Film London’s Adrian Wootton

Celebrating two decades of supporting London as a global hub for film, TV, VFX, animation and video games, Film London has been fostering talent and boosting industry success. It is estimated that £9.5 billion of investment in London is expected to be generated over the next five years as a result of Film London’s support for film, TV and animation production. This, in turn, would add over £1 billion in additional GVA for London over the same five-year period to 2028-29. Adrian Wootton OBE, CEO of Film London, talks to World Screen about championing storytellers in London.

WS: Reflecting on Film London’s 20th anniversary, what achievements are you most proud of?
WOOTTON: Film London forged an early reputation as a trailblazer, seeing a gap and plugging it. We brought together leading city agencies to create the London Filming Partnership in 2005, ensuring filmmakers could shoot almost anywhere.

We continue to link industry to talent to get projects made and seen. Over the last decade, Film London’s Production Finance Market has introduced 647 projects to financiers, studios and sales agents; Slate Days has seen 224 distributor slates presented; and London TV Screenings has helped U.K. sales companies to generate over $50 million in sales.

In 2015, with the support of the Mayor of London, we established Games London and created the London Games Festival in 2016, welcoming 35,000 attendees. This year, over 100,000 people attended. We also set up the British Film Commission in-house following the abolition of the UK Film Council, overseeing a significant increase in the number of inward investment films and high-end TV productions choosing to film in the U.K.

WS: In what ways has Film London fostered collaboration between local talent and international productions to enhance the TV landscape?
WOOTTON: Film London will continue to champion a whole new generation of storytellers in London. Whether ensuring our training teaches the very latest in video game engine tech skills or tailoring programs to support creators through challenges like artificial intelligence, we will continue to nurture those finding new ways to tell their stories, bringing these to life and to our screens. And we’ll ensure Londoners and our international production partners can benefit from the U.K.’s newly enhanced tax credits, along with the game-changing new Independent Film Tax Credit.

WS: Looking ahead, how do you envision Film London continuing to innovate and support the growth of television production in the region?
WOOTTON: Championing new talent is in our DNA, and I’m immensely proud of our role in discovering and developing some of the U.K.’s most exciting talent. In 2019, we introduced Lodestars, an annual list honoring innovative creators and practitioners to watch from across the capital. With Lodestars known for their inspiration and guidance, the list celebrates those within film, TV and games who shine with outstanding creativity or craftsmanship, tipped to go on to ever-greater works in coming years.

Film London is committed to nurturing creative or practical brilliance, offering a platform for a huge array of talent to flourish. We run the BFI’s Metro London Skills Cluster, supported by the National Lottery Fund, and are the delivery partner of the Mayor of London’s Creative Skills Academy, which are founded on industry-education partnerships, providing a rich variety of training, employment, support and career development programs.

We support new entrants between the ages of 18 to 24 with our Film London Connect mentoring program, supported by the Propel Fund under the Mayor’s new deal for the Young Londoners Fund program. [It links] them with industry mentors to support them in their route into the industry.

WS: With the rise of streaming platforms, how has Film London adapted its strategies to support both traditional broadcasters and new digital content creators?
WOOTTON: UPstream is an innovative IP market launched by Film London in 2019. The event showcases a carefully curated selection of new and exciting adaptable IP and early-stage projects for an audience of film, TV and games producers and development executives.

UPstream reflects and caters to the screen industries’ ever-changing landscape, upholding London’s reputation as a global destination for content and production. Some of London’s leading companies have attended the event, including Lionsgate, Bankside Films, All3Media, WestEnd Films, Red Arrow, Endor Productions, BritBox, Home Team, Nexus Studios, Neon Films and Green Door Pictures.

Between 2021 and 2024, our innovative IP market UPstream has enabled 65 individuals and teams across the spectrum of creativity—animators, comic writers, filmmakers, novelists, podcasters, theater makers and more—to pitch their work to leading film, TV and games production companies for screen adaptation.

WS: How important is it for Film London to support diversity and inclusion and sustainability, and what steps have been taken to ensure these values are upheld?
WOOTTON: We’re a cultural charity; any growth has to support our people and our planet. That principle threads through every strand of our work, from our Equal Access Network, now with over 8,000 members from all of London’s communities, including those previously underrepresented, through to our new Undocumented project, bringing more Black archival footage to London’s Screen Archives. We’re working to build more diverse audiences and help cinemas program more diverse films. We’ve introduced talent programs for young Black-identifying animators through FLAMIN Animations. And we’re changing our own organization to ensure we truly reflect the city we serve.

Environmental sustainability remains at the core of Film London’s values. From our Grid Project to championing steps to net zero for ourselves and our industry, we’re pressing ahead with local measures to address the global climate emergency.