British film nojar for life after Brexit

Brexit, admittedly, has resulted in the excellent political shocker ”Brexit: an uncivil war” and Andy Serkis satirical Youtube videos with Theresa May as Gollum. But in general the traumatic british referendum most created anxiety and uncertainty in the british film.

”In England, you hear now only the ban of division of noise,” said Ralph Fiennes poetic when he recently received an honorary award at the European filmgalan in Seville. Symbolically enough, with the whole of his pro-european speech by a clear anti-Brexit-stance.

the british star of massive support from their colleagues. A large majority of those who work within the so-called creative industries (6 per cent of all jobs in the Uk) are in favour of EUROPE and against Brexit, according to a recent survey. Already before the referendum in 2016 patronized Remain-side open of the hundreds of british filmmakers, including Keira Knightley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Helena Bonham Carter, Bill Nighy, Danny Boyle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and screenwriter Richard Curtis. As well as Eric Fellner as bosses for the british succébolaget Working Title is behind the countless biovältare from “Four weddings and a funeral”, ”Love actually”, ”Les miserables”, ”Bridget Jones diary” and ”the Darkest hour”.
– To remain in a strong union like the EU, it is best for us both commercially and culturally, " says Eric Fellner to The Guardian.
– We are fortunate to have a very strong industry, but this is based on that we can work with actors and other professionals from the EU and the rest of the world. It is very pity to throw away all of this and turn the clock back. It just seems ridiculous to inflict this economic engine damage, " says Fellner.

Even at the highest level within the EU, there are concerns that the european film be affected by Brexit: ”given the key role that the Uk plays in the european film production and its importance as the centre of the largest concentration of tv channels in Europe, so is a Brexit a significant concern”, says The European Audiovisual Observatory in Strasbourg in a recent study.

Slumdog millionaire. Photo: SF/TV 4

a vital british industrial sector, which also is very strongly intertwined with the EU. So, there has hardly always been. After 'the iron lady' Thatcher's bitterness starved in the 80's, the film was a severely malnourished and isolated the English patient. 1989: July 30 british feature films for a total of sek 800 million. During the 90s, transformed the british film industry to slowly from a small small-scale so-called ”cottage–industry” to a well-oiled european dream factory.

At the turn of the millennium, it produced 92 films for more than 11 billion – of which 8 billion came from Hollywood. Nowadays, the pumps Hollywood (and other foreign film companies) in close to 20 billion in the uk industry to make movies like ”Solo: a star wars story”, ”Mission: impossible - fallout”, ”Jurassic World: the fallen kingdom” and ”Wonder woman”.

The surge began in 2006, when the then prime minister, Gordon Brown introduced tax credits to attract Hollywood over “the ditch”. In exchange for that, the producers spend at least 10 percent of their budget in the Uk offered tax rebates of 25 percent.

During the past decade, sales have doubled. Ironically, the Brexit given industry an extra boost due to the weakness of sterling after the referendum in 2016. Classic movie studios like Shepperton and Pinewood outside London are fully booked and are built out of billions - they are now also greeted by global strömningsjättar like Netflix and Amazon.

the british minister of culture, Margot James (minister for the digital and creative industries) ”I don't think that Brexit will have no significant impact on the film industry. It will not affect the filmstudioytorna or tax cuts.”

In a way, she has the right. Whether a soft or hard Brexit will be raw on the James Bond, superhero films with The Avengers, or the ”Star wars”suite. Unless you can retain the highly-skilled market in London so will it be business as usual.

Read more: the Brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch in the political shocker "Brexit: an uncivil war"

But some are concerned that british publikfilmer in the middle class can take a beating. Zygi Kamasa, head of Lionsgate in the Uk and Europe, recently produced ”Colette” and ”On Chesil beach” mean that Brexit would pose a deadly threat to the kind of british publikfilmer to which large EU support. In the category includes, for example, movies like ”Slumdog millionaire” and ”The king's speech,” both of which have received approximately 10 million sek from the EU.

When it comes to the narrower artistic film are fears even greater.

"If the Uk loses the creative and commercial lifeline in the form of Creative Europe so this will be a nail in the coffin for the british independentfilmen," says the irish-british producer Mike Downey to DN. Over the past 20 years, his company Fame has been involved in over 70 european co-productions with a base in the united kingdom - among others with directors such as Volker Schlöndorff, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Julien Temple.

– the Brexit risk, unfortunately, to compromise the cultural openness that is a result of that the united kingdom participates in the european project. Therefore, european producers find it more difficult to sell their movies to the Uk. And vice-versa. It has been a classic two-way solution that will now be blocked, " says Mike Downey.

Star Wars: the force awakens Photo: Lucas film

aid from the EU is kaffepengar compared with tax cuts, so has the uk the film received a total of eur 3.6 billion in various forms of EU assistance over the past ten years.

another concern is that the exchange of skilled labour will be compromised. When it comes to specialist agencies post-production, visual effects and animation is close to four foreign citizens. The veteran Ken Loach, who won the palme d'or in 2016 with ”I, Daniel Blake” mean that this is a matter of course.

– If the free movement is stopped and it becomes a huge bureaucratic process to work in the Uk, so this will prevent the co-productions, " says Ken Loach to the Hollywood Reporter.

Others see the possibilities with Brexit. The old branschräven Lord David Puttnam, chairman of the uk distributors (FDA) argue that the Brexit can help the film industry to ”deliver a form of national re-branding”.

Mike Downey, who is also deputy chairman of the European Filmakademin (EFA), is afraid, however, that the british movie has to be introvert and even more Hollywoodfixerad.

" If you are going to be crass so has the british filmetablissemanget always turned their eyes towards the US for inspiration – while the creative independentproducenterna looked towards Europe. Within the EU there is a realization that culture is the glue that binds us together, " says Downey.

which is also shared by the british establishment. Both at 10, Downing Street and the Department for digital, culture, media and sport and the British Film institute, there is a pronounced desire that the british should remain a member of the european filmfamiljen. In the best case, there is hope even after a Brexit.

– the British need Europe. European culture has always had his eye focused on a broader, more universal horizon in the distance, faithful to the Greek original meaning of the Europe – the woman with an eclectic look, " says Mike Downey.