The UK is facing the loss of its independent movie business, leading film-makers have said.
They say that the financing model of the past 20 years is broken and that making Oscar-winning films such as The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire has become all the more difficult. The film-makers believe that, while homegrown casts and crews are working instead on Hollywood and overseas productions, the increasing dominance of US online streaming platforms will drive up costs further and ensure that stars on whom they rely to attract crucial financing are even less available.
Last week, in a boost for the UK’s status as a centre for film and TV production, Netflix announced that it was setting up a permanent production base at Shepperton Studios, spending more of its $13bn (£10.3bn) annual production budget in the UK. The news came as Disney joined studios planning rival streaming companies with their own productions. Before launching Disney+, it has pulled all its content, including the Toy Story franchise, from Netflix in the US. See more at The Guardian.
