With all the depressing Wembely news going round at the moment, maybe it's time to concentrate on a more uplifting development story.
The Independent reports today that, after a year of delays, the BFI is to resume work on turning the redundant Museum of the Moving Image into a revamped home for the National Film Theatre which will include "a 'mediatheque' where visitors can view archive material, a digital cinema for up to 36 people, and a gallery space for fine artists."
The £4.5m project to refurbish the NFT on the South Bank... is due to be completed by autumn in time for the 50th anniversary of the British Film Institute's London Film Festival.
Announcing the new timetable yesterday, Amanda Nevill, the BFI's director, said the aim was to use the refurbished NFT as a "pilot" or " stepping stone" to the creation of a state-of-the-art film centre. " This development is an important step forward in testing our vision for a national landmark building for the celebration of film," she said.
Unsurprisingly the preferred site for the new film centre is "bogged down in planning rows" but (again, unsurprisingly) it's hoped the magic wand of the Olympics will sort all that out.
The problems get a bit more complicated however, as at the moment the BFI can't raise any money of its own thanks to the fact it was not given legal independence from the Film Council when the council was established in 2000.
So only partially 'uplifiting' development news we grant you. But this is London, so what did you expect?
