MUMBAI: This is England, written and directed by filmmaker Shane Meadows, produced by Mark Herbert and co-funded by the National Lottery through the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund has been named Best British Film at this year’s BAFTA awards.
 
The semi-autobiographical film about a boy growing up in 1980s post-Falklands war Britain was co-funded by the UK Film Council in partnership with Film4, the regional screen agencies EM-Media and Screen Yorkshire, Ingenious Media and Optimum Releasing. The New Cinema Fund previously supported Meadows and Herbert with their Cannes-selected film Once Upon a Time in the Midlands.
 
UK Film Council chief executive officer John Woodward said, “I am delighted for Shane Meadows, one of our most talented filmmakers, that he has won this award with This is England. His films touch the heart and soul of British people and their lives, and in telling their stories he makes a major contribution to British film culture. 
 
“The success of Working Title, the filmmakers and talent behind Atonement, pays further tribute to Britain’s flourishing pool of film talent and shows the ambition of our filmmakers to create films which British audiences want to see and which also attract audiences worldwide. We can be rightfully proud of the talent working in the UK film industry.”