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UK National Lottery Funding Film Production
UK National Lottery Funding Film Production
Lottery revenues fund a wide variety of government services. In the US most states with lotteries use the money generated by lottery revenue for education and some states use lottery money for a wide variety of social services. The amount of money lotteries would make available to education was used as a selling point to gain voter and legislative approval for the implementation of state lotteries. On the other side of the Atlantic the UK National lottery funds a wide variety of government services. The ‘Big Lottery Fund’ has been used for a wide variety of interesting and unusual purposes. The ‘Heroes Return’ program funded by the Big Lottery Fund finances visits by World War Two veterans to former battlefields. Veterans can apply for grants ranging from £150 ($233 USD) to £5,500 ($8,570 USD) to visit the places where they fought so bravely so long ago. Veterans can be accompanied by a spouse or care giver.
In addition to this great program the UK National Lottery also funds the UK Film Council and provides £17 million pounds ($24,493,851 USD) for the production of new films. The Development Fund receives £12 million pounds from the UK National Lottery to be used over a period of three years. The fund aids filmmakers of all experience levels to develop their ideas into viable films. There are two fund programs; one for novice filmmakers and one for experienced established filmmakers.
The ‘New Cinema Fund’ is provided with £15 million pounds ($23,375,029 USD) of lottery money to be invested over a period of three years and helps both novice and established filmmakers working outside the mainstream. The fund is committed to funding the work of minority filmmakers and supports the production of eight to ten feature films a year and over 100 short films every year. The fund has supported the production of award winning films such as ‘Man on Wire’ which won an Academy Award and several films that have won awards at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals.
The ‘Premiere Fund’ invests £8 million pounds ($12,467,816 USD) a year for the production of mainstream commercially viable films for global audiences. The UK National Lottery is probable the only lottery finding the production of films. The funds give budding filmmakers the funding to bring their ideas to the big screen and have launched several careers. Every time someone purchases a ticket for the UK National Lottery they could be helping to fund this year’s blockbuster film!
Top 10 Lottery Horror Stories (Page 1 of 2)
Not very many people win the lottery, but of those who win, many lose all their winnings and end up with less money than before they won. Some winners were simply foolish, some were greedy, some had greedy relatives and friends, and some fell prey to thieves and crooks. Here are the stories of 10 people who won the lottery then lost it all.
1 Evelyn Adams
In 1985 AND 1986, Evelyn Adams won the lottery – equaling a total winning of $5.4 million. However, today – she has no money “Winning the lottery isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be,” says Evelyn Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery not just once, but twice (1985, 1986), to the tune of $5.4 million. Today the money is all gone and Adams lives in a trailer. She lost money in slot machines, and couldn’t seem to say no to relatives and friends. Evelyn’s big win ended in a big loss.
2 William Post
In 1988, William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery but now lives on his Social Security. Post’s former girlfriend sued him for a share of his winnings and one of his brothers was arrested for hiring a hit man to kill him, hoping to inherit a share of the winnings. His relationship with his other siblings was also strained and he spent some time in jail. Within a year, he was $1 million in debt and eventually declared bankruptcy. He now lives on only $450 a month and food stamps.
3 Suzanne Mullins
In 1993, Suzanne Mullins won $4.2 million in the Virginia lottery. Now she’s deeply in debt to a company that lent her money using the winnings as collateral. She borrowed $197,746.15 from this company, but eventually stopped making payments on the loan. She blamed the debt on the lengthy illness of her uninsured son-in-law, who needed $1 million for medical bills. Needless to say, her lottery win did not end in happiness.
4 Ken Proxmire Ken Proxmire won $1 million in the Michigan lottery. Within 5 years he filed for bankruptcy after moving to California and starting a car business with his brothers. He has now returned to his job as a machinist.
5 Willie Hurt
In 1989, Willie Hurt of Lansing, Mich., won $3.1 million. Only two years later he was broke and charged with murder after spending his fortune on a divorce and crack cocaine.
6 Janite Lee
In 1993, Janite lee of Missouri won $18 million. Lee was generous to a variety of causes, including various political organizations, education programs and the community services. According to published reports, eight years after winning, Lee had filed for bankruptcy with only $700 left.
7 Southeastern Family
In the early 1990s, a Southeastern family won $4.2 million. In almost no time at almost all of their winnings were spent on a huge house, cars, and various requests from family members. They bought a huge house and succumbed to repeated family requests for help in paying off debts. Eleven years after winning, the couple got divorced, the house was sold and what was left of their lottery winnings had to be split.