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