Editing Film4 Productions (section)

== History ==
In 1981, producer [[David Rose (producer)|David Rose]] left the [[BBC]] for Channel 4 where he was appointed the Commissioning Editor for Fiction by [[Jeremy Isaacs]], the channel's founding Chief Executive but became mostly identified with the [[Film on Four]] strand. With an initial overall budget of £6 million a year, '''Channel Four Films''' was to invest in twenty films annually for Film on Four.<ref name="Rothschild2008">{{cite book|last=Rothschild|first=Hannah|author-link=Hannah Rothschild (film maker)|url=http://25by4.channel4.com/chapter_25/article_2/print|title=Labour of Love, C4 at 25|date=2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703121821/http://25by4.channel4.com/chapter_25/article_2/print |archive-date=3 July 2009}}</ref> The first film backed was [[Neil Jordan]]'s debut film ''[[Angel (1982 Irish film)|Angel]]'' (1982).<ref name=4at15>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=26 September 1997|pages=30–36|title=Hope & Glory|last=Tutt|first=Louise}}</ref> The first film shown as part of Film on Four was [[Stephen Frears]]'s ''[[Walter (1982 film)|Walter]]'' which was screened on 2 November 1982, the launch date of Channel 4. ''[[P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang]]'' screened the following day was also an early highlight.<ref name=BFI/> Originally, the company's films were intended for television screenings alone; the "holdback" system prevented investment in theatrical films by television companies because of the length of time (then three years) before broadcasters could screen them. An agreement soon concluded with the Cinema Exhibitors Association allowed a brief period of cinema exhibition if the budget of the films was below £1.25 million.<ref name=BFI>{{cite web|first=Michael|last=Brooke|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1304135/index.html|title=Channel 4 and Film|website=BFI screenonline|access-date=}}</ref> Channel Four Films struck several deals with other film production companies including the [[BFI Production Board]], [[Goldcrest Films]] and [[Merchant Ivory]].<ref name=BFI/> By 1984, Channel Four Films were investing in a third of the feature films made in the UK.<ref name="Emmanuel">Susan Emanuel [http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=channelfour "Channel Four - British Programming Service"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204182139/http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=channelfour |date=4 December 2010 }}, Museum of Broadcast Communications website; Susan Emmanuel "Channel Four&nbsp;— British Programming Service", in Horace Newcomb (ed) ''Encyclopedia of Television: Volume 1, A-C'', New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004, p487</ref>

Channel Four's Business Development Department was formed in 1983 for TV and film sales<ref name=element>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=26 September 1997|page=30|title=The Four Element|last=Tutt|first=Louise}}</ref> and they also invested in foreign films including [[Wim Wenders]]' ''[[Paris, Texas (film)|Paris, Texas]]'' (1984) and [[Jan Svankmajer]]'s ''[[Alice (1988 film)|Alice]]'' (1988).<ref name=BFI/> In 1985 '''FilmFour International''' was created as a separate international film sales arm and to invest in foreign film, including [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]'s ''[[The Sacrifice (1986 film)|The Sacrifice]]'' (1986).<ref name=element/><ref name=4at15/><ref name=BFI/>

Channel Four Film's first big hit was Frears' third feature film for the cinema, ''[[My Beautiful Laundrette]]'', in 1985.<ref name=timeline/> Originally shot in [[16mm]] for Channel 4 it was met with such critical acclaim at the [[Edinburgh International Film Festival|Edinburgh Film Festival]] that it was acquired by [[Orion Classics]] and distributed to cinemas and became an international success.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artforum.com/film/howard-hampton-on-my-beautiful-laundrette-54128|title=Laundry Days|website=www.artforum.com|date=3 August 2015 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/443819/index.html|title=BFI Screenonline: My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)|website=www.screenonline.org.uk|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref><ref name=4at15/>

In 1987, FilmFour International agreed a licensing deal with Orion Classics to handle US distribution of two more FilmFour features, ''[[Rita, Sue and Bob Too]]'' and ''[[A Month in the Country (film)|A Month in the Country]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=18 February 1987|title=Film Four Pic Pair To Orion Classics|pages=4, 46|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> By 1987, Channel 4 had an interest in half the films being made in the United Kingdom.<ref>David Rose quoted by Dorothy Hobson in ''Channel 4: The Early Years and the Jeremy Isaacs Legacy'', London: I.B Tauris, 2008, p.64</ref>

Rose and Channel Four Films are credited by many as being a significant figure in the regeneration of British cinema and particularly remembered for films such as ''[[Wish You Were Here (1987 film)|Wish You Were Here]]'', ''[[Dance With a Stranger]]'', ''[[Mona Lisa (1986 film)|Mona Lisa]]'', and ''[[Letter to Brezhnev]]''. Channel Four Films also invested in early [[Working Title Films]] as well as most of the films of Frears, [[Ken Loach]] and [[Mike Leigh]].<ref name=4at15/>  Leigh told writer [[Hannah Rothschild (film maker)|Hannah Rothschild]] around 2008 that Film on Four had saved the British film industry: "This is a non-negotiable, historical fact of life and anybody who suggests that this isn't the case is simply either suffering from some kind of ignorance or has got some terrible chip."<ref name="Rothschild2008" />

Rose remained in his post as Commissioning Editor until March 1990.<ref name=timeline>{{cite news|first=Jason|last=Deans|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/jul/08/channel4.broadcasting|title=Timeline: FilmFour - where did it all go wrong?|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=8 July 2002|access-date=}}</ref> During his tenure at Channel 4, Rose approved the making of 136 films, half of which received cinema screenings.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jeremy|last=Isaacs|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/happy-birthday-to-the-leader-with-the-golden-touch-532406.html |title=Happy Birthday to the leader with the golden touch|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=8 November 2004}}</ref> Of the films Rose backed, 20 were from overseas sources, including work by directors [[Theo Angelopoulos]], [[Andrei Tarkovsky]] and [[Wim Wenders]].<ref name="Gdn20170215">{{cite news|last1=Purser|first1=Philip|last2=Isaacs|first2=Jeremy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/feb/15/david-rose-obituary|title=David Rose obituary|work=The Guardian|date=15 February 2017|access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref> The company also helped British minority filmmakers including [[Po-Chih Leong]] (''[[Ping Pong (1986 film)|Ping Pong]]'' (1986)); [[Horace Ové]] (''[[Playing Away]]'' (1986)) and [[Hanif Kureishi]] (''My Beautiful Laundrette''; ''[[Sammy and Rosie Get Laid]]'' (1987)). This continued after Rose's departure with films directed by [[Gurinder Chadha]] (''[[Bhaji on the Beach]]'' (1993)) and [[Steve McQueen (director)|Steve McQueen]] (''[[Hunger (2008 film)|Hunger]]'' (2008)).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Sight and Sound]]|date=May 2022|page=99|title=Ping Pong|last=White|first=George}}</ref>

[[David Aukin]] joined as head of drama in October 1990 and took over responsibility for Film on Four.<ref name=timeline/> He changed his title to head of film in 1997 which he remained until 1998.<ref name=4at15/>

The company had another big international success with Jordan's ''[[The Crying Game]]'' in 1992.<ref name=4at15/> In addition it was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] as was ''[[Howards End (film)|Howards End]]'' the same year. ''[[Damage (1992 film)|Damage]]'' also received an Academy Award nomination that year.<ref name=timeline/> Later in 1993, Leigh's ''[[Naked (1993 film)|Naked]]'' and Loach's ''[[Raining Stones]]'' were entered into competition at the [[1993 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name=timeline/>

The following year, [[Mike Newell (director)|Mike Newell]]'s ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]'' became the [[List of highest-grossing films in the United Kingdom|highest-grossing UK film of all time]] and [[Danny Boyle]]'s ''[[Trainspotting (film)|Trainspotting]]'' (1996) was also very successful.<ref name=4at15/>

In the 1990s, Channel Four partnered with [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] to create a distribution company to release Channel Four films and Goldwyn films in the UK but Goldwyn pulled out late on and in August 1995, '''Film Four Distributors''' was formed.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=10 July 1995|title=Ch. 4 heads into distrib'n alone|page=|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|last=Dawtrey|first=Adam|url=https://variety.com/1995/film/features/ch-4-heads-into-distrib-n-alone-99130411/|access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref> Its first release was ''[[Blue Juice]]'' (1995) and its first major successes were ''[[Secrets & Lies (film)|Secrets & Lies]]'' and ''[[Brassed Off]]'' in 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=8 November 1996|last=Duncan|first=Celia|page=22|title=Blowing Your Own Trumpet}}</ref><ref name=FFD>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=26 September 1997|page=31|title=The Four Man|last=Tutt|first=Louise}}</ref><ref name=4at15/>

In 1998, the company was re-branded as '''FilmFour''' with an annual budget of £32 million for 8 to 10 films.<ref name=timeline/> ''[[East Is East (1999 film)|East Is East]]'' (1999) becomes their biggest self-funded film.<ref name=timeline/> In 2000, the company signed a three-year deal with [[Warner Bros.]] to make seven films with budgets of more than £13 million but their first, ''[[Charlotte Gray (film)|Charlotte Gray]]'' (2001) was not the success they hoped for.<ref name=timeline/>

The company cut its budget and staff significantly in 2002, due to mounting losses, and was reintegrated into the drama department of Channel 4. The name "Film4 Productions" was introduced in 2006 to tie in with the relaunch of the FilmFour broadcast channel as [[Film4]].{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

[[Tessa Ross]] was head of both Film4 and Channel 4 drama from 2002 to 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/feb/06/channel4.broadcasting|title=Interview: Tessa Ross|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Owen|last=Gibson|date=6 February 2006 |access-date=24 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/26/channel-4-tessa-ross-national-theatre|title=Channel 4 boss Tessa Ross appointed chief executive of the National Theatre|work=The Guardian|first=John|last=Plunkett|date=26 March 2014 |access-date=24 February 2016}}</ref>
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