The Independent Film Trust (IFT) is a UK-registered charity that was set up to advance the cause of independent film-making. The IFT's work includes film and visual arts training, participatory creative media production, professional mentoring for creative producers and industry research and advocacy for a more representative film and media sector. Its patrons include

Sir Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, ...

Terence Davies Terence Davies (10 November 1945 – 7 October 2023) was a British screenwriter, film director, and novelist. He is best known as the writer and director of autobiographical films, including '' Distant Voices, Still Lives'' (1988), '' The Long ...

Bill Forsyth William David Forsyth (born 29 July 1946) is a Scottish film director and writer known for his films '' Gregory's Girl'' (1981), '' Local Hero'' (1983) and '' Comfort and Joy'' (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Marilynne Robinson novel ...

John Irvin John Irvin (born 7 May 1940) is an English film director. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the BBC Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (miniseries), ada ...

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin In ...

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her work in independent film with dark and tragic themes, particularly in period dramas. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship ...

Tim Roth Timothy Simon Roth (; born 14 May 1961) is an English actor. He was among a group of prominent British actors known as the " Brit Pack". After garnering attention in television productions '' Made in Britain'' (1982) and '' Meantime'' (1983), ...

and

Nick Broomfield Nicholas Broomfield (born 1948) is an English documentary film director. His self-reflective style has been regarded as influential to many later filmmakers. In the early 21st century, he began to use non-actors in scripted works, which he call ...

. The IFT supports ventures and initiatives that encourage an interest in film production and viewing and which help emerging film-makers to develop and express themselves, through financing activities such as basic film courses for the disadvantaged, screenings of quality films that did not reach the audience they deserved and the provision of training scholarships for those who have demonstrated talent but need monetary or other help.

History

Founded in 2004 by

Elliot Grove Elliot Grove is a Canadian-born film producer who founded both the Raindance Film Festival in 1993 and the British Independent Film Awards in 1998. Early life and education Growing up in a Mennonite household, Grove was unable to watch TV o ...

, the charity was first chaired in 2006 by Neil McCartney and is run by the board of trustees. In 2017, they appointed Lydia Agbobidi as Chair of the IFT. It previously worked with groups such as the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early Nov ...

and the

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove ...

in fostering, promoting and celebrating independent film-making in the UK. The charity's first film-making course was set up in 2010, when it ran an eight-week programme for adults recovering from mental health issues, working jointly with the Raindance film-making organisation and Westminster Mind. In September one of these films – ''Night Music'', a 12-minute animation by Paul Jacques – was selected for inclusion in the Shorts programme of the

. In 2011, the IFT joined with Raindance and

Staffordshire University The University of Staffordshire is a public research university in Staffordshire, England. It has its main campus in Stoke-on-Trent and four other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield, Shrewsbury, and London. History In 1901, industrialist Alfred ...

to set up a programme that leads to an MA or MSc in Film by Negotiated Learning. Raindance/IFT was the first outside body to be validated by the university to deliver such a course, having been approved in August 2012 as a franchise partner. The creation of an online version of the programme, which was launched in October 2012, makes it available to students based anywhere in the world with access to a broadband internet connection. In theory, a student could progress all the way to a master's degree without ever attending a designated physical location or actually meeting any of their tutors. That is, provided that they had handed in work and projects that met the assignment guidelines and postgraduate requirements (and kept up-to-date on fees). The programme is highly flexible and allows the students to choose their own modules, and design and deliver them through self-directed learning with Raindance supplying support, tutorials and access to its wide and varied range of classes.
Raindance website In 2018, the IFT launched Talent Led, a professional mentoring scheme for underrepresented artists. Between July - August 2020, the IFT offered free career development coaching and sessions featuring Industry professionals for free to diverse film and creative media individuals. Guest speakers included Composer, Justine Barker, Sound designer, Chad Orororo, Phil Hunt from Head Gear Films / Bohemia Media and IFT Board member Stephanie Charmail who is Head of Production at Shorts TV.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Independent Film Trust
official website. 2004 establishments in the United Kingdom Film organisations in the United Kingdom