Yesterday’s news that the DCMS had announced plans to abolish the UK Film Council came as surpise to many in the industry, including the film council and all who work with them. Later, Jeremy Hunt explained that his department are now actually reviewing the plans and asking people to voice their opinions (which people are already starting to do online).
So, it’s not a done deal and it’s not yet clear what this will mean for the regional screen agencies (of which Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has been supportive of in the past).
The future may be uncertain, but it’s still business as usual at Vision+Media. We expect there to be changes, but we’re still here to support our region’s filmmaking talent and we have plenty on offer for 2010/11. This includes various
funding strands, dedicated film schemes like ‘
DRAFTED’, equipping writers with the skills, confidence, contacts and support they need to write high quality screenplays, Green Shoots, which is
now open for submissions, more inspiring events and masterclasses, our upcoming script reading service and our
‘Produced By’ (the North West) programme, which we are currently in planning, but will be launching in the Autumn, so watch this space.
The coalition has said that it remains committed to the National Lottery funding and film tax credit, so let’s hope that is the case and we’ll be watching very closely to see how things develop and how we can work to ensure that our vibrant and dynamic film industry will be sustained and our filmmakers supported at every level.
And in the meantime - if you’ve any questions - Vision+Media and the film team are happy to see if we can answer them.
Tara