These are a couple of links to the IMDB website which lists the films produced by the Film Council.

As the Film Council 
This list includes the likes of Gosford Park, 24 Hour Party People, Bend it like Beckham, Young Adam, and Vera Drake.

and as the UK Film Council
This list includes the likes of Girl with a Pearl Earring, Ladies in Lavender, Bride and Prejudice, The Constant Gardener, Mrs Henderson Presents, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, The Last King of Scotland, The History Boys, Miss Potter, 28 Weeks Later, and  Harry Brown.

A huge chunk of the UK film output over the last 10 years.

And now Mike Leigh has criticised the decision (not surprisingly). This is what he has said:

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's decision to axe the UK Film Council is "totally out of order", according to film-maker Mike Leigh.

"It's very shocking indeed," said the 67-year-old. "It's from left of field in a very sudden and devastating way."

The British director is one of many to have received funding from the body, which has an annual budget of £15m to invest in British films.

According to Leigh, the announcement had come "out of the blue".

"It's remarkable and extremely worrying," added the director, whose films Vera Drake and Happy-Go-Lucky received Film Council funding.

"It really is no way to operate."

Today Liam Neeson added his voice to the criticism. Per the BBC website:

Actor Liam Neeson has called the government's decision to axe the UK Film Council "deplorable".

Neeson was speaking at the UK premiere of The A-Team. He plays Hannibal in Joe Carnahan's big screen remake.

The government announced on Monday that it is to abolish the Council as part of a cost-cutting drive by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

The UK Film Council gave funding to Breakfast On Pluto and The Other Man, both of which starred Neeson.

Speaking to BBC radio 5 live, Neeson said: "I think the decision is... the word 'deplorable' comes to mind. We have to do something about it.

"We need movies. It's a powerful industry that provides a credible entertainment for millions of people and I think it is wrong, I just think it is wrong for the government [to do this].

"I know we need to tighten our belts but not with our movie council. They can't, we need it. It is a lifeblood for any culture."

More from the BBC today:

Leading actors have attacked plans to axe the UK Film Council as part of a cost-cutting drive by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

More than 50 actors have written a joint letter to the Daily Telegraph saying the move will damage the "backbone" of Britain's film industry.

They cite the council's funding as crucial for films such as In the Loop, This is England and Gosford Park.

The council had an annual budget of £15m to invest and employed 75 people.

Signatories to the letter include James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Bill Nighy, Pete Postlethwaite, Timothy Spall and Sir Ian Holm.

The joint letter reads: "We all owe any success we have had in our acting careers, to varying degrees, to films supported by the UK Film Council.

"But it is not out of personal gratitude that we are dismayed that the UKFC is facing the axe; it is because we fear the impact on the British film industry as a whole.

"It is our camera crews, lighting experts, set builders and a whole host of other skilled people who give our film industry such an edge.

"Their expertise and experience, which the UKFC has done so much to foster, is the main reason why so many top Hollywood directors choose to make films here in Britain.

"We should think long and hard about getting rid of one of the major factors behind a great British success story."

The council was set up in 2000 and has put more than £160m of Lottery funding into about 900 films.

As he announced the plans, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he wanted to establish a "direct and less bureaucratic relationship with the British Film Institute".

He says this would support front-line services while ensuring greater value for money.

Clint Eastwood has now stepped in "Make my day and save the Film Council". From the Mail:

Clint Eastwood has written to George Osborne, urging him to reconsider his decision to scrap the UK Film Council.

In a letter to the Chancellor, the Hollywood actor – famous for his role as tough cop Dirty Harry in films such as 1983’s Sudden Impact – warns that without support from the council, his Malpaso production company would not have made its latest movie, ­Hereafter, starring Matt Damon, in Britain.

‘I cannot stress how important the Film Council is to me,’ Mr Eastwood writes. ‘I have been following the news of its proposed abolition with great interest. The prospect of losing such a valuable resource is of great concern as we contemplate future projects.’

His letter follows a similar protest by more than 50 British actors, including
Bill Nighy, Timothy Spall and Emily Blunt, who accused the Coalition of threatening
a ‘British success story’.

Mr Eastwood said ‘vigorous support’ from the Film Council was vital in enabling him to shoot Hereafter in the UK and warned he would be unlikely to make future films in Britain if the council is axed.

‘The Film Council gave us the crucial detailed information we needed to make our decision to shoot in the UK with information on tax credits, availability of crews and other support.

Without such assistance in the early stages, the likelihood of a London shoot would have been greatly diminished. Locales with active, knowledgable film commissions are far more appealing to us as producers.’

Mr Eastwood pleads with Mr Osborne: ‘I respectfully request careful consideration of these concerns in deciding the fate of
the UK Film Council.’

 

Watching the wonderful "The History Boys" again tonight.
One of those named by El Loro (above) as UK Film Council funded, (a fact screened at the beginning of the opening credits.)

An update today from the BBC:

Four parties have been asked by the government to consider taking on the responsibilities of the recently axed UK Film Council, the BBC understands.

The BBC was one body asked to consider taking a lead role in distributing lottery money to film projects.

Channel 4, the British Film Institute and the Film London agency are also believed to have been approached.

Culture minister Ed Vaizey met with key industry figures this week to discuss future public funding of UK film.

Mr Vaizey said the meeting was one of many that would take place before a final decision on future government support is later this autumn.

"I want a robust and co-ordinated strategy to promote the UK as the best place to invest in film-making and to provide real support and advice to film-makers and investors alike," he said.

"I want to make sure that public funds generate value for a wider audience and are focused where they can really make a difference."

According to the BBC's arts editor Will Gompertz, the industry itself believes the Arts Council should have a role in film funding.

"Industry insiders say the simplest mechanism would be for the Arts Council to act as the go-between as they're already a lottery distributor."

Founded in 2000, the UK Film Council had an annual budget of £15m to invest in British films.

Earlier this week its chief executive John Woodward announced he will be leaving the organisation in November.

Update as announced on the BBC news today:

BFI to take over Film Council funding role

The British Film Institute (BFI) is to take over the funding role played by the UK Film Council before it was abolished by the government in July.

From April 2011, the BFI will be responsible for distributing lottery money to film-makers based in the UK.

Regional agency Film London will take on the Film Council's role in promoting the UK as a film-making destination.

Greg Dyke, chair of the BFI, described the announcement as "a bold move".

"The decision is a great vote of confidence for the BFI," he said, welcoming "a bold move to create a single champion for film in the UK."

"What we will do now is make sure that our investment in film is properly targeted and transparent," he added.

"The BFI will be the flagship body for the delivery of the UK film policy," said Ed Vaizey, minister for Culture and the Creative Industries.

The BFI will also take charge of public funding to support film in the nations and the regions, as well as audience development and education.

The institute currently looks after the national film archive, runs education programmes and organises the London Film Festival, among other things.

Hits and misses

The BBC's arts correspondent, Will Gompertz, said the BFI having to turn itself into a Lottery distributor is bound to mean an increase in red tape and costs.

Though the organisation has been involved in film production in the past, it will be a big change for what has largely been an academic institution.

The BFI has not directly funded large-scale film production since 1999, when that function was delegated to the Film Council.

However, the Institute will not take on all of the Film Council's previous roles.

Regional agency Film London will be responsible for encouraging foreign film-makers and studios to make and post-produce their films in the UK.

Formed in 200, the UK Film Council backed several successful movies, among them Vera Drake, Fish Tank and In the Loop.

But it also supported a number of flops and was criticised for being unwieldy and costly to run.

Though the government recently cut the grant for film by 30%, Mr Vaisey confirmed on Monday that the £28m lottery grant the industry receives would be increased to around £43m by 2014.

According to a statement released on Monday, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the BFI will soon begin a review on building a more sustainable British film industry.