Scottish Screen is the national body for the promotion of film culture and of the film and television industry in Scotland. An Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) which receives annual funding from the Scottish Government, its mission is to establish Scotland as a major screen production centre and project Scotland's culture to the world. Its remit is to develop, encourage and promote every aspect of film, television and new media in Scotland. The organisation offers support, advice and investment for the development of feature films of any genre intended for theatrical release. This is delivered through Scottish Screen Investment Schemes and training programmes.

Scottish Screen provides a distribution service that submits Scottish shorts to film festivals and events, both in the UK and internationally. As well as entering films into competition, Scottish Screen also provides programming advice for a variety of events, festivals, cinemas and film societies. It also gives advice about shorts that are appropriate for screening with features as part of a cinema programme.

Following a comprehensive national cultural review in 2004-5 and publication of a Scottish Executive cultural policy document entitled Scotland's Culture in 2006, major changes to Scotland's cultural infrastructure have been proposed in a Draft Culture (Scotland) Bill - including the amalgamation of Scottish Screen with the Scottish Arts Council to form a single new body known as 'Creative Scotland'. Anne Bonnar was appointed as Transition Director of Creative Scotland in October 2007.

The establishment of Creative Scotland will need legislation, but in the interim period Ministers have appointed Dr Richard Holloway, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Arts, as Chair of a new joint board for the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, to oversee the development of increasing joint working between the two organisations in preparation for the establishment of Creative Scotland. His appointment runs for three years from 1 February 2007 to 1 February 2010, but may be terminated earlier due to the intended establishment of 'Creative Scotland.'

Please note that the Scottish Screen Archive, formerly part of Scottish Screen, was placed under the management of the National Library of Scotland on 1 April 2007.