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The History of British Cinema: 2010

Exit Through the Gift Shop, the first movie from Graffiti artist Banksy, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival in America.   Described as the world’s first street art disaster movie, the film also features the work of other graffiti artists such as Shephard Fairey and Invader.   It is due to be released in Britain on 5^th March 2010. [ADD]

Andrea Arnold’s council estate drama Fish Tank wins Best Film at the Evening Standard film awards at the London Film Museum, while Andy Serkis wins Best Actor for his portrayal of Ian Dury in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, and Anne-Marie Duff wins Best Actress for her role as John Lennon’s mother in Nowhere Boy. [MORE]

Uma Thurman’s comedy Motherhood is withdrawn from circulation in the UK after it takes just £88 on its opening weekend. [MORE]

The Digital Economy Bill, which gives regulatory body Ofcom the power to block websites suspected of internet piracy and the suspension of persistent download offenders’ ISP accounts, is approved in the House of Commons and passed in the House of Lords. [MORE]

Lynne Redgrave dies in Connecticut, USA at the age of 67 after a seven-year fight with breast cancer.   Her death follows that of her brother Corin the previous month, and her daughter Natasha in 2009 from head injuries sustained in a skiing accident. [ADD]

The £4.5 million Streetdance, ‘Britain’s first 3D dance movie’ featuring acts from the TV talent contest Britain’s Got Talent outperforms the $150 million Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, to take top spot at the domestic box office in its opening weekend.   Discounting preview audiences the film takes £1.79 million, £0.42 million more than the US film despite playing on 50 less screens. [ADD]

As part of a drive to cut £10.5 billion from its budget, the new coalition government scraps plans for a £45 million British Film Institute National Film Centre announced by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009.   The BFI issues a states that it remains committed to taking the project forward without government funding. [ADD]

Ronald Neame, the director of The Poseidon Adventure and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, dies in a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 99.   Neame’s health rapidly declined following surgery for a broken leg he suffered in a fall at his Los Angeles home in May. [ADD]

On his 90^th birthday, acclaimed special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen pledges the collection of his life’s work to the Bradford-based National Media Museum, providing it can obtain the funds to secure the collection. [MORE]

The British Film Institute launches a search for 75 missing British films it believes could be languishing in attics or charity shops.   Chief amongst its targets is Alfred Hitchcock’s second feature, the silent 1926 drama, The Mountain Eagle. [MORE]

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announces the abolition of the UK Film Council as part of a wave of the recently elected coalition government’s cost-cutting measures. [MORE]

The director Richard Lester donates his archive of more than 60 letters, notes, photographs, scripts and receipts spanning 40 years to the BFI National Archive. [ADD]

Screen East, a government-supported regional film agency ceases operating due to financial difficulties, and its finance manager is arrested on suspicion of theft. [MORE]

British Director Mike Leigh cancels a teaching assignment in Israel in protest over the country’s proposed loyalty oath bill. [MORE]

Danny Boyle, the director of Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, receives a BFI Fellowship at the 54^th BFI London Film Festival Awards. [MORE]

American studio Warner Bros. announces the purchase of the 170-acre Leavesden Studios in Watford where all of the Harry Potter movies were filmed. [MORE]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 breaks British box-office records for the biggest three-day opening, the biggest single day, the biggest Friday, and the biggest Saturday of all time after taking an estimated £17.5 million in its first three days. [ADD]

Ingrid Pitt, the one-time queen of Hammer horror films – and childhood survivor of a Nazi concentration camp – dies in London shortly after her 73^rd birthday.   She was best known for her roles in The Vampire Lovers (1970) and Countess Dracula (1971). [ADD]

The government announces that from April 2011, the British Film Institute will be responsible for the distribution of lottery money to UK filmmakers following the abolition of the UK Film Council.   The lottery grant would also be increased from £28 million to £43 million. [ADD]