The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
originally to be shown as part of
childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 minutes long.
History
The Foundation was formed in 1951 following the
Wheare report that criticised the suitability of American programming for Saturday morning pictures.
[ Mary Field was appointed chief executive.][ The Foundation was initially funded by the ]Eady Levy
The Eady Levy was a tax on box-office receipts in the United Kingdom, intended to support the British film industry. It was introduced in 1950 as a voluntary levy as part of the Eady plan, named after Sir Wilfred Eady, a Treasury official. The lev ...
(a tax on box office receipts), receiving 5% of the Levy and the initial budget was £60,000 per year.[ The Foundation made around six films a year;][ most lasted less than an hour and were shot in less than two weeks.][
The films featured future British stars including Leslie Ash, ]Keith Chegwin
Keith Chegwin (17 January 1957 – 11 December 2017) was an English television presenter and actor, appearing in several children's entertainment shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including '' Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'' and ''Cheggers Plays Pop''.
...
, Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
, Michael Crawford
Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian.
Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' a ...
, Phil Daniels
Philip William Daniels (born 25 October 1958) is an English actor, musician and singer, most noted for film and television roles playing Londoners, such as the lead role of Jimmy Cooper in ''Quadrophenia'', Richards in '' Scum'', Stewart in '' T ...
, Dexter Fletcher, Sadie Frost
Sadie Liza Frost (née Vaughan; born 19 June 1965) is an English actress, producer and fashion designer, who ran fashion label Frost French (until its closure in 2011) and a film production company (Blonde to Black Pictures).
Early life
Frost ...
, Susan George, David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ...
, Frazer Hines, Gary Kemp
Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet.
Kemp wrote the lyrics and music ...
, Richard O'Sullivan, Linda Robson, Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comed ...
, Sally Thomsett
Sally Thomsett (born 3 April 1950) is an English actress who starred as Phyllis in the film ''The Railway Children'' (1970) and played Jo in the TV sitcom ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976). She also appeared as Janice in the film '' Straw Do ...
, Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', '' Minder'' and '' New Tricks'', singing the theme tunes of th ...
, Carol White, Jack Wild and Matthew Wright.[
The films also include early films from British directors such as James Hill, Gerald Thomas, ]Don Chaffey
Donald Chaffey (5 August 1917 – 13 November 1990) was a British film director, writer, producer, and art director.
Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953. He remained active in the indu ...
, Lewis Gilbert and John Guillermin.[ It also used established directors such as Charles Frend and '']The Boy Who Turned Yellow
''The Boy Who Turned Yellow'' (1972) is the last film collaboration by the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and the last theatrical film directed by Michael Powell. The film was made for the Children's Film Foundation. ...
'' (1972) was the last film production by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.[
Some of the films were critically recognized, winning awards at the ]Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
, Moscow Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
and Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
.[
The films were also popular on US TV and in ]16mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...
showings in public libraries in Germany, Japan, Canada and South Africa.[
By 1980, attendances for Saturday morning matinées were dwindling and the Foundation's annual funding was reduced from £530,000 a year to £330,000.]Just Ask for Diamond
''Just Ask for Diamond'', alternatively titled ''Diamond's Edge'', is a 1988 British comedy crime film directed by Stephen Bayly and starring Colin Dale, Saeed Jaffrey and Dursley McLinden. It is based on ''The Falcon's Malteser'' (1986), the f ...
'' in 1988.[ It made no films of its own after the mid-1980s, but it survived under its revised name, and in recent years has provided funding for other projects.
Many of its films, dating back to the 1960s, were shown on the BBC in the 1980s, in the '' Friday Film Special'' ]strand
Strand may refer to:
Topography
*The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a:
** Beach
** Shoreline
* Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida
Places Africa
* Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa
* Strand Street ...
.
Selected filmography
* '' Bush Christmas'' (1947)
* ''The Stolen Plans'' (1953)
* ''The Dog and the Diamonds'' (1953)
* ''Soapbox Derby'' (1958)
* ''The Cat Gang'' (1958)
* ''The Salvage Gang'' (1958)
* '' The Adventures of Hal 5'' (1958)
* ''Hunted in Holland'' (1960)
* ''The Last Rhino'' (1961)
* ''Go Kart Go'' (1963)
* ''Runaway Railway'' (1965)
* '' Cup Fever'' (1965)
* '' Calamity the Cow'' (1967)
* '' Cry Wolf'' (1968)
* ''Mr. Horatio Knibbles'' (1971)
* ''The Boy Who Turned Yellow
''The Boy Who Turned Yellow'' (1972) is the last film collaboration by the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and the last theatrical film directed by Michael Powell. The film was made for the Children's Film Foundation. ...
'' (1972)
* ''Mauro the Gypsy'' (1972)
* ''Hide and Seek
Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...
'' (1972)
* ''Paganini Strikes Again'' (1973)
* ''Professor Popper's Problem
''Professor Popper's Problem'' is a 1975 British children's science fiction comedy film directed by Gerry O'Hara, starring Charlie Drake in the titular role. Featuring a number of child actors, Todd Carty, Milo O'Shea, and Sydney Bromley also a ...
'' (1974)
* ''Robin Hood Junior'' (1975)
* ''The Firefighters'' (1975)
* ''The Man from Nowhere'' (1975):with Sarah Hollis Andrews and Ronald Adam
General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet, (30 October 1885 – 26 December 1982) was a senior British Army officer. He had an important influence on the conduct of the British Army during the Second World War as a result of his long tenure ...
* '' One Hour to Zero'' (1976)
* ''Fern the Red Deer'' (1976)
* ''The Battle of Billy's Pond'' (1976)
* ''The Glitterball
''The Glitterball'' is a 1977 British sci-fi children's film made by Mark Forstater Productions for the Children's Film Foundation. It was directed by Harley Cokeliss, credited under his birth name of Harley Cokliss. The film was screened at th ...
'' (1977)
* ''A Hitch in Time'' (1978)
* '' Sammy's Super T-Shirt'' (1978)
* ''4-D Special Agent'' (1981)
* ''Tightrope to Terror'' (1982)
* ''Friend or Foe'' (1982)
* ''Gabrielle and the Doodleman'' (1984)
* ''Haunters of The Deep'' (1984)
* ''Terry on the Fence
''Terry on the Fence'' is a 1985 British drama film directed by Frank Godwin and starring Jack McNicholl, Neville Watson, Tracey Ann-Morris, and Susan Jameson.
It cost £180,747.
Premise
A young tearaway becomes involved with a gang of c ...
'' (1985)
* ''Out of Darkness'' (1985)
Sources
* Rank Film Library 16 mm Catalogue, 1978, (pp183–193)
References
External links
The Children's Media Foundation website
TV Cream's nearly complete listing of every CFF film
The Children's Film Foundation at the BFI
British children's entertainment
Film organisations in the United Kingdom
1951 establishments in England
Organizations established in 1951
1985 disestablishments in England
Organisations based in the City of Westminster
Organizations disestablished in 1985
BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award
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