Bfiwatch was set up in May 2007 to open up discussion and register protest about British Film Institute (BFI) plans to merge its award-winning independent publishing arm with the global publisher Palgrave Macmillan. It developed into a project to track and publicise events that impact on the shifting status of the BFI, the UK’s national cultural and educational organisation for film and television (see British Film Institute Wikipedia page), and the consequences for members and users. The government’s announcement that, following the demise of the UKFC, the BFI will take over primary responsibility for overseeing the allocation of funds to the British film industry inaugurated a radical change in its remit, and a further revision of its priorities. The blog will continue to cover the BFI’s developing role in one of the most turbulent periods in its history.
