Like “Urchin” and “Pillion” last year, or we could also mention “Aftersun”, as these two films haven’t yet been released in Japan. These films share something in common – They received funding from BFI and The National Lottery.
I could go on endlessly if someone asked me how great BFI is, but what I’d like is to introduce Japanese audiences to a funding program called “Discovery Feature Funding”, supported by BFI and The National Lottery. The fund is designed to support debut feature films.
If you google where the national lottery money goes, the information as below is easy to find. Japanese also have a major lottery system, but revenue is sometimes used to support disaster recovery efforts.
https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/life-changing/where-the-money-goes
Financial support is only one part of the process. Casting and distribution are equally important, and BFI helps bridge filmmakers and distributors through networking opportunities. As a film lover, I am constantly discovering new talents every year.
Some may question why a government or a country would invest in younger generations, but the importance of national support becomes clear when we look at major international awards such as the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and the Grammy Awards. National identity and cultural representation play a significant role on the global stage.
This is especially true for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars, where a country’s selection carries great weight worldwide. Today, non-English-language films are often nominated–and even win– in the main categories, but the Oscars were originally positioned as a celebration of American cinema. Because of this, every country carefully strategizes every year which film to submit, and how it might progress from the shortlist to a nomination, and ultimately to a win.
France is often celebrated at Cannes winning the Palme d’Or. However, when it comes to the Best International Feature Film Category at the Oscars, its record is surprisingly modest.
In the 2020s it has received only one nomination, “Emilia Pérez” by Jacques Audiard, and in the 2010s only two nominations— “Les Misérables” Ly and “Mustang” by Deniz Gamze Ergüven. Its last win dates back to 1992(!) with Indochine by Régis Wargnier. Then this year, they chose “It Was Just an Accident” as France’s submission. Since Jafar Panahi is banned by the Iranian government from filmmaking, the film could not realistically be submitted as Iran’s official entry and was instead put forward by its co-producting country, France. For France as well, the film represents a long-awaited opportunity to win in this category.
In Japan, there are some funding systems, but they tend to focus more on international co-productions. There is generally a lower tolerance for risk, which makes it more difficult to support original scripts and to bring new talent into the spotlight. Building effective funding structures takes time, but I hope Japan will begin to view cultural funding in a similar way to the UK in the near future.
All of this information has been strongly informed by reporting from Screen International.