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57-481: Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation . The company has been responsible for backing many films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first production was Walter , directed by Stephen Frears , which was released in 1982. It is especially known for its gritty, kitchen sink -style films and period dramas . In 1981, producer David Rose left

114-506: A user-generated content animation portal, similar to Aniboom or MyToons . Channel 4 operates a video on demand service. Launched on 16 November 2006 as 4oD, the service offers a variety of programmes recently shown on Channel 4, E4 , More4 or from their archives. However, some programmes and films are not available, due to rights issues. The service was renamed All 4 in March 2015. On 17 April 2023, All 4 rebranded as Channel 4, becoming

171-577: A chief executive, whose role can be compared to that of the Director-General of the BBC . The chief executive is appointed by the chairman, which is a part-time position appointed by Ofcom . Channel Four was originally based at 60 Charlotte Street in the West End of London. Since 1994 the company has occupied distinctive, purpose-built headquarters at 124 Horseferry Road, Westminster. Designed by

228-551: A crash while shooting his latest film, The Other Sea in Athens. On that evening, the filmmaker had been with his crew in the area of Drapetsona , near Piraeus when he was hit by a motorcycle, which unconfirmed reports suggested was ridden by an off-duty police officer. The crash occurred when Angelopoulos, 76, attempted to cross a busy road. He was taken to a hospital, where he was treated in an intensive care unit but succumbed to his serious injuries several hours later. His funeral

285-545: A dedicated horse racing channel, At the Races, in conjunction with British Sky Broadcasting and Arena Leisure plc , owner of 28 of Britain's racecourses. The channel ceased broadcasting in 2003 owing to financial problems, but was subsequently restructured and re-launched (without Channel 4's involvement) in June 2004, and it is branded with almost identical livery as Sky Sports. Channel 4's racing coverage, renamed to incorporate "At

342-515: A journalist and film critic. Angelopoulos began making films after the 1967 coup that began the Regime of the Colonels . He made his first short film in 1968 and in the 1970s he began making a series of political feature films about modern Greece: Days of '36 ( Meres Tou 36 , 1972), The Travelling Players ( O Thiassos , 1975) and The Hunters ( I Kynighoi , 1977). In 1978, he was a member of

399-613: A new national headquarters in Leeds , to operate alongside the existing headquarters in London. In September 2021, 200 staff moved into several floors of the Majestic , a former cinema in Leeds city centre which had been renovated by Rushbond . In January 2024, Channel 4 announced they would sell 124 Horseferry Road, as part of cost-cutting measures. The Big 4 is a 50-foot-tall statue of

456-410: A new, restructured, 4Rights division. Channel Four has had a long record of success in funding the production of films through Channel Four Films, renamed FilmFour in 1998 to coincide with the launch of its digital channel of the same name. Notable successes include The Madness of King George , The Crying Game , Four Weddings and a Funeral and Trainspotting . In 2000, Channel Four launched

513-615: A restructure of 4Ventures saw many of its activities re-integrated back into the main channel's operations (including day-to-day running of E4, Film4 and More4). 4Rights was formed from an amalgamation of Channel 4 International and Channel 4 Consumer Products. As part of the restructure, much of the 4Ventures management team either left the company—former chief executive (and Channel 4 commercial director) Rob Woodward, and managing director Anmar Kawash took similar posts at STV Group plc —‚or transferred to other posts within Channel 4. In 2007,

570-512: Is broadcast every day and has a permanent 7pm slot on weekdays. Channel Four launched a subscription film channel, FilmFour, on 1 November 1998. It was available on digital satellite television and digital cable. Companion services, such as FilmFour+1, FilmFour World and FilmFour Extreme were also available on some digital services. In 2003 Extreme and World were discontinued, and replaced with FilmFour Weekly. FilmFour Weekly closed in July 2006, when

627-620: The BBC for Channel 4 where he was appointed the Commissioning Editor for Fiction by Jeremy Isaacs , the channel's founding Chief Executive but became mostly identified with the Film on Four strand. With an initial overall budget of £6 million a year, Channel Four Films was to invest in twenty films annually for Film on Four. The first film backed was Neil Jordan 's debut film Angel (1982). The first film shown as part of Film on Four

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684-575: The Channel Four Television Company Limited , a wholly-owned subsidiary of the IBA , and became an independent statutory corporation in 1993. November 1998 saw Channel Four expand beyond its remit of providing the 'fourth service' in a significant way, with the launch of Film4 . Since then the corporation has been involved in a range of other activities, all in some way associated with the main channel, and mainly using

741-664: The Palme d'Or at the 51st edition of the Cannes Film Festival , and his films have been shown at many of the world's esteemed film festivals . Theodoros Angelopoulos was born in Athens on 27 April 1935. His father Spyros hailed from the town of Ampeliona, Messenia in the Peloponnese . During the Greek Civil War , his father was taken hostage and returned when Angelopoulos was 9 years old; according to

798-685: The Richard Rogers Partnership with structural engineering by Ove Arup & Partners , the architecture of the 15,000 square metre building follows on from – but is more restrained than – the Lloyd's building in the City of London. It was constructed between 1990 and 1994. Twin four-storey office blocks arranged in an L shape are connected by a curved front with a dramatic concave glazed wall. Despite nearly all Channel 4 programmes being commissioned from independent production companies,

855-1023: The cinematographer Giorgos Arvanitis , the screenwriter Tonino Guerra and the composer Eleni Karaindrou . One of the recurring themes of his work is immigration, the flight from homeland and the return, as well as the history of 20th century Greece. Angelopoulos was considered by British film critics Derek Malcolm and David Thomson as one of the world's greatest directors. Famous film directors including Werner Herzog Emir Kusturica , Akira Kurosawa , Ingmar Bergman , Wim Wenders , Dušan Makavejev , William Friedkin , Manoel de Oliveira , Michelangelo Antonioni among others, were also admirers of his works. While critics have speculated on how he developed his style, Angelopoulos made clear in one interview that "The only specific influences I acknowledge are Orson Welles for his use of plan-sequence and deep focus , and Mizoguchi , for his use of time and off-camera space." He had also cited Andrei Tarkovsky 's 1979 work Stalker as an influence. Angelopoulos

912-579: The television licence , and the single commercial broadcasting network, ITV . Channel 4 is commercially self-funded. On the conversion of the Wenvoe transmitter in Wales to digital on 31 March 2010, Channel 4 gained UK-wide coverage. The channel is known for broadcasting a variety of programmes aimed at the public's interest. Its aim is to "champion unheard voices, take bold risks and stand up for diversity." The broadcaster's main news bulletin, Channel 4 News ,

969-428: The "first UK broadcaster to adopt one brand identity across its digital and linear channels". In 2001, 4Ventures was created as the parent body of Channel 4's commercial activities, rather than public-service obligations, with the intent of making profits which would serve to subsidise the main Channel 4. Following the sale of Quiz Call (a gaming channel operated by the then-owned subsidiary Ostrich Media ) in 2006,

1026-490: The '4' brand. The company also owned The Box Plus Network , a music-focused company with a network of six music television channels. They were folded into the corporation in 2019. Towards the end of the 1980s, the government began a radical process of re-organisation of the commercial broadcasting industry, which was written onto the statute books by means of the Broadcasting Act 1990 . Significantly, this meant

1083-501: The 1990s, Channel Four partnered with The Samuel Goldwyn Company to create a distribution company to release Channel Four films and Goldwyn films in the UK but Goldwyn pulled out late on and in August 1995, Film Four Distributors was formed. Its first release was Blue Juice (1995) and its first major successes were Secrets & Lies and Brassed Off in 1996. In 1998, the company

1140-575: The Beach (1993)) and Steve McQueen ( Hunger (2008)). David Aukin joined as head of drama in October 1990 and took over responsibility for Film on Four. He changed his title to head of film in 1997 which he remained until 1998. The company had another big international success with Jordan's The Crying Game in 1992. In addition it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture as

1197-462: The Channel 4 headquarters originally contained a studio and post-production facility, marketed as 124 Facilities. The studio was used for Channel 4 programmes (such as T4 continuity), and other channels' programmes such as Channel 5's football coverage. The studio was closed at the end of October 2007 and only the post-production operation remains, managed by Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services . In October 2018, Channel 4 announced that it would open

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1254-646: The Channel 4 logo which was constructed outside the building. The Big 4 is designed by FreeState The structure replicates the channel's 2004–2015 idents, in which the "4" logo is formed only when viewed from a particular angle. Also, the Big 4 is adapted into masterpieces created by artists such as British photographer Nick Knight, installation artist Stephanie Imbeau, fashion designer Hannah Gourlay, and most recently disabled artist Tony Heaton. Theo Angelopoulos Theodoros " Theo " Angelopoulos ( Greek : Θεόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος ; (27 April 1935 – 24 January 2012)

1311-569: The Channel Four Television Company. It remained publicly-owned and was regulated by the new Independent Television Commission (ITC), created under the same act. The ITC and its duties were later replaced by Ofcom , which like its predecessor is responsible for appointing the corporation's board, in agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . In terms of the station's remit and other duties,

1368-579: The Cinema Exhibitors Association allowed a brief period of cinema exhibition if the budget of the films was below £1.25 million. Channel Four Films struck several deals with other film production companies including the BFI Production Board , Goldcrest Films and Merchant Ivory . By 1984, Channel Four Films were investing in a third of the feature films made in the UK. Channel Four's Business Development Department

1425-498: The Country . By 1987, Channel 4 had an interest in half the films being made in the United Kingdom. Rose and Channel Four Films are credited by many as being a significant figure in the regeneration of British cinema and particularly remembered for films such as Wish You Were Here , Dance With a Stranger , Mona Lisa , and Letter to Brezhnev . Channel Four Films also invested in early Working Title Films as well as most of

1482-507: The Races" in the title, returned to its original name of Channel 4 Racing when the channel left involvement with At the Races. Channel 4 racing programmes now feature close co-operation with rival digital racing channel Racing UK , who sub-licence the live rights and share the same production company. Channel 4 cross-promote Racing UK's coverage of the day's racing during its broadcasts. In July 2007, Channel Four bought 50% of Box Television Ltd for £28 million from Emap plc . Emap's stake

1539-511: The UK-based independent distribution group Digital Rights Group (DRG) announced an intention to buy Channel 4 International (adding it to Zeal and ID Distribution among its other companies), following a review by Channel 4 of its commercial division. The deal was completed in November of the same year. The Consumer Products division (Including Channel 4 DVD) was retained by Channel 4 as part of

1596-554: The abolition of the IBA, and hence the Channel Four Television Company. The result led to the creation of a corporation to own and operate the channel, which would have greater autonomy and would eventually go on to establish its other operations. The new corporation, which became operational in 1993, was the Channel Four Television Corporation, and was created to replace the former broadcasting operations of

1653-625: The channel launched on digital terrestrial . E4 is widely available in Ireland, in close to 70% of homes, being carried on the Virgin Media Ireland cable network and also on Sky. The channel operates an advertising opt-out, allowing advertisers to directly target Irish audiences. More4 is a channel aimed at those aged 35–60. Launched on 10 October 2005, it carries news and nightly discussion programmes, such as More4 News , an extension of Channel 4 News that attempts to look "beyond

1710-462: The channel's future. In June 2021, the government of Boris Johnson was considering selling the channel. In April 2022, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport acknowledged that ministerial discussions were taking place regarding the sale of Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel's chief executive, Alex Mahon, expressed disappointment at this, saying that its vision for

1767-518: The cinema, My Beautiful Laundrette , in 1985. Originally shot in 16mm for Channel 4 it was met with such critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Film Festival that it was acquired by Orion Classics and distributed to cinemas and became an international success. In 1987, FilmFour International agreed a licensing deal with Orion Classics to handle US distribution of two more FilmFour features, Rita, Sue and Bob Too and A Month in

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1824-579: The creation of the corporation meant little change; the new corporation would have to manage its own advertising, rather than this being carried out on its behalf by the local ITV contractors (see Funding ). In March 2010, Channel Four Television Corporation and its chief executive were criticised by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for breaking service commitments, a lack of transparency in accounting for digital channels, poor governance and failed investments. Channel Four Television Corporation

1881-670: The director, the absence of his father and looking for him among the dead bodies (during the " Dekemvriana " in Athens) had a great impact on his cinematography. He studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne . He soon dropped out to study film at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) before returning to Greece. There, he worked as

1938-593: The film and through the viewer. The total effect is hypnotic, sweeping, and profoundly emotional. His sense of control is almost otherworldly. — Martin Scorsese He quickly established a characteristic style, marked by slow, episodic and ambiguous narrative structures as well as long takes ( The Travelling Players , for example, consists of only 80 shots in about four hours of film). These takes often include meticulously choreographed and complicated scenes involving many actors. His regular collaborators include

1995-515: The films of Frears, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh . Leigh told writer Hannah Rothschild around 2008 that Film on Four had saved the British film industry: "This is a non-negotiable, historical fact of life and anybody who suggests that this isn't the case is simply either suffering from some kind of ignorance or has got some terrible chip." Rose remained in his post as Commissioning Editor until March 1990. During his tenure at Channel 4, Rose approved

2052-545: The future was "rooted in continued public ownership". However, the Government subsequently announced in January 2023 that the planned sale of the channel had been cancelled. Channel 4 is a national public-service television channel in the United Kingdom which began transmission on 2 November 1982. The channel was established to provide a fourth national television service in addition to the two BBC services funded from

2109-596: The headlines", giving in-depth analysis. Channel Four launched 4seven on 4 July 2012. The channel offers audiences the chance to catch-up on the top-rated programming from Channel Four's boutique of channels over the past week. The channel is available on Freesat , Freeview , Sky , and Virgin Media . Launched on 29 June 2022, E4 Extra is a Channel 4-branded channel, showing entertainment programmes. Channel Four runs timeshift variants of its services (except 4Music and 4seven) on all digital platforms. In 2007, Channel 4

2166-803: The jury at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival . Theo Angelopoulos is a masterful filmmaker. He really understands how to control the frame. There are sequences in his work—the wedding scene in The Suspended Step of the Stork ; the rape scene in Landscape in the Mist ; or any given scene in The Traveling Players —where the slightest movement, the slightest change in distance, sends reverberations through

2223-424: The main, newly named Film4 channel went free-to-view and became available on digital terrestrial . The switchover to digital terrestrial was heavily advertised. The adverts featured Lucy Liu , Christian Slater , Ewan McGregor , Judi Dench , Gael García Bernal , Willem Dafoe , Mackenzie Crook , Rhys Ifans , and Ray Winstone declaring "Film4 is now free" in various situations across London. When Channel 4 had

2280-529: The making of 136 films, half of which received cinema screenings. Of the films Rose backed, 20 were from overseas sources, including work by directors Theo Angelopoulos , Andrei Tarkovsky and Wim Wenders . The company also helped British minority filmmakers including Po-Chih Leong ( Ping Pong (1986)); Horace Ové ( Playing Away (1986)) and Hanif Kureishi ( My Beautiful Laundrette ; Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987)). This continued after Rose's departure with films directed by Gurinder Chadha ( Bhaji on

2337-747: The rights to broadcast Test cricket in England, the downtime of the FilmFour channel was often used to broadcast uninterrupted coverage of a match when the main channel was committed elsewhere, usually to racing. At these times FilmFour was available unencrypted and free-to-air. E4, a digital entertainment channel previously available on the Internet, with a target age range of 16–34, was launched on 18 January 2001. It features premières of US imports and supplementary footage for programmes on its main channel (most notably extended Big Brother coverage). In 2005

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2394-403: The slightest movement, slightest change in distance, long takes , and complex, carefully composed scenes. His cinematic method is often described as "sweeping" and "hypnotic." Angelopoulos has said that in his shots, “time becomes space and space becomes time.” The pauses between action or music are important to creating the total effect. In 1998 his film Eternity and a Day went on to win

2451-428: The three-month bidding process. The service would have operated ten radio stations, including Channel 4 Radio , E4 Radio, Sky News Radio , and Radio Disney (in association with Disney ). Some of the services, especially Channel 4 Radio and E4 Radio, would have competed directly with national BBC Radio stations. Podcast and text services were also to have been provided. In October 2008, Channel 4 announced that it

2508-489: The year. The five music TV channels operated by The Box Plus Network were The Box , 4Music , Kiss , Magic and Kerrang! . All five channels closed at 23:59 on 30 June 2024. Channel Four was the leading member of the 4 Digital Group consortium, which included Bauer Radio , BSkyB and UTV as partners. In July 2007 the group was awarded a 12-year licence to operate the second national DAB radio multiplex after having defeated its only rival, National Grid Wireless , in

2565-424: Was Howards End the same year. Damage also received an Academy Award nomination that year. Later in 1993, Leigh's Naked and Loach's Raining Stones were entered into competition at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival . The following year, Mike Newell 's Four Weddings and a Funeral became the highest-grossing UK film of all time and Danny Boyle 's Trainspotting (1996) was also very successful. In

2622-474: Was Stephen Frears 's Walter which was screened on 2 November 1982, the launch date of Channel 4. P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang screened the following day was also an early highlight. Originally, the company's films were intended for television screenings alone; the "holdback" system prevented investment in theatrical films by television companies because of the length of time (then three years) before broadcasters could screen them. An agreement soon concluded with

2679-530: Was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on, and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely respected filmmakers in the world. He started making films in 1967. In the 1970s he made a series of political films about modern Greece. Angelopoulos' films, described by Martin Scorsese as that of "a masterful filmmaker", are characterized by

2736-481: Was abandoning its plans for digital radio stations. In 2006 and 2007, the 4radio brand was used for podcasts delivered by Channel 4 Radio. A small amount of 4radio-branded content was heard on Oneword until its closure in January 2008. Oneword was a digital radio station featuring the spoken word, launched in 2000 by UBC . In early 2005 Channel Four purchased a minority stake, and later that year paid £1 million to increase its stake to 51%. On 4 January 2007 it

2793-417: Was announced that Channel Four had sold its shares back to UBC for £1. The station ceased broadcasting on 11 January 2008. Channel Four originally licensed an ancillary teletext service to provide schedules, programme information and features. The original service was called 4-Tel and was provided in collaboration with Oracle . In 1993, with Oracle losing its franchise to Teletext Ltd , the running of 4-Tel

2850-640: Was awarded honorary doctorates by the Université libre de Bruxelles , Belgium in 1995, by Paris West University Nanterre La Défense , France, by the University of Essex , UK in July 2001, by the University of Western Macedonia , Greece in December 2008, and by the University of the Aegean , Greece in December 2009. Angelopoulos died late on Tuesday, 24 January 2012, several hours after being involved in

2907-586: Was considered for privatisation by the governments of Margaret Thatcher , John Major and Tony Blair . In 2014, the Cameron-Clegg coalition government drew up proposals to privatise the corporation but the sale was blocked by the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable . In 2016, the future of the channel was again being looked into by the government, with analysts suggesting several options for

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2964-417: Was formed in 1983 for TV and film sales and they also invested in foreign films including Wim Wenders ' Paris, Texas (1984) and Jan Svankmajer 's Alice (1988). In 1985 FilmFour International was created as a separate international film sales arm and to invest in foreign film, including Andrei Tarkovsky 's The Sacrifice (1986). Channel Four Film's first big hit was Frears' third feature film for

3021-441: Was re-branded as FilmFour with an annual budget of £32 million for 8 to 10 films. East Is East (1999) becomes their biggest self-funded film. In 2000, the company signed a three-year deal with Warner Bros. to make seven films with budgets of more than £13 million but their first, Charlotte Gray (2001) was not the success they hoped for. The company cut its budget and staff significantly in 2002, due to mounting losses, and

3078-407: Was reintegrated into the drama department of Channel 4. The name "Film4 Productions" was introduced in 2006 to tie in with the relaunch of the FilmFour broadcast channel as Film4 . Tessa Ross was head of both Film4 and Channel 4 drama from 2002 to 2014. This is a list of the most notable productions by Film4. Channel Four Television Corporation The company was founded in 1982 as

3135-406: Was taken over by Intelfax, and in 2002 was renamed FourText. In 2003, Channel 4 awarded Teletext Ltd a ten-year contract to run the channel's ancillary teletext service, named Teletext on 4. The service closed in 2008, and Teletext is no longer available on Channel 4, ITV and Channel 5. Teletext is still used on 4Music . Channel Four is overseen by a chairman and run on an operational basis by

3192-569: Was the first terrestrial broadcaster in the United Kingdom to offer a time-shift variant of its main channel. In common with many other broadcasters, these channels output exactly the same programmes and continuity as was broadcast an hour previously, and are titled with the station name followed by a "+1" suffix. The channel4.com website offers detailed programme information, highlights, and interviews with actors and presenters of all Channel Four channels. In January 2008, Channel Four joined with Aardman Animations and Lupus Films to create 4mations ,

3249-479: Was transferred to new owners, Bauer Consumer Media , following Bauer's acquisition of Emap's publishing and radio businesses. In 2015, Box Television was renamed to The Box Plus Network with a new look and logo. On 29 January 2024, as part of a range of cuts announced by Channel Four Television Corporation, it was announced that all channels in The Box Plus Network would be closed down by the end of

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