The United Kingdom has had a significant film industry for over a century. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936, the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors David Lean,Michael Powell, (with Emeric Pressburger) and Carol Reed produced their most highly acclaimed work. Many British actors have achieved international fame and critical success, including Maggie Smith, Michael Caine,Sean Connery and Kate Winslet. Some of the films with the largest ever box office returns have been made in the United Kingdom, including the second and third highest-grossing film series (Harry Potter and James Bond). The identity of the British industry, and its relationship with Hollywood, has been the subject of debate. The history of film production in Britain has often been affected by attempts to compete with the American industry. The career of the producer Alexander Korda was marked by this objective, the Rank Organisation attempted to do so in the 1940s, and Goldcrest in the 1980s. Numerous British-born directors, including Alfred Hitchcock and Ridley Scott, and performers, such as Charlie Chaplin and Cary Grant, have achieved success primarily through their work in the United States.

British Film was a publication covering British film industry, which was read by hundreds of people weekly. The magazine began as a print publication in 2005 before the launch of the online version in 2007. Both the print and online editions closed following the departure of founder Terence Doyle.

History

The magazine was conceived in autumn 2002 but the idea received little support at Cannes 2003.

British Film Magazine launched in London and Cannes 2005. Following three years of difficult development, it was a 108 page glossy Premiere Issue in March 2005, with 10,000 copies printed. That issue was sold in independent shops, specialist film outlets and Borders bookshops in the main cities throughout the UK. Some problems were encountered as the issue bore the cover date of June 2005 instead of Summer 2005, so shops that sold out waited for the next issue to arrive rather than order more copies of the premiere issue.

Two years later, at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007, the online version was launched. It is read by hundreds of people in up to 50 countries weekly.