Show latest news, more from November 2003.
Review of UK film co-production agreements underway
The British Government has published updated guidelines on the criteria international film co-productions must meet if the films are to obtain British certification, as part of a major review of co-productions to be carried out jointly by the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and the UK Film Council. Films Minister Estelle Morris, announcing the review yesterday, also revealed that co-productions between Canada and the UK would now require a minimum of 40 percent of the film budget to be spent in the UK – up from 20 percent. The figure has been agreed to by Canadian authorities, according to the DCMS. Currently, for a film to qualify as British, 70 percent of the budget must be spent in the UK or through co-production agreements. The UK has agreed bi-lateral film co-production treaties with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Norway. A further 30 agreements with European countries are put in place under the European Convention on Cinematic Co-Production. The Government’s review of international co-productions aims to look at how existing agreements are working and establish new ones. The idea is to ensure the productions are ‘bringing real cultural and economic benefits to the UK.’ The new guidelines are designed to enable co-productions to apply for tax relief. ‘Co-productions and the associated tax breaks must lead to more jobs in film in this country and more work for our film-making facilities,’ Morris said yesterday. Other new requirements under the guidelines concern applications, which will need to be received by the DCMS four weeks before production starts. The new guidelines are available to download from the DCMS website HERE.
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