New support for Kent filmmakers

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport say it will boost jobs, others say more needs to be done.  Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.

Transcript

00:00From Hollywood to the historic dockyard, from the red carpet to Margate, you've almost certainly

00:07seen Kent on screen with dozens of high-profile blockbusters and award-winning dramas being made

00:14in the county over the years. And I think that it's very crucial to ensure that films which are made

00:22in the county get all the proper recognition that's needed. Often films for example Cineworld

00:27in Dover will often show films that are set in the local area. I've seen plenty of films that are

00:31showing only in Ashford or maybe only in Rochester. But behind the lights and cameras a lot of those

00:38producing the films being shot in Kent are actually big studios and the government want to see more

00:45big British indie hits. Darlings like Afterlife and Billy Elliot and that's why they're introducing

00:51tax credits for new filmmakers. The new tax credit will save more than 53 percent on films

01:00under a certain budget. The government say the tax relief will inspire the next generation of talent

01:07while the BFI say it will have a game-changing impact on the industry. But to qualify films need

01:15to pass a British Film Institute cultural test which has caused some concern. Will these films

01:23have to reflect particularly positive views of Britain? Would they have to take a particular

01:29political viewpoint? Would they have to have a political a particular ideology? One indie film

01:37shot right here in the county was Vindication Swim using the idyllic waters of Sheerness

01:44to resurrect the memory of the first British woman to swim the channel. The film's producer

01:51says that this tax credit isn't the only thing independent filmmakers need to succeed. Despite

01:58the film being filmed out in the English Channel and having Covid to contend with, the hardest

02:04thing we found was actually finding a distribution deal in the UK and for cinemas to accept the film.

02:11We were told you'll get one or two weeks as a maximum having taken a year to find a deal.

02:16We ended up having an 18-week run in cinemas which was unbelievable you know and they never

02:21could believe that happened. A first step then but with filmmaking set to be a key part of Kent's

02:27economy going forward, a welcome one. Oliver Leeder-The-Sax on the silver screen for KNTV.