Greg Dyke announced as Chair of the BFI

The BFI has enthusiastically welcomed today's announcement that Greg Dyke is to become its new Chair.

Greg Dyke replaces the renowned director, Anthony Minghella, who during his time as Chair introduced a strong new direction that re-energised the BFI, making it more audience facing, spotlighting the importance of the archive and opening BFI Southbank as a ‘rehearsal room' for the National Film Centre.

Speaking about his appointment, Greg Dyke said:

This is an exciting moment to be joining the BFI.  My predecessor Anthony Minghella has done a brilliant job in refocusing the BFI in a new direction and my job is to take the BFI's ambitious strategy to the next level in both the virtual and physical worlds, so that we have a Centre that puts film right at the heart of cultural Britain and makes it the envy of the world.

Welcoming the appointment, Director of the BFI, Amanda Nevill, said:

We are thrilled that Greg is to take over leadership of the BFI. He brings with him an incredible track-record of leadership in the areas most critical to the BFI's forward vision. We are looking forward with confidence to his guidance through the exciting times ahead.

The BFI's long-term strategy has three core elements:

• caring for the world's most significant collection of film and television and making it as widely available as possible
• sustaining an international focus for film exhibition through the creation of a National Film Centre and the development of the London Film Festival
• developing a digital strategy to ensure that everyone, no matter where they live, has access to the widest diversity of film and knowledge about film
  

In October 2007 the Government awarded a £25 million capital investment in support of a national strategy for screen heritage. The strategy was drafted in a partnership led by the BFI and including the UK Film Council, regional screen archives, regional screen agencies and other organisations, with the aim to provide significantly increased public access to the UK's moving image heritage wherever people live and regardless of where the materials are held.

Since it opened in March 2007 - and making a strong argument for a National Film Centre - BFI Southbank has added to its respected cinema programme and successfully reached out to new audiences through expanded education programmes, exciting and innovative free access to the BFI National Archive in the Mediatheque and a stimulating series of Gallery exhibitions.

Through digital initiatives such as Screenonline (www.screenonline.org.uk) which is free to schools, universities, colleges and libraries throughout the UK, the Mediatheque at BFI Southbank and its unrivalled Film & TV Database which is free to access online, the BFI is already enabling many thousands of students, lifelong learners and members of the public to access the rich national collections of film, television and data cared for by the BFI National Archive. Over the next five years there are plans to make much more of the BFI's work and archive available online.

When Greg Dyke takes up the position of Chair from 1 March 2008 he will lead the BFI's 15-strong governing Board. He will be supported by Deputy Chair, Roger Laughton CBE, who is Chair of South West Screen and also on the boards of the Arts Institute of Bournemouth, the Grierson Trust and Metfilm.

The appointment was made by the UK Film Council and ratified by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.