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Editor's Note: As approach their 25th anniversary we asked them for a brief introduction to their work and how to get involved.  Keep an eye on our websites (, ) and and for news of forthcoming events to mark the anniversary.

is the feature film-making arm of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã, established in 1980 with the production of Anthony Minghella’s . We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary next year. We’re a small team based at , led by , the Head of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Films, and , the Commission Executive. Funded by the licence fee, our remit is to support and bolster the British film industry and, working in partnership with UK and international producers, we co-produce approximately eight feature films a year.

We aim to make strong British films with range and ambition, and with titles as diverse as box office smash , BIFA award-winning , and the forthcoming adaptation of the National Theatre’s experimental verbatim musical , we strive to serve as wide an audience as possible. Our back catalogue includes films such as , , , , , , , , , , , , , and many more.

We develop projects in a number of ways, either coming up with ideas in house before finding a writer, director and co-producer, or taking on projects that independent producers bring to us. These can be original ideas or adaptations of novels, plays, television programmes etc.

We provide a bespoke service, so every project is put together and developed in a slightly different way in line with its particular needs or circumstances, but without exception every film is co-produced in partnership with another producer or production company. We then work closely with the producers and creative team throughout the development of the script, finding a director, casting, putting together the finances, post-production and distribution. Once completed, every film we make will have a theatrical release before going on to air on a Ö÷²¥´óÐã channel.

As well as collaborating with some of the foremost writers and directors in the industry, we’re committed to finding and developing new talent, through our relationships with agents, film schools and short film festivals, as well as looking to find new creative voices working in other mediums and across other Ö÷²¥´óÐã departments. We’re also involved in a number of schemes to help foster new talent, including working with the , , , and a scheme for emerging playwrights run by and .

So, how do you get involved with ? Due to the way we’re financed, it’s unusual for us to work with a screenwriter who hasn’t already proven themselves in some way. Because of this, and the high volume of submissions we receive, we are unfortunately unable to accept unsolicited screenplays – the is your best bet for that. We are, however, happy to consider all projects that come to us via a producer or agent. After submission the script is read by a member of our team and we discuss the merits of the project and whether there’s a place for it on our slate at one of our regular editorial meetings. This process from submission to response usually takes approximately 4-6 weeks.

Forthcoming Ö÷²¥´óÐã Films releases include Vera Brittain’s powerful WWI memoir , directed by James Kent and adapted for the screen by Juliette Towhidi; , directed by Saul Dibb and adapted from Irène Némirovsky’s bestseller by Matt Charman; David Nicholls’ adaptation of the Thomas Hardy classic , directed by Thomas Vinterberg; and , adapted by Paul Viragh and directed by Michael Winterbottom. Original projects include , from first-time screenwriter James Graham and director Morgan Matthews; from playwright-turned-screenwriter Alexi Kaye Campbell and director Simon Curtis; directed by Alan Rickman and written by Alison Deegan; , written and directed by Carol Morley; and family comedy , from the team behind .