U.K.’s COVID Production Scheme Supported Over 1,200 Productions – Global Bulletin
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
A new report looking at the success of the U.K. government’s COVID production scheme found it supported over 1,200 productions since its launch in July 2020.
The scheme was set up to assist productions struggling to get COVID-related insurance before it was eventually shut down last spring.
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The report by Nordicity & Saffery Champness found over two years the scheme had created 37,100 cast roles and 63,500 crew positions as well as sustaining 48,500 full-time jobs. Among the productions benefitting from the scheme were “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” as well as “Peaky Blinders.”
The report estimated the scheme contributed £2.25 billion to the U.K. economy while the cost to the government was £19.6 million. 58% of productions helped by the scheme were based outside of London.
“Our screen industries are an economic powerhouse and we should be proud that the U.K. is firmly established as one of the best places in the world to create blockbuster content,” said culture secretary Lucy Frazer. “When the pandemic threatened that success we stepped in to protect jobs, keep cameras rolling and ensure our producers could keep making the exceptional content that the U.K. is famous for.”
QUICK STEP
State location promotion body Screen Queensland says that it has accepted the resignation of Courtney Gibson as CEO. Chief creative officer, Belinda Burns has been appointed acting CEO and Screen Queensland will start the recruitment process anew. Gibson is a noted film and TV executive who was appointed to the organization only in October.
BOUNCY CASTLE
Producer and distributor Gkids has acquired North American rights to Japanese animation film “Lonely Castle in the Mirror.” Directed by Hara Keiichi (“Miss Hokusai,” “Colorful,” “The Wonderland”), the film features animation from the lauded A-1 Pictures, and is adapted from the novel of the same name by Tsujimura Mizuki. The film was released in Japan in December and had its international premiere at the Rotterdam film festival in January. A U.S. premiere was held at the New York International Children’s Film Festival. “Lonely Castle” was also nominated for the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.
VIVID WHITE
Mike White, writer and director of “The White Lotus,” and star of the series, Jennifer Coolidge, have been added to the Vivid Sydney festival in May. The will hold an in conversation session as part of the festival’s Vivid Ideas program.
“ ‘White Lotus has taken the world by storm, with its unapologetic parody of the luxury class and the current appetite for ‘eat the rich’ satires,” said festival organizers, positioning White as a household name and Coolidge at the heart of a ‘Cool-naissance.’ Vivid Sydney runs May 26 to June 17, with more than 300 events and activations over 23 days.
FINAS FINES
Malaysia’s National Film Development Corporation (Finas) has started legal action against 47 individuals and production companies for receiving grant money from the organization, but failing to produce films. Finas chief executive Md Nasir Ibrahim, said they received grants between 2013 and 2017 and that the organization has sought used normal channels to seek repayment. “If the [legal] action is ignored, the individuals and companies involved will be declared bankrupt,” he told local media.
MASTER STROKE
Credit card company Mastercard is this month to host a Mastercard Artist Accelerator Program, which will prepare five emerging musical artists from around the world with the tools and skills to harness Web3 technologies to reimagine their creative processes and grow their careers in the digital economy. Vietnamese American-singer Emily Vu joins four other musicians: Cocoa Sarai, a hip-hop artist from Brooklyn; Nigerian R&B/Afrobeats record producer and songwriter LeriQ; Manu Manzo, a Latin pop artist from Venezuela; and Young Athena, a London-based R&B soul singer.
“Web3 technologies, and NFTs in particular, are the way in which they offer creators more flexibility and ownership of their content, while generating exciting new ways for fans to engage with their art,” said Julie Nestor, Mastercard’s senior VP, head of marketing and communications, Asia Pacific.
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