News Article
Statement from Screen England in reponse to the proposed abolition of the UK Film Council
Published: 28 July 2010
Screen England, the network of the nine screen agencies across England, has issued a statment in response to government proposals to abolish the UK Film Council.
Screen England statement:
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, comments:
“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.”
EM Media Chief Executive, Debbie Williams, comments:
"My colleagues and I from across the screen agency network are working hard to ensure that Government continues support for film and the wider creative industries across England. The value of the film and digital content sector to the UK economy cannot be underestimated; since 2002 EM Media has demonstrated that over £175m economic benefit has been generated for the East Midlands' local economy. Local talent, global reach is the principle which informs all of EM Media's work. We are committed to seeking out the new opportunities that lie ahead for this exciting and vibrant sector."
Notes to Editors
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.
The nine regional screen agencies are:
EM Media
Film London
Screen Yorkshire
Northern Film and Media
Screen East
Screen South
South West Screen
Screen WM
Vision and Media
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.”
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