UK indie filmmakers react to arrival of streamer head as next BFI chair

There has been a mixed reaction to the appointment of Jay Hunt, Apple TV+ European creative director, as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI), at a time when the independent UK film community is grappling with acute challenges, from a dampening of production funding options to soaring costs impacting both filmmaking and exhibition.

Calls for the introduction of a levy of some kind on the US streamers to invest in the homegrown independent sector have been growing louder due to the disruption effected by the platforms on the availability and cost of local talent, crew and studio space, the impact on producers’ intellectual property [IP] rights and the migration of audiences from cinemas to platforms.

Now some – all speaking on the condition of anonymity – are questioning what Hunt’s appointment will mean for the lobbying efforts of the country’s lead body for film. 

“This appointment will only cement the relationship between the streamers and the BFI,” suggested one independent producer.

Hunt has strong credentials in public service media, having been the only person in UK history to run the creative output of three terrestrial broadcast channels: BBC One, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Through her position at US streamer Apple TV+, she has overseen a robust slate of UK projects, including Gary Oldman-led spy thriller series Slow Horses and comedy show Ted Lasso.

Previous TV figures who have held the role include BBC director general Greg Dyke and Joan Bakewell, a TV and radio presenter. Previous BFI chairs on the film side include Anthony Minghella and Richard Attenborough.

The chair is appointed by the government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

“It’s a shame they haven’t been able to find a filmmaker to be the chair, but I guess the independent sector is so impoverished that there isn’t really anyone who has risen to the surface,” said one producer. “A leading producer or director would make sense because they directly understand the issues of the film world. 

“My questions to Jay would be: have you ever had BFI membership? And when did you last visit the BFI Southbank as a plain punter to watch a movie?”

However, they also noted, “An effective chair should have a strong voice to lobby government at a high level and Jay will have that.”

One senior industry figure said they were concerned by Hunt’s role at a major US corporation. “It’s a shame you can’t find an industry chair from someone not just with their own skills, but what they represent having a strong UK basis.”

They went further: “If you’re chair of an organisation that is leading on film policy, and given the big question around streamer levies that is in the air, that to me is a conflict of interest.”

It is not the first time a BFI chair has come from a US corporate background. Josh Berger, then-president and managing director of Warner Bros Entertainment UK, Ireland and Spain, served as chair of the BFI from 2016 to 2020.

Hunt has been a BFI governor since 2020, and LA-based Scott Stuber, head of global films at Netflix, also sits on the BFI board, alongside UK industry figures such as Andrew Smith, corporate affairs director at Pinewood Studios, filmmaker Edgar Wright and Number 9 Films’ producer Elizabeth Karlsen.

Optimism

John McVay, chief executive of producers’ trade association Pact, welcomed Hunt’s track record in UK public service media.

“We’re currently campaigning to try to get the government to do more to support the indigenous film industry,” he said. “Clearly inward investment has been a galloping success. Slow Horses is the number one show on Apple. That’s all brilliant. In the excitement historically about inward investment, which is a good thing, people tend to forget our domestic industry since 2017 has been in decline.

“Jay comes in at a good point. Film culture is one thing, filmmaking is entirely another. Everyone agrees something needs to be done. The BFI will have a role in that – it can’t do everything, that’s impossible. I look forward to meeting with her to talk about that.

“Slow Horses is indigenous craft and skills, that’s indigenous talent,” McVay added. “A lot of that talent might have started on indie film. She’ll get that – she’s spent her whole life working in the British creative community.”

McVay rejected concerns that Hunt’s appointment will have any impact on future conversations around a streamer levy being introduced in the UK to help reinvest money back into independent production – because in his opinion, the streamer levy is a damp squib.

“The streamer levy ain’t going to happen in the UK,” he said. “I don’t think any government or potential government is talking about that.”

From the exhibition side, according to Phil Clapp, chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, the focus will be on building a robust working relationship with Hunt.

“Some in the cinema sector have, as you might expect, expressed views on the decision to appoint an executive from one of the major US streaming companies into this role,” said Clapp. ”But our sole focus – and that of the overwhelming majority of our members – will be on how we can work most effectively with Jay Hunt and BFI colleagues to address the challenges our industry currently faces and to secure its continued recovery and growth.

”To that end, we look forward to establishing a strong working relationship with her, as of course we had with her predecessor Tim Richards.”

• UK TV execs applaud Jay Hunt’s new role at the BFI: “She will be a real friend and force for the organisation”