It was announced today that the Department For Culture, Media and Sport informed the film agency over the weekend that it plans to abolish the UKFC. John Woodward, CEO of the UK Film Council, told staff about the decision this morning. Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt is due to inform the House of Commons at 2:30pm this afternoon. We, the undersigned, believe that the UK Film Council plays a vital part in ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad. Films funded and supported by the UKFC include the Oscar winning documentary "Man on Wire" and the BAFTA award winners "This is England" and "Touching the Void". The Distribution and Exhibition department works to make non-mainstream films more widely available to cinema audiences, thereby helping lesser-known directors and writers to get their work seen. The UKFC has also led the the way in the development in digital cinemas, meaning that the UK now has more digital cinemas than any other European country. There is a huge amount - in all areas - that the UKFC contributes to and supports. It is vital to the preservation of British cinema, and also to ensure the continuation of the industry through supporting new talent and films that would otherwise not get the funding or audience they deserve. http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/fund http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Film_Council