By the time you read this, you will likely already know that “The King’s Speech” won the Oscar for Best Picture.  What you may not know is that the film was, in part, publicly funded through the UK Film Council.  Too bad that won’t ever happen again.  Screen Daily notes:

As for The UK Film Council, The King’s Speech simply came too late. The irony is self-evident. If Tom Hooper’s movie about Bertie and his speech impediment had appeared with the same fanfare a year earlier, it would have been very hard indeed for the British coalition Government elected last summer to justify dismantling The Film Council in the wake of likely Oscar glory. After all, this is the “biggest recouping project” the UKFC has ever supported. That’s why UKFC representatives past and present will be watching Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony with distinctly mixed feelings.

So, what if the timing were different? It may be too late for the UK, but it’s not too late for the U.S.  Maybe we can learn some lessons here not only about diversifying public support for the arts but also about sticking with  our public arts agencies through both thin AND thick.

Just a thought…