Margaret Hodge MP
Minister of State
Margaret Hodge is presently the Minister of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She has also served as the First Minister for Children when the post was created in 2003.
Q1 Which one film would you wish to share with future generations?
A Matter of Life and Death
UK 1946
Powell and Pressburger's feverishly imaginative tour-de-force.
I absolutely love it because although technically its a masterpiece, it's also romantic, daring and visually stunning. A Matter of Life and Death is an example of British cinema at its very best.
Q2 What excites you about the future of the moving image?
Just as Powell and Pressburger produced classic films during a time of great transition, today's directors are at a similar juncture. We are currently in a time of flux - moving from analogue to digital - and the implications of this are still to be fully understood and realised. But this is likely to create new and exciting opportunities for artists. The lower costs of shooting on digital could mean that filmmaking becomes the aspiration of many more people. I do not mean that filmmakers are likely to abandon celluloid altogether. But digital technology will give more people perhaps from different backgrounds a chance to make it in the film industry. This could lead to a more diverse industry in the UK and a richer seam of storytelling. But we should not lose sight of the emerging talent that is the future of the moving image. Duane Hopkins, whose film Better Films was critically acclaimed in Cannes and Edinburgh, Steve McQueen whose Hunger was similarly well received, and many more including Olly Blackburn, Joanna Hogg and Saul Dibb. The future of the moving image in Great Britain is emerging right now. In 2008 we are seeing some extraordinarily accomplished debut films coming through which show great promise - and this is particularly exciting.