More than forty prominent UK film industry figures including `Tenet` director Christopher Nolan have written to UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak asking for more support for UK cinema, which they say is “standing on the edge of an abyss” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The industry leaders, including Christopher Nolan, Steve McQueen, Ridley Scott, Jude Law and Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, are among the ones calling for “targeted funding support to ensure that future generations can enjoy the magic of cinema”.
The group said, “We recognise the support that government has already been able to provide”They continued, “But we fear that this will not be enough, with the challenges being most acute for those larger cinema operators who have not been able to access any tailored funding.”
“These companies represent over 80 per cent of the market, in many ways constituting its `critical mass` and helping to drive the success of associated sectors such as film distribution and production to coalesce. Without them, the future of the entire UK film industry would look extremely precarious,” the group further said.
The letter continues, “We very much hope that Government will respond to this call. UK cinema stands on the edge of an abyss. We urgently need targeted funding support to ensure that future generations can enjoy the magic of cinema.”
The UK box office, like much of the global box office, has been decimated by COVID-19 closures. The local market experienced a 76 per cent drop in receipts to USD 454 million last year and most plexes and single cinemas remain shuttered with dozens of tent poles on ice.
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