bogarde]], probably the British industry's most popular star of the 1950s, though later films had [[Michael Craig (actor)|Michael Craig]] and [[Leslie Phillips]] in leading roles. The [[Carry On (film series)|Carry On series]] began in 1958 with regular instalments appearing for the next twenty years. The Italian director-producer [[Mario Zampi]] also made a number of successful [[black comedy|black comedies]], including ''[[Laughter in Paradise]]'' (1951), ''[[The Naked Truth (1957 film)|The Naked Truth]]'' (1957) and ''[[Too Many Crooks]]'' (1958). [[Ealing Studios]] had continued its run of successful comedies, including ''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]'' (1951) and ''[[The Ladykillers (1955 film)|The Ladykillers]]'' (1955), but the company ceased production in 1958, after the studios had already been bought by the [[BBC]].

[[File:Dracula 1958 a.jpg|thumb|[[Christopher Lee]] in ''[[Dracula (1958 film)|Dracula]]'' (1958)]]
Less restrictive censorship towards the end of the 1950s encouraged film producer [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Films]] to embark on their series of commercially successful horror films. Beginning with adaptations of [[Nigel Kneale]]'s [[BBC]] [[science fiction television|science fiction serials]] ''[[The Quatermass Experiment]]'' (1955) and ''[[Quatermass II]]'' (1957), Hammer quickly graduated to ''[[The Curse of Frankenstein]]'' (1957) and ''[[Dracula (1958 film)|Dracula]]'' (1958), both deceptively lavish and the first gothic horror films in colour. The studio turned out numerous sequels and variants, with English actors [[Peter Cushing]] and [[Christopher Lee]] being the most regular leads. ''[[Peeping Tom (1960 film)|Peeping Tom]]'' (1960), a now highly regarded thriller, with horror elements, set in the contemporary period, was badly received by the critics at the time, and effectively finished the career of Michael Powell, its director.

===Social realism===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-C0710-0009-013, Karlsbad, Filmfestival, Beyer, Reiss, Brousil.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Karel Reisz]] (centre) who was active in the [[Free Cinema]] and the 'British New Wave']]
The [[British New Wave]] film makers attempted to produce [[social realism|social realist]] films (see also '[[kitchen sink realism]]') attempted in commercial feature films released between around 1959 and 1963 to convey narratives about a wider spectrum of people in Britain than the country's earlier films had done. These individuals, principally [[Karel Reisz]], [[Lindsay Anderson]] and [[Tony Richardson]], were also involved in the short lived Oxford film journal ''[[Sequence (journal)|Sequence]]'' and the "[[Free Cinema]]" documentary film movement. The 1956 statement of Free Cinema, the name was coined by Anderson, asserted: "No film can be too personal. The image speaks. Sounds amplifies and comments. Size is irrelevant. Perfection is not an aim. An attitude means a style. A style means an attitude." Anderson, in particular, was dismissive of the commercial film industry. Their documentary films included Anderson's ''[[Every Day Except Christmas]]'', among several sponsored by [[Ford of Britain]], and Richardson's ''[[Momma Don't Allow]]''. Another member of this group, [[John Schlesinger]], made documentaries for the BBC's ''[[Monitor (UK TV series)|Monitor]]'' arts series.

Together with future James Bond co-producer [[Harry Saltzman]], dramatist [[John Osborne]] and Tony Richardson established the company Woodfall Films to produce their early feature films. These included adaptations of Richardson's stage productions of Osborne's ''[[Look Back in Anger (1959 film)|Look Back in Anger]]'' (1959), with [[Richard Burton]], and ''[[The Entertainer (1960 film)|The Entertainer]]'' (1960) with [[Laurence Olivier]], both from Osborne's own screenplays. Such films as Reisz's ''[[Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (film)|Saturday Night and Sunday Morning]]'' (also 1960), Richardson's ''[[A Taste of Honey (film)|A Taste of Honey]]'' (1961), Schlesinger's ''[[A Kind of Loving (film)|A Kind of Loving]]'' (1962) and ''[[Billy Liar (film)|Billy Liar]]'' (1963), and Anderson's ''[[This Sporting Life]]'' (1963) are often associated with a new openness about working-class life or previously taboo issues.

The team of [[Basil Dearden]] and [[Michael Relph]], from an earlier generation, "probe[d] into the social issues that now confronted social stability and the establishment of the promised peacetime consensus".<ref name="O'Sullivan">Tim O'Sullivan, [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/456049/index.html "Dearden, Basil (1911-1971)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019142109/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/456049/index.html |date=19 October 2019 }}, BFI screenonline, citing the ''Reference Guide to British and Irish Film Directors''.</ref> ''[[Pool of London (film)|Pool of London]]'' (1950).<ref>Carl Daniels, [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/475521/index.html "Pool of London (1950)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022074507/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/475521/index.html |date=22 October 2019 }}, BFI screenonline.</ref> and ''[[Sapphire (film)|Sapphire]]'' (1959) were early attempts to create narratives about racial tensions and an emerging multi-cultural Britain.<ref>Ann Ogidi, [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/440288/ "Sapphire (1959)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923053751/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/440288/ |date=23 September 2012 }}, BFI screenonline.</ref> Dearden and Relph's ''[[Victim (1961 film)|Victim]]'' (1961), was about the blackmail of homosexuals. Influenced by the [[Wolfenden report]] of four years earlier, which advocated the decriminalising of homosexual sexual activity, this was "the first British film to deal explicitly with homosexuality".<ref>Mark Duguid, [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/444107/index.html "Victim (1961)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006183745/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/444107/index.html |date=6 October 2012 }}, BFI screenonline.</ref> Unlike the New Wave film makers though, critical responses to Dearden's and Relph's work have not generally been positive.<ref name="O'Sullivan"/><ref>See also [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] ''[[A New Biographical Dictionary of Film]]'', London: Little, Brown, 2002, p. 213, and (for a defence) [[Brian McFarlane (writer)|Brian McFarlane]] (ed.), ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'', 2003, London: Methuen/BFI, p. 168.</ref>

===The 1960s===
[[File:Peter OToole in Lawrence of Arabia.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Peter O'Toole]] in ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962)]]
As the 1960s progressed, American studios returned to financially supporting British films, especially those that capitalised on the "[[swinging London]]" image propagated by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine in 1966. Films like ''[[Darling (1965 film)|Darling]]'', ''[[The Knack ...and How to Get It]]'' (both 1965), ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' and ''[[Georgy Girl]]'' (both 1966), all explored this phenomenon. ''[[Blowup]]'' (also 1966), and later ''[[Women in Love (film)|Women in Love]]'' (1969), showed female and then male full-frontal nudity on screen in mainstream British films for the first time.

At the same time, film producers Harry Saltzman and [[Albert R. Broccoli]] combined sex with exotic locations, casual violence and self-referential humour in the phenomenally successful [[James Bond (film series)|James Bond]] series with [[Sean Connery]] in the leading role. The first film ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' (1962) was a [[sleeper hit]] in the UK and the second, ''[[From Russia with Love (film)|From Russia with Love]]'' (1963), a hit worldwide. By the time of the third film, ''[[Goldfinger (film)|Goldfinger]]'' (1964), the series had become a global phenomenon, reaching its commercial peak with ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]'' the following year. The series' success led to a [[spy film]] boom with many Bond imitations. Bond co-producer Saltzman also instigated a rival series of more realistic spy films based on the novels of [[Len Deighton]]. [[Michael Caine]] starred as bespectacled spy [[Harry Palmer]] in ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965), and two sequels in the next few years. Other more downbeat espionage films were adapted from [[John le Carré]] novels, such as ''[[The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (film)|The Spy Who Came In from the Cold]]'' (1965) and ''[[The Deadly Affair]]'' (1966).
[[File:Dr. Strangelove - The War Room.png|right|thumb|The war room in ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'' (1963) was designed by [[Ken Adam]]]]
American directors were regularly working in London throughout the decade, but several became permanent residents in the UK. Blacklisted in America, [[Joseph Losey]] had a significant influence on British cinema in the 1960s, particularly with his collaborations with playwright [[Harold Pinter]] and leading man [[Dirk Bogarde]], including ''[[The Servant (1963 film)|The Servant]]'' (1963) and ''[[Accident (1967 film)|Accident]]'' (1967). Voluntary exiles [[Richard Lester]] and [[Stanley Kubrick]] were also active in the UK. Lester had major hits with [[The Beatles]] film ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' (1964) and ''[[The Knack ...and How to Get It]]'' (1965) and Kubrick with ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'' (1963) and ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' (1968). While Kubrick settled in [[Hertfordshire]] in the early 1960s and would remain in England for the rest of his career, these two films retained a strong American influence. Other films of this era involved prominent filmmakers from elsewhere in Europe, ''[[Repulsion (film)|Repulsion]]'' (1965) and ''Blowup'' (1966) were the first English language films of the Polish director [[Roman Polanski]] and the Italian [[Michelangelo Antonioni]] respectively.

Historical films as diverse as ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962), ''[[Tom Jones (1963 film)|Tom Jones]]'' (1963), and ''[[A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)|A Man for All Seasons]]'' (1966) benefited from the investment of American studios. Major films like ''[[Becket (1964 film)|Becket]]'' (1964), ''[[Khartoum (film)|Khartoum]]'' (1966) and ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' (1968) were regularly mounted, while smaller-scale films, including ''[[Accident (1967 film)|Accident]]'' (1967), were big critical successes. Four of the decade's [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] winners for best picture were British productions, including six [[Academy Awards|Oscars]] for the film musical ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' (1968), based on the [[Charles Dickens]] novel ''[[Oliver Twist]]''.

After directing several contributions to the BBC's ''[[The Wednesday Play|Wednesday Play]]'' anthology series, [[Ken Loach]] began his feature film career with the social realist ''[[Poor Cow]]'' (1967) and ''[[Kes (film)|Kes]]'' (1969). Meanwhile, the controversy around [[Peter Watkins]] ''[[The War Game]]'' (1965), which won the Best Documentary Film Oscar in 1967, but had been suppressed by the BBC who had commissioned it, would ultimately lead Watkins to work exclusively outside Britain.

===1970s===
[[File:Glenda Jackson.JPG|upright|thumb|[[Glenda Jackson]] in 1971]]
American studios cut back on British productions, and in many cases withdrew from financing them altogether. Films financed by American interests were still being made, including [[Billy Wilder]]'s ''[[The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes]]'' (1970), but for a time funds became hard to come by.

More relaxed censorship also brought several controversial films, including [[Nicolas Roeg]] and [[Donald Cammell]]'s ''[[Performance (film)|Performance]]'', [[Ken Russell]]'s ''[[The Devils (film)|The Devils]]'' (1971), [[Sam Peckinpah]]'s ''[[Straw Dogs (1971 film)|Straw Dogs]]'' (1971), and [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'' (1971) starring [[Malcolm McDowell]] as the leader of a gang of thugs in a [[dystopia]]n future Britain.<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/100britishfilms/film.asp?film=11 "The 100 Best British Films Ever"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723025531/http://www.empireonline.com/100britishfilms/film.asp?film=11 |date=23 July 2015 }}. Empire. Retrieved 5 January 2013</ref>

Other films during the early 1970s included the Edwardian drama ''[[The Go-Between (1971 film)|The Go-Between]]'' (1971), which won the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]], Nicolas Roeg's Venice-set supernatural thriller ''[[Don't Look Now]]'' (1973) and [[Mike Hodges]]' gangster drama ''[[Get Carter]]'' (1971) starring [[Michael Caine]]. [[Alfred Hitchcock]] returned to Britain to shoot ''[[Frenzy]]'' (1972), Other productions such as [[Richard Attenborough]]'s ''[[Young Winston]]'' (1972) and ''[[A Bridge Too Far (1977 film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'' (1977) met with mixed commercial success. The British [[horror film]] cycle associated with Hammer Film Productions, [[Amicus Productions|Amicus]] and [[Tigon British Film Productions|Tigon]] drew to a close, despite attempts by Hammer to spice up the formula with added nudity and gore. Although some attempts were made to broaden the range of British horror films, such as with ''[[The Wicker Man (1973 film)|The Wicker Man]]'' (1973), these films made little impact at the box office, In 1976, British Lion, who produced ''The Wicker Man'', were finally absorbed into the film division of [[EMI Films|EMI]], who had taken over ABPC in 1969. The duopoly in British cinema exhibition, via Rank and now EMI, continued.

[[File:Sir Peter Ustinov Allan Warren.jpg|left|upright|thumb|[[Peter Ustinov]] (pictured in 1986) starred as [[Hercule Poirot]] in ''[[Death on the Nile (1978 film)|Death on the Nile]]'' (1978)]]
In the early 1970s, the government reduced its funding of the National Film Finance Corporation so the NFFC started to operate as a consortium, including with banks, which led to them using more commercial criteria for funding British films rather than focusing on quality or new talent, moving to fund films based on TV shows such as ''[[Up Pompeii (film)|Up Pompeii]]'' (1971).<ref>{{cite news|title=The film industry seeks another reprieve|newspaper=[[The Times]]|last=Harris|first=Derek|page=19|date=5 September 1974}}</ref>

Some other British producers, including Hammer, turned to television for inspiration, and big screen versions of popular sitcoms like ''[[On the Buses (film)|On the Buses]]'' (1971) and ''[[Steptoe and Son (film)|Steptoe and Son]]'' (1972) proved successful with domestic audiences, the former had greater domestic box office returns in its year than the Bond film, ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (film)|Diamonds Are Forever]]'' and in 1973, an established British actor Roger Moore was cast as Bond in, ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]'', it was a commercial success and Moore would continue the role for the next 12 years. Low-budget British [[sex comedy|sex comedies]] included the ''Confessions of&nbsp;...'' series starring [[Robin Askwith]], beginning with ''[[Confessions of a Window Cleaner]]'' (1974). More elevated comedy films came from the [[Monty Python]] team, also from television. Their two most successful films were ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'' (1975) and ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'' (1979), the latter a major commercial success, probably at least in part due to the controversy at the time surrounding its subject.

Some American productions did return to the major British studios in 1977–79, including the original ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977) at [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree Studios]], ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'' (1978) at [[Pinewood Studios|Pinewood]], and ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' (1979) at [[Shepperton Studios|Shepperton]]. Successful adaptations were made in the decade of the [[Agatha Christie]] novels ''[[Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film)|Murder on the Orient Express]]'' (1974) and ''[[Death on the Nile (1978 film)|Death on the Nile]]'' (1978). The entry of [[Lew Grade]]'s company [[ITC Entertainment|ITC]] into film production in the latter half of the decade brought only a few box office successes and an unsustainable number of failures

===1980s===
[[File:Richard Attenborough.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Richard Attenborough]] in 1983]]
In 1980, only 31 British films were made,<ref name="FF12-03"/> a 50% decline from the previous year and the lowest number since 1914, and production fell again in 1981 to 24 films.<ref name="FF12-03"/> The industry suffered further blows from falling cinema attendances, which reached a record low of 54 million in 1984, and the elimination of the 1957 [[Eady Levy]], a tax concession, in the same year. The concession had made it possible for an overseas based film company to write off a large amount of its production costs by filming in the UK – this was what attracted a succession of big-budget American productions to British studios in the 1970s.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} These factors led to significant changes in the industry, with the profitability of British films now "increasingly reliant on secondary markets such as video and television, and [[Channel 4]]&nbsp;... [became] a crucial part of the funding equation."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1304135/index.html |title = BFI Screenonline: Channel 4 and Film |access-date = 15 January 2012 |archive-date = 29 October 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191029174304/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1304135/index.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

With the removal of the levy, [[Multiplex (movie theater)|multiplex cinemas]] were introduced to the United Kingdom with the opening of a ten-screen cinema by [[AMC Cinemas]] at [[The Point, Milton Keynes|The Point]] in [[Milton Keynes]] in 1985 and the number of screens in the UK increased by around 500 over the decade leading to increased attendances of almost 100 million by the end of the decade.<ref name="amc">{{cite web|url=http://www.amccinemas.co.uk/about-amc/a-uk-story/|title=AMC CINEMAS® BRINGS THE MULTIPLEX TO THE UNITED KINGDOM|access-date=3 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104014126/http://www.amccinemas.co.uk/about-amc/a-uk-story/|archive-date=2015-01-04|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/11/multiplex-cinemas-the-point-milton-keynes |title=How multiplex cinemas saved the British film industry 25 years ago |last=Hoad |first=Phil |date=11 November 2010 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2 April 2020 |archive-date=6 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506185812/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/11/multiplex-cinemas-the-point-milton-keynes |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 1980s soon saw a renewed optimism, led by smaller independent production companies such as [[Goldcrest Films|Goldcrest]], [[HandMade Films]] and [[Merchant Ivory Productions]].
[[File:Terry Gilliam 01.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Terry Gilliam]] in 1985]]
Handmade Films, which was partly owned by [[George Harrison]], was originally formed to take over the production of ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'', after EMI's [[Bernard Delfont]] (Lew Grade's brother) had pulled out. Handmade also bought and released the gangster drama ''[[The Long Good Friday]]'' (1980), produced by a Lew Grade subsidiary, after its original backers became cautious. Members of the Python team were involved in other comedies during the decade, including [[Terry Gilliam]]'s fantasy films ''[[Time Bandits]]'' (1981) and ''[[Brazil (1985 film)|Brazil]]'' (1985), the black comedy ''[[Withnail & I]]'' (1987), and [[John Cleese]]'s hit ''[[A Fish Called Wanda]]'' (1988), while [[Michael Palin]] starred in ''[[A Private Function]]'' (1984), from [[Alan Bennett]]'s first screenplay for the cinema screen.<ref>Michael Brooks, [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/499846/ "HandMade Films"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111031539/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/499846/ |date=11 January 2013 }}, BFI screenonline.</ref>

Goldcrest producer [[David Puttnam]] has been described as "the nearest thing to a mogul that British cinema has had in the last quarter of the 20th century."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/470271/ |title = BFI Screenonline: Puttnam, Lord David |access-date = 15 January 2012 |archive-date = 26 July 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130726040133/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/470271/ |url-status = live }}</ref> Under Puttnam, a generation of British directors emerged making popular films with international distribution. Some of the talent backed by Puttnam &mdash; [[Hugh Hudson]], [[Ridley Scott]], [[Alan Parker]], and [[Adrian Lyne]] &mdash; had shot commercials; Puttnam himself had begun his career in the advertising industry. When Hudson's ''[[Chariots of Fire]]'' (1981) won 4 Academy Awards in 1982, including Best Picture, its writer [[Colin Welland]] declared "the British are coming!".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/may/05/this-weeks-new-theatre-and-dance "This week's new theatre and dance"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314074352/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/may/05/this-weeks-new-theatre-and-dance |date=14 March 2016 }}. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 19 July 2012.</ref> When ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (1982), another Goldcrest film, picked up a Best Picture Oscar, it looked as if he was right.

It prompted a cycle of period films – some with a large budget for a British film, such as [[David Lean]]'s final film ''[[A Passage to India (film)|A Passage to India]]'' (1984), alongside the lower-budget [[Merchant Ivory Productions|Merchant Ivory]] adaptations of the works of [[E. M. Forster]], such as ''[[A Room with a View (1985 film)|A Room with a View]]'' (1986). But further attempts to make 'big' productions for the US market ended in failure, with Goldcrest losing its independence after ''[[Revolution (1985 film)|Revolution]]'' (1985) and ''[[Absolute Beginners (film)|Absolute Beginners]]'' (1986) were commercial and critical flops. Another Goldcrest film, [[Roland Joffé]]'s ''[[The Mission (1986 film)|The Mission]]'' (also 1986), won the 1986 [[Palme d'Or]], but did not go into profit either. Joffé's earlier ''[[The Killing Fields (film)|The Killing Fields]]'' (1984) had been both a critical and financial success. These were Joffé's first two feature films and were amongst those produced by Puttnam.

Mainly outside the commercial sector, film makers from the new commonwealth countries had begun to emerge during the 1970s. [[Horace Ové]]'s ''[[Pressure (1976 film)|Pressure]]'' (1975) had been funded by the [[British Film Institute]] as was ''[[A Private Enterprise]]'' (1974), these being the first [[Black British]] and [[Asian British]] films, respectively. The 1980s however saw a wave of new talent, with films such as [[Franco Rosso]]'s ''[[Babylon (1980 film)|Babylon]]'' (1980), [[Menelik Shabazz]]'s ''[[Burning an Illusion (1981)|Burning an Illusion]]'' (1981) and [[Po-Chih Leong]]'s ''[[Ping Pong (1986 film)|Ping Pong]]'' (1986; one of the first films about Britain's Chinese community). Many of these films were assisted by the newly formed [[Channel 4]], which had an official remit to provide for "minority audiences." Commercial success was first achieved with ''[[My Beautiful Laundrette]]'' (1985). Dealing with racial and gay issues, it was developed from [[Hanif Kureishi]]'s first film script. ''My Beautiful Laundrette'' features [[Daniel Day-Lewis]] in a leading role. Day-Lewis and other young British actors who were becoming stars, such as [[Gary Oldman]], [[Colin Firth]], [[Tim Roth]] and [[Rupert Everett]], were dubbed the [[Brit Pack (actors)|Brit Pack]].<ref>Stern, Marlow, and in 1985 we saw the retirement of Roger Moore from the role of Bond after ''[[A View to a kill(film)|A View to a kill]]'',at the age of 58.[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/07/gary-oldman-talks-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-batman-retirement.html "Gary Oldman Talks 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,' 'Batman' Retirement"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031135913/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/07/gary-oldman-talks-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-batman-retirement.html|date=31 October 2014}}. ''[[The Daily Beast]]''. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2013.</ref>

With the involvement of Channel 4 in film production, talents from television moved into feature films with [[Stephen Frears]] (''My Beautiful Laundrette'') and [[Mike Newell (director)|Mike Newell]] with ''[[Dance with a Stranger]]'' (1985). [[John Boorman]], who had been working in the US, was encouraged back to the UK to make ''[[Hope and Glory (film)|Hope and Glory]]'' (1987). Channel Four also became a major sponsor of the British Film Institute's Production Board, which backed three of Britain's most critically acclaimed filmmakers: [[Derek Jarman]] (''[[The Last of England (film)|The Last of England]]'', 1987), [[Terence Davies]] (''[[Distant Voices, Still Lives]]'', 1988), and [[Peter Greenaway]]; the latter of whom gained surprising commercial success with ''[[The Draughtsman's Contract]]'' (1982) and ''[[The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover]]'' (1989). [[Stephen Woolley]]'s company [[Palace Pictures]] also produced some successful films, including [[Neil Jordan]]'s ''[[The Company of Wolves]]'' (1984) and ''[[Mona Lisa (1986 film)|Mona Lisa]]'' (1986), before collapsing amid a series of unsuccessful films. Amongst the other British films of the decade were [[Bill Forsyth]]'s ''[[Gregory's Girl]]'' (1981) and ''[[Local Hero (film)|Local Hero]]'' (1983), [[Lewis Gilbert]]'s ''[[Educating Rita (film)|Educating Rita]]'' (1983), [[Peter Yates]]' ''[[The Dresser (1983 film)|The Dresser]]'' (1983) and [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s directorial debut, ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]'' (1989).

===1990s===
[[File:Hugh Grant Cannes.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Hugh Grant]] at the [[1997 Cannes Film Festival]]]]

Compared to the 1980s, investment in film production rose dramatically. In 1989, annual investment was a meagre £104 million. By 1996, this figure had soared to £741 million.<ref>Dyja, Eddie (ed.); 'BFI Film and Television Handbook 1999', London: BFI, 1998; p. 42.</ref> Nevertheless, the dependence on finance from television broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel 4 meant that budgets were often low and indigenous production was very fragmented: the film industry mostly relied on Hollywood inward investment. According to critic Neil Watson, it was hoped that the £90 million apportioned by the new [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] into three franchises (The Film Consortium, Pathé Pictures, and DNA) would fill the gap, but "corporate and equity finance for the UK film production industry continues to be thin on the ground and most production companies operating in the sector remain hopelessly under-capitalised."<ref>Watson, Neil, "Hollywood UK", in ''British Cinema of the 90s'', London: BFI Publishing, 2000, p. 82.</ref>

These problems were mostly compensated by [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]], a film studio whose British subsidiary [[Working Title Films]] released a [[Richard Curtis]]-scripted comedy ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]'' (1994). It grossed $244 million worldwide and introduced [[Hugh Grant]] to global fame, led to renewed interest and investment in British films, and set a pattern for British-set romantic comedies, including ''[[Sliding Doors]]'' (1998) and ''[[Notting Hill (film)|Notting Hill]]'' (1999). Other Working Titles films included ''[[Bean (film)|Bean]]'' (1997), ''[[Elizabeth (film)|Elizabeth]]'' (1998) and ''[[Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film)|Captain Corelli's Mandolin]]'' (2001). PFE was eventually sold and merged with [[Universal Pictures]] in 1999, the hopes and expectations of "building a British-based company which could compete with Hollywood in its home market [had] eventually collapsed."<ref>Watson, "Hollywood UK", p. 83.</ref>

Tax incentives allowed American producers to increasingly invest in UK-based film production throughout the 1990s, including films such as ''[[Interview with the Vampire (film)|Interview with the Vampire]]'' (1994), ''[[Mission: Impossible (film)|Mission: Impossible]]'' (1996), ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' (1998), ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'' (1999) and ''[[The Mummy (1999 film)|The Mummy]]'' (1999). Miramax also distributed [[Neil Jordan]]'s acclaimed thriller ''[[The Crying Game]]'' (1992), which was generally ignored on its initial release in the UK, but was a considerable success in the United States. The same company also enjoyed some success releasing the [[BBC]] period drama ''[[Enchanted April (1992 film)|Enchanted April]]'' (1992) and ''[[The Wings of the Dove (1997 film)|The Wings of the Dove]]'' (1997).

Among the more successful British films were the [[Merchant Ivory]] productions ''[[Howards End (film)|Howards End]]'' (1992) and ''[[The Remains of the Day (film)|The Remains of the Day]]'' (1993), [[Richard Attenborough]]'s ''[[Shadowlands (1993 film)|Shadowlands]]'' (1993), and [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s Shakespeare adaptations. ''[[The Madness of King George]]'' (1994) proved there was still a market for British [[costume drama]]s, and other period films followed, including ''[[Sense and Sensibility (film)|Sense and Sensibility]]'' (1995), ''[[Restoration (1995 film)|Restoration]]'' (1995), ''[[Emma (1996 theatrical film)|Emma]]'' (1996), ''[[Mrs. Brown]]'' (1997), ''[[Basil (film)|Basil]]'' (1998), ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]'' (1998) and ''[[Topsy-Turvy]]'' (1999).

After a six-year hiatus for legal reasons the [[James Bond in film|James Bond]] films returned to production with the 17th Bond film, ''[[GoldenEye]]''. With their traditional home [[Pinewood Studios]] fully booked, a new studio was created for the film in a former [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] aero-engine factory at [[Leavesden Film Studios|Leavesden]] in [[Hertfordshire]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/pounds-200m-film-studio-boost-for-uk-1580727.html|title=£200m film studio boost for UK|date=7 November 1995|work=The Independent|access-date=29 June 2012|archive-date=19 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119134313/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pounds-200m-film-studio-boost-for-uk-1580727.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Mike Leigh]] emerged as a significant figure in British cinema in the 1990s, with a series of films financed by Channel 4 about working and middle class life in modern England, including ''[[Life Is Sweet (film)|Life Is Sweet]]'' (1991), ''[[Naked (1993 film)|Naked]]'' (1993) and his biggest hit ''[[Secrets & Lies (film)|Secrets & Lies]]'' (1996), which won the [[Palme d'Or]] at Cannes.

Other new talents to emerge during the decade included the writer-director-producer team of [[John Hodge (screenwriter)|John Hodge]], [[Danny Boyle]] and [[Andrew Macdonald (producer)|Andrew Macdonald]] responsible for ''[[Shallow Grave (1994 film)|Shallow Grave]]'' (1994) and ''[[Trainspotting (film)|Trainspotting]]'' (1996). The latter film generated interested in other "regional" productions, including the Scottish films ''[[Small Faces (film)|Small Faces]]'' (1996), ''[[Ratcatcher (film)|Ratcatcher]]'' (1999) and ''[[My Name Is Joe]]'' (1998).

===2000s===
[[File:David Heyman1 in 2009.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[David Heyman]], who produced all eight instalments of the [[Harry Potter (film series)|''Harry Potter'' film series]]]]

The first decade of the 21st century was a relatively successful one for the British film industry. Many British films found a wide international audience due to funding from BBC Films, Film 4 and the UK Film Council, and some independent production companies, such as Working Title, secured financing and distribution deals with major American studios. Working Title scored three major international successes, all starring Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, with the romantic comedies ''[[Bridget Jones's Diary (film)|Bridget Jones's Diary]]'' (2001), which grossed $254 million worldwide; the sequel ''[[Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason]]'', which earned $228 million; and Richard Curtis's directorial debut ''[[Love Actually]]'' (2003), which grossed $239 million. The most successful of all, [[Phyllida Lloyd]]'s ''[[Mamma Mia! (film)|Mamma Mia!]]'' (2008), grossed $601 million.

The new decade saw a major new film series in the Harry Potter films, beginning with ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' in 2001. [[David Heyman]]'s company Heyday Films has produced seven sequels, with the final title released in two parts – ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1]]'' in 2010 and ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]'' in 2011. All were filmed at Leavesden Studios in England.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/travel/studio-tour-casts-spells-like-harry-potter.html|title=Studio Tour Casts Spells Just Like Harry|date=29 March 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=29 June 2012|archive-date=23 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523095552/http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/travel/studio-tour-casts-spells-like-harry-potter.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Aardman Animations' [[Nick Park]], the creator of Wallace and Gromit and the Creature Comforts series, produced his first feature-length film, ''[[Chicken Run]]'' in 2000. Co-directed with Peter Lord, the film was a major success worldwide and one of the most successful British films of its year. Park's follow up, ''[[Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]'' was another worldwide hit: it grossed $56 million at the US box office and £32 million in the UK. It also won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

[[File:KeiraKnightleyByAndreaRaffin2011 (cropped).jpg|left|150px|thumb|[[Keira Knightley]] at the [[68th Venice International Film Festival]]]]

However it was usually through domestically funded features throughout the decade that British directors and films won awards at the top international film festivals. In 2003, [[Michael Winterbottom]] won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for ''[[In This World]]''. In 2004, Mike Leigh directed ''[[Vera Drake]]'', an account of a housewife who leads a double life as an abortion provider in 1950s London. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In 2006 Stephen Frears directed ''[[The Queen (2006 film)|The Queen]]'' based on the events surrounding the death of Princess Diana, which won the Best Actress prize at the Venice Film Festival and Academy Awards and the BAFTA for Best Film. In 2006, Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival with his account of the struggle for Irish Independence in ''[[The Wind That Shakes the Barley (film)|The Wind That Shakes the Barley]]''. [[Joe Wright]]'s adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Film and won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Film. ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' was filmed entirely in Mumbai with a mostly Indian cast, though with a British director ([[Danny Boyle]]), producer ([[Christian Colson]]), screenwriter ([[Simon Beaufoy]]) and star (Dev Patel)—the film was all-British financed via Film4 and Celador. It has received worldwide critical acclaim. It has won four Golden Globes, seven BAFTA Awards and eight Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Film. ''[[The King's Speech]]'', which tells the story of King [[George VI]]'s attempts to overcome his speech impediment, was directed by [[Tom Hooper (director)|Tom Hooper]] and filmed almost entirely in London. It received four Academy Awards (including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay) in 2011.

The start of the 21st century saw Asian British cinema assert itself at the box office, starting with ''[[East Is East (1999 film)|East Is East]]'' (1999) and continuing with ''[[Bend It Like Beckham]]'' (2002). Other notable British Asian films from this period include ''[[My Son the Fanatic]]'' (1997), ''[[Ae Fond Kiss ... (film)|Ae Fond Kiss...]] (2004)'', ''[[Mischief Night (2006 film)|Mischief Night]] (2006)'', ''[[Yasmin (2004 film)|Yasmin]]'' (2004) and ''[[Four Lions]]'' (2010). Some argue it has brought more flexible attitudes towards casting Black and Asian British actors, with [[Robbie Gee]] and [[Naomie Harris]] take leading roles in ''[[Underworld (2003 film)|Underworld]]'' and ''[[28 Days Later]]'' respectively.

2005 saw the emergence of The [[British Urban Film Festival]], a timely addition to the film festival calendar, which recognised the influence of urban and black films on UK audiences and consequently began to showcase a growing profile of films in a genre previously not otherwise regularly seen in the capital's cinemas. Then, in 2006, ''[[Kidulthood]]'', a film depicting a group of teenagers growing up on the streets of West London, had a limited release. This was successfully followed up with a sequel ''[[Adulthood (2008 film)|Adulthood]]'' (2008) that was written and directed by actor [[Noel Clarke]]. The success of ''Kidulthood'' and ''Adulthood'' led to the release of several other films in the 2000s and 2010s such as ''[[Bullet Boy]]'' (2004), ''[[Life and Lyrics]]'' (2006), ''[[The Intent]]'' (2016), its sequel ''[[The Intent 2: The Come Up]]'' (2018), ''[[Blue Story]]'' and ''[[Rocks (film)|Rocks]]'' (both 2019), all of starred Black-British actors.

Like the 1960s, this decade saw plenty of British films directed by imported talent. The American [[Woody Allen]] shot ''[[Match Point]]'' (2005)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/jan/06/1|title=Match Point|access-date=29 June 2012|author=Peter Bradshaw|work=The Guardian|date=6 January 2006|archive-date=16 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316110121/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/jan/06/1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2005/12/28/movies/28matc.html|title=London Calling, With Luck, Lust and Ambition|access-date=29 June 2012|work=The New York Times|date=28 December 2005|archive-date=18 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718003125/http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/12/28/movies/28matc.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and three later films in London. The Mexican director [[Alfonso Cuarón]] helmed ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' (2004) and ''[[Children of Men]]'' (2006); New Zealand filmmaker [[Jane Campion]] made ''[[Bright Star (film)|Bright Star]]'' (2009), a film set in 19th century London; Danish director [[Nicolas Winding Refn]] made ''[[Bronson (film)|Bronson]]'' (2008), a biopic about the English criminal [[Michael Gordon Peterson]]; the Spanish filmmaker [[Juan Carlos Fresnadillo]] directed ''[[28 Weeks Later]]'' (2007), a sequel to a British horror film; and two [[John le Carré]] adaptations were also directed by foreigners—''[[The Constant Gardener (film)|The Constant Gardener]]'' by the Brazilian [[Fernando Meirelles]] and ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (film)|Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'' by the Swedish [[Tomas Alfredson]]. The decade also saw English actor [[Daniel Craig]] became the new James Bond with ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]'', the 21st entry in the official Eon Productions series.

Despite increasing competition from film studios in Australia and Eastern Europe, British studios such as [[Pinewood Studios|Pinewood]], [[Shepperton Studios|Shepperton]] and [[Leavesden Film Studios|Leavesden]] remained successful in hosting major productions, including ''[[Finding Neverland (film)|Finding Neverland]]'', ''[[Closer (2004 film)|Closer]]'', ''[[Batman Begins]]'', ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'', ''[[United 93 (film)|United 93]]'', ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'', ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|Sweeney Todd]]'', ''[[Fantastic Mr. Fox (film)|Fantastic Mr. Fox]]'', ''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)|Robin Hood]]'', ''[[X-Men: First Class]]'', ''[[Hugo (film)|Hugo]]'' and ''[[War Horse (film)|War Horse]]''.

In February 2007, the UK became home to Europe's first DCI-compliant fully [[digital cinema|digital multiplex cinemas]] with the launch of Odeon Hatfield and Odeon Surrey Quays (in London), with a total of 18 digital screens.

In November 2010, [[Warner Bros.]] completed the acquisition of [[Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden|Leavesden Film Studios]], becoming the first Hollywood studio since the 1940s to have a permanent base in the UK, and announced plans to invest £100 million in the site.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/nov/09/warner-bros-leavesden-studios|title=Warner Bros buys Harry Potter studios in £100m boost for UK films|date=9 November 2010|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 November 2011|archive-date=18 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118044413/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/nov/09/warner-bros-leavesden-studios|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-warner-britain-idUKTRE6A73MW20101108|title=Warner to purchase and invest £100 million in film studio|date=8 November 2010|work=Reuters|access-date=18 November 2011}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

A study by the [[British Film Institute]] published in December 2013 found that of the 613 tracked British films released between 2003 and 2010 only 7% made a profit. Films with low budgets, those that cost below £500,000 to produce, were even less likely to gain a return on outlay. Of these films, only 3.1% went into the black. At the top end of budgets for the British industry, under a fifth of films that cost £10million went into profit.<ref>Ben Beaumont-Thomas, [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/03/7-percent-british-film-profit-bfi-study "Only a small fraction of British films turn a profit, BFI study finds"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103112745/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/03/7-percent-british-film-profit-bfi-study |date=3 January 2017 }}, ''The Guardian'', 3 December 2013.</ref>

===2010s===
[[File:Idris Elba 2007 Cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Idris Elba]] in 2007. He is one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors in North America, as of 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=People Index {{ndash}} Actors: Total Gross |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=Actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=6 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627001804/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=Actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm |archive-date=27 June 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

On 26 July 2010 it was announced that the UK Film Council, which was the main body responsible for the development of promotion of British cinema during the 2000s, would be abolished, with many of the abolished body's functions being taken over by the [[British Film Institute]]. Actors and professionals, including [[James McAvoy]], [[Emily Blunt]], [[Pete Postlethwaite]], [[Damian Lewis]], [[Timothy Spall]], [[Daniel Barber (director)|Daniel Barber]] and [[Ian Holm]], campaigned against the council's abolition.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/7926836/British-film-industry-will-suffer-if-the-Government-closes-the-UK-Film-Council.html "British film industry will suffer if the Government closes the UK Film Council"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226134237/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/7926836/British-film-industry-will-suffer-if-the-Government-closes-the-UK-Film-Council.html |date=26 February 2017 }}, 5 August 2010.</ref><ref>[http://bestforfilm.com/film-news/mr-hunt-give-me-a-future-harry-brown-director-supports-our-campaign "Daniel Barber condemns UK Film Council abolition"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723194707/http://bestforfilm.com/film-news/mr-hunt-give-me-a-future-harry-brown-director-supports-our-campaign/ |date=23 July 2012 }}, 29 July 2010</ref> The move also led American actor and director [[Clint Eastwood]] (who had filmed ''[[Hereafter (film)|Hereafter]]'' in London) to write to <!-- The British term uses "the" in the official title -->the British [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] [[George Osborne]] in August 2010 to protest the decision to close the council. Eastwood warned Osborne that the closure could result in fewer foreign production companies choosing to work in the UK.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-10911948 |title=Clint Eastwood writes plea to save UK Film Council |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=9 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126092316/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-10911948 |archive-date=26 January 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Clint Eastwood joins fight to save UK Film Council|last=Shoard|first=Catherine|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 August 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/09/clint-eastwood-film-council|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=22 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922211103/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/09/clint-eastwood-film-council|url-status=live}}</ref> A grass-roots online campaign was launched<ref>[http://bestforfilm.com/film-blog/save-the-uk-film-council Online campaign to save the UK Film Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723194715/http://bestforfilm.com/film-blog/save-the-uk-film-council/ |date=23 July 2012 }}, 27 July 2010.</ref> and a petition established by supporters of the council.

Countering this, a few professionals, including [[Michael Winner]] and [[Julian Fellowes]], supported the Government's decision.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Michael Winner berates UK Film Council supporters|last=child|first=Ben|newspaper=The Guardian|date=11 August 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/11/michael-winner-uk-film-council|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307183058/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/11/michael-winner-uk-film-council|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| title=Cut the Film Council and end this 1970s navel-gazing|last=Fellowes|first=Julian|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=12 August 2010|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/7941224/Cut-the-Film-Council-and-end-this-1970s-navel-gazing.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/7941224/Cut-the-Film-Council-and-end-this-1970s-navel-gazing.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Pros and cons of dumping UK film council|last=Clarke|first=Donald|newspaper=Irish Times|date=20 August 2010|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2010/0820/1224277220500.html|access-date=23 August 2012|archive-date=21 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021212825/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2010/0820/1224277220500.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A number of other organisations responded positively.

At the closure of the UK Film Council on 31 March 2011, ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that "The UKFC's entire annual budget was a reported £3m, while the cost of closing it down and restructuring is estimated to have been almost four times that amount."<ref name="guardian010411">Ben Child, [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/apr/01/uk-film-council-british-institute-bfi "Fade out from the UK Film Council&nbsp;... to the British Film Institute"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201180234/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/apr/01/uk-film-council-british-institute-bfi |date=1 December 2016 }}, ''The Guardian'', 1 April 2011.</ref> One of the UKFC's last films, ''[[The King's Speech]]'', is estimated to have cost $15m to make and grossed $235m, besides winning several [[Academy Awards]]. UKFC invested $1.6m for a 34% share of net profits, a valuable stake that will pass to the British Film Institute.<ref>Geoffrey Macnab, [http://www.screendaily.com/territories/uk-ireland/kings-speech-bfi-gets-kings-ransom/5024247.article "King's Speech: BFI gets king's ransom?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720172946/http://www.screendaily.com/territories/uk-ireland/kings-speech-bfi-gets-kings-ransom/5024247.article |date=20 July 2014 }} ''Screen Daily'', 24 February 2011.</ref>

[[File:Christopher Nolan Cannes 2018.jpg|right|upright|thumb|[[Christopher Nolan]] directed several of the early 21st century's most critically and commercially successful films.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/christopher-nolan-interstellar-critics-making-760897|title=Christopher Nolan on 'Interstellar' Critics, Making Original Films and Shunning Cellphones and Email (Q&A)|date=3 January 2015|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=5 May 2020|archive-date=17 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117111636/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/christopher-nolan-interstellar-critics-making-760897|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

In June 2012, Warner opened the re-developed Leavesden studio for business.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18403116|title=Warner Bros opens revamped UK film studio|date=12 June 2012|publisher=BBC|access-date=2 July 2012|archive-date=25 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625100836/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18403116|url-status=live}}</ref> The most commercially successful British directors in recent years are [[Paul Greengrass]], [[Mike Newell (director)|Mike Newell]], [[Christopher Nolan]], [[Ridley Scott]] and [[David Yates]].<ref>[http://statisticalyearbook11.ry.com/?id=82856 Statistical Yearbook 2011: 7.3 UK directors] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615221043/http://statisticalyearbook11.ry.com/?id=82856 |date=15 June 2012 }}. UK Film Council. Retrieved 19 July 2012.</ref>

In January 2012, at Pinewood Studios to visit film-related businesses, UK Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] said that his government had bold ambitions for the film industry: "Our role, and that of the BFI, should be to support the sector in becoming even more dynamic and entrepreneurial, helping UK producers to make commercially successful pictures that rival the quality and impact of the best international productions. Just as the British Film Commission has played a crucial role in attracting the biggest and best international studios to produce their films here, so we must incentivise UK producers to chase new markets both here and overseas."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pm-uk-film-industry/|title=PM backs 'dynamic and entrepreneurial' UK film industry|date=11 January 2012|publisher=Number 10|access-date=23 August 2012|archive-date=30 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030103641/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/pm-uk-film-industry/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The film industry remains an important earner for the British economy. According to a UK Film Council press release of 20 January 2011, £1.115 billion was spent on UK film production during 2010. A 2014 survey suggested that British-made films were generally more highly rated than Hollywood productions, especially when considering low-budget UK productions.

===2020s===
In November 2022, director [[Danny Boyle]] expressed a negative sentiment of the British film industry in recent years, stating that "I am not sure we are great filmmakers, to be absolutely honest. As a nation, our two artforms are [[theatre]], in a middle-class sense, and [[pop music]], because we are extraordinary at it."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hines|first=Dominique|title='I am not sure we are great film-makers,' Danny Boyle slams the British film industry|url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/am-not-sure-great-film-161226200.html|access-date=1 December 2022|work=[[Yahoo News]]|publisher=[[Yahoo]]|date=7 November 2022|archive-date=30 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130172305/https://uk.news.yahoo.com/am-not-sure-great-film-161226200.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The BFI's published figures reported £6.27 billion spent on film and high-end television production in 2022, with domestic UK film spend at £173.6 million. While the total spend was at a record high for the UK, the independent UK filmmaking spend decreased by 31% since 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Official 2022 statistics reveal a record £6.27 billion film and high-end television production spend in the UK |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/official-2022-statistics |website=BFI |access-date=30 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630145122/https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/official-2022-statistics |archive-date=30 June 2024 |language=en |date=2 February 2023}}</ref>

The UK film industry was affected by the [[2023 SAG-AFTRA strike]] with 80% of behind-the-scenes workers surveyed stating that their jobs had been affected.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hollywood strikes: UK film industry workers hit by US dispute |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66871083 |website=BBC News |access-date=30 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619133503/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66871083 |archive-date=19 June 2024 |date=25 September 2023}}</ref>