19/06/2014 - Janet Archer admits that £4m is not enough to support film production in Scotland

Creative Scotland Chief Executive Janet Archer laid out a range of financial initiatives while delivering the keynote speech at the Scottish Film Summit on the opening day of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (June 18-29). “Nearly £8m of our budget is already used to support film in terms of production, festivals, talent development, presentation and audience development,” Archer said.

Archer said that support for the development and production sector comes from a film and television fund of £4m that has helped productions like Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s Sunset Song [+see also:
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interview: Terence Davies
film profile]; David Mackenzie’s Starred Up [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: David Mackenzie
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film review
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interview: George Mackay
film profile]; Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl [+see also:
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film profile], amongst others. However, Archer said that £4m was not enough to support film production in Scotland.

“We, like everyone else in the film industry in Scotland would like to see more funding available. In the meantime, however, we have ensured that this £4m fund is protected in this year’s budget,” Archer said.

“We have raised the cap for our investment in feature film production from £300,000 to £500,000; we have reduced the minimum co-funding required for Flexible Multi Project Development from 25% to 10%; and the cap for documentaries has been raised to £90,000 from £80,000. All of which, we hope, will make it easier to get films made,” Archer added.

A referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent country will take place on September 18. Film ties with the UK will be determined after Scotland votes on this matter.