Published 13:51 IST, January 19th 2021
Prominent cinema stalwarts call for 'targeted funding support' for future generations
Amid the ongoing pandemic, with theatres being shut down, many cinema stalwarts have been asking the authorities to extend their support the UK cinema.
Amid the ongoing pandemic, with theatres being shut down, many industry stalwarts have been asking the authorities to extend their support the UK cinema. According to Deadline, 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.
Film fraternity stalwarts write an open letter
The letter written by the prominent stars mentions that the entire cinema is standing on the edge of an abyss as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The list of prominent Hollywood’s A-listers includes ace filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Steve McQueen, Ridley Scott, Jude Law, and Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson. The above-mentioned names are among the ones who called for some funding support to ensure that the coming up generations can enjoy the magic of cinema.
The content of the letter state that the fraternity recognizes the support that the government has already been able to provide to society. They further wrote that they fear 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.
The letter continues:
"We very much hope that the 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. 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 UK box office, just like other cinema halls was sincerely affected by the COVID-19 closures. Meanwhile, Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks believes movie theatres will "absolutely" sail through the coronavirus pandemic. In an interview with Collider, Hanks addressed the impact of COVID-19 on cinema halls which led to the release of many anticipated titles on various streaming platforms. Hanks calls the shift to digital medium a "due" change.
Meanwhile, the UK government has added in additional support for cinema, but as the industry figures note, this funding has been targeted at a single screen and/or independent venues. This year, owing to the pandemic, the cinema plexes were badly hit and their business suffered a lot. The local market experienced a 76% drop in receipts to $454M last year and most plexes and single cinemas remain shuttered with dozens of tentpoles on ice.
Updated 13:51 IST, January 19th 2021