A NEW report has been published calling for better support for the British cultural industry, which it argues is under threat.
A paper published by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee examines the widespread threats and challenges faced by cinemas, skilled workers, and independent British creators.
The report recommends better tax incentives for high-end television productions made in the UK, on top of a five percent levy for streamers such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Disney, to help fund British drama.
It also outlined proposals for the creation of a freelancer’s commissioner to advocate for and support skills and workers rights.
The report also called for better funding for culturally-significant independent cinemas, and requirements to be put in place for the licensing of creative works used to train AI models.
Among the contributors was Dr Dominic Lees from the University of Reading’s Department of Film, Theatre & Television, who provided the committee with insights into the issues surrounding the film industry and what the government can do to support it.
The report follows an inquiry launched by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport to examine the state of the British TV and Film industry amid concerns that investment been diverted from the industry by successive governments.
It comes more than 20 years after the last such report into the British film industry, which in 2003 lay out the groundwork of tax incentives awarded to the sector.
It also cites that in November 2023 the British Screen Forum, a screen industry membership organisation, described the sector as being “in crisis.”
He explained: “British film and television is something we love, and we should care about. We all have favourites like Shaun of the Dead, The King’s Speech, Wallace and Gromit. But this industry is fragile, and we can’t take it for granted.
“I’ve been working for Parliament’s inquiry into our film and TV industry the big problems it’s facing.
“Urgent action is needed to save British film and TV.”
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said: “Our inquiry into British Film and High-End Television benefitted significantly from Dr Dominic Lees’s input.
“As a specialist adviser, he helped us to bridge the gap between Parliament, the wider research community and industry to identify witnesses working at the forefront of major issues in the film and HETV sectors.
“His expertise on key policy areas, including skills and generative AI, added to our understanding and analysis of them in a critical, and fast-moving, period.”
The report is available to read in full via: publications.parliament.uk
