Amanda was brought into the BFI as CEO by Anthony Minghella in 2003, since then she has led a complete transformation of the BFI, turning it into a major internationally influential organisation, and the lead organisation for film in the UK. Previously she spent ten years as Director of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television leading a major redevelopment of the Museum, which at its peak went on to attract over 1m visitors a year.
In 2011 the BFI became the lead organisation for film in the UK. It is a government arms-length body and the distributor of Lottery funds for film. Its five year strategy BFI2022 is designed to support a vibrant, national film culture in which independent film is widely enjoyed, as part of a thriving and diverse UK film industry, equipped to meet the rapid changes in the film landscape. Amanda, the organisation’s first female CEO, has championed changes to increase diversity across the industry including introducing the BFI’s Diversity Standards (launched in 2015) which are embedded within its funding decisions and activities and have been recently adopted by Film4 and BAFTA.
Under Amanda’s leadership, the BFI has pioneered the development of the BFI Player – a new digital video-on-demand platform, turned the BFI London Film Festival into one of the most internationally significant film festivals, set up a UK wide film partnership network – the Film Audience Network, launched the hugely successful BFI Film Academies across the UK and transformed BFI Southbank into one of the coolest arts venues in London. The BFI has also recently given much prominence to its international partnerships, including a tour of Shakespeare on Film, Hitchcock’s silent films, restored by the BFI National Archive, in over 70 different countries and a focus on cultural and industrial collaboration with China, leading towards the signing of a new co-production treaty in March 2015.
The BFI is a major investor in British Film with the largest public fund in the UK via the National Lottery (around £26 million a year to support film development, production, distribution, exhibition and international sales). The BFI has invested in films including most recently Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Amma Assante’s A United Kingdom and Gurinder Chada’s Viceroy’s House.
Before joining the BFI, Amanda was Head of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (NMPFT) in Bradford for nine years, during which time she had become a Government expert advisor to ensure that important photographic collections were retained in the UK. Under Amanda’s tenure the Museum underwent a £16 million redevelopment and became the most visited museum outside London, attracting as many as one million visitors a year. The Museum also won a raft of national and international awards for design, content, innovation and excellence. It has since rebranded as the National Media Museum.
Prior to the NMPFT Amanda was at the Royal Photographic Society which she joined in 1985. Here she was responsible for the public face of the Society, its archives and the Commercial Centre in Bath, before going on to become its Chief Executive Officer in 1990.
Amanda’s first job was at the Rowan Gallery in London which she joined in 1976. She went on to set up the first ever British contemporary art fair in Bath in 1980.
Amanda was educated in England and France. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Bradford University in 2000 and an Honorary Fellowship from Bradford College and is honoured to be accepting an honorary degree from The University of York this summer.
She has two daughters, and 3 grandchildren.
Projects
- BFI Diversity Standards“Art itself is borne of diversity, of celebrating the different. As our most accessible and powerful art form, film must reflect the society in which it is made and tell stories that speak to the many different people who exist within that society. That isn’t an optional extra or a nice to have – it’s a moral and social imperative and, by ensuring audiences are served with films they want to see, it also makes good business sense.” Amanda Neville
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Projects credited in
- Female Creative Leaders 2017 - Meet the 150 women redefining the creative industriesTo celebrate International Women’s Day 2017 we asked 15 incredible female leaders in design, advertising, illustration, tech, film, fashion, arts, social enterprise and more to nominate the 10 women that they believe will redefine the creative space over the coming years - all with the aim of inspiring the next generation of female creative leaders. Discover, connect and be inspired by these amazing women, listed below and stay up to date with our 2018 list of women redefining the creative indu71