Aardman Animations to help train new animators

The team behind Wallace and Gromit will help train a new generation of animators as part of a multimillion-pound boost for the film industry (PA)

The team behind Wallace and Gromit will help train a new generation of animators as part of a multimillion-pound boost for the film industry.

The British Film Institute (BFI) said it was investing almost £500 million over the next five years as part of its Film Forever scheme.

The money, which includes lottery funding and the BFI's own income, will be spent on putting cinema equipment into "community venues", investing in film schools and digitising thousand of British films.

BFI chairman Greg Dyke said: "With film industry growth currently outstripping the economy as a whole, we want to invest to ensure continued success. A central part of Film Forever is to nurture business growth and cultural vibrancy across the whole of the UK, with a particular emphasis outside London. This is a real moment for film and a bold long term vision for the sector and I look forward to us from today turning all the discussion into action."

The organisation will set up a New Talent Network and Aardman Animations will set up an "animation lab that will support and guide writers and filmmakers".

Aardman, which was set up in 1972 and is behind characters including Morph, is best known for the Oscar-winning series of Wallace and Gromit films.

The BFI's scheme follows former culture secretary Lord Smith's government-commissioned review of the industry.

PA