Statement Relating to DCMS proposal to Abolish the UK FIlm Council (28/07/2010)
As one of Screen Yorkshire's key funders and stakeholders the Government's proposal to abolish the UK Film Council is clearly concerning. The future path for funding and support for the industry is currently unclear, but Screen Yorkshire aims to ensure that Yorkshire and Humber continues to play a key role in the UK Film Industry.
The following statement has been issued by Screen England, the network of the nine regional screen agencies, in response to Jeremy Hunt's written statement proposing the abolition of the UK Film Council.
STATEMENT FROM SCREEN ENGLAND
Screen England was shocked and surprised at news of the proposed abolition of the UK Film Council, which has strengthened the British film industry both economically and culturally over the past ten years and makes a hugely valuable contribution to the creative industries sector.
The Film Council has been responsible for the growth of extraordinary filmmaking talent in the UK and the rejuvenation of the British film industry. Its core funding has been invested in filmmakers, festivals and community film projects, with every pound spent generating a five-fold return at the box office. At grassroots level, support from the Film Council underpins the work of the Regional Screen Agencies in developing regional creative business and talent whilst continuing to widen the reach of film.
The creative industries are a crucial growth area for the UK economy in this digital age, and film is a core industry within it. We recognise that public sector spending has to be reassessed in the current climate, but we strongly feel that this capacity for economic growth must not be jeopardised.
We welcome the Government's plan to continue Lottery support and the maintenance of the Tax Credit for film and we will positively contribute to further discussions during this time of consultation.
Screen England chair, John Newbigin, said:
"The screen agencies play a vital role in nurturing creative businesses and individual talent in every corner of England. Maintaining this activity will be key to the country's economic recovery and future prosperity, and we aim to continue to play this role."
Screen England is a network comprising the nine regional screen agencies, set up by the UK Film Council to help distribute funds to deliver film culture and nurture talent across the country. http://www.screenengland.com/
The nine regional screen agencies are:
Screen Yorkshire
Vision and Media
Northern Film and Media
Screen WM
EM Media
Screen East
South West Screen
Film London
Screen South
A DCMS spokesperson yesterday said:
"The screen agencies do an excellent job promoting film production, video games development, skills and more. For a relatively small investment, they have encouraged investment of over £50m in the audio-visual creative industries across all regions. Retaining this level of support is important and we are considering how the important function they perform fits in with the planned Local Enterprise Partnerships."
