Channel 4 Dosh Means More Brit Flicks

After decisions to broaden tax concessions for the film industry and the availability of Lottery money for financing domestic production, the $170 million windfall received by Channel 4 to help improve the UK's TV output is another shot in the arm for British movies. The British Government has reversed the policy of transferring millions of pounds of revenue from state-run Channel 4 to the privately-owned ITV networks in an effort to encourage the station to rely less on popular American imports. Channel 4 head Michael Jackson said the money will be used to "enrich British viewers and help support the independent production sector throughout the UK." Which is nice. C4 has already given us such gems as Four Weddings and Funeral, Secrets and Lies and Trainspotting, so the future's looking rosy, no?