BRIEFINGS INDUSTRY
ASC honours Spike Lee R enowned filmmaker Spike Lee was celebrated at the 38th ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards Gala in March, where he received the Board of Governors award from the American Society of Cinematographers. ASC president Shelly Johnson commended Lee’s notable impact, describing him as ‘one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time’. The award recognises Lee’s contributions to cinema and respect for director/DOP partnership. A multi-hyphenate creative with credits as a director, writer, actor, producer and author, Lee has directed and produced over 30 films, including the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman . His legacy also extends to education: he serves as a tenured professor at NYU and started the Spike Lee Film Production Fund, supporting students in the NYU Tisch Graduate Film Program. This award adds Lee’s name to an esteemed list of recipients including Viola Davis, Sofia Coppola and Steven Spielberg.
Spring Budget gives boost to UK film & TV production
T he Culture, Media and Sport Committee met recently to continue its inquiry into Britain’s independent film and TV production, considering how best to bolster the industry and secure its future. James Hawes, director of One Life starring Anthony Hopkins, and producer Rebecca O’Brien – who recently worked with Ken Loach on The Old Oak – fielded questions around the impact of AI and the strikes, difficulties around raising finance and how the UK government can best support future generations of indie filmmakers. As a result, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP wrote to the chancellor to urge him to use the Spring Budget to support
Britain’s independent domestic film industry, a call which was answered with a series of landmark measures. These include the audio-visual expenditure credit (AVEC), a 53% expenditure credit (equating to a tax relief of approximately 40%) for UK film productions with a budget up to £15m. Support also comes with the new Visual Effects Tax Relief, which removes the 80% cap on qualifying expenditure for visual effects costs in the audio-visual expenditure credits. Additionally, business rates relief for film studios mean that eligible facilities in England will benefit from a 40% relief on business rates (applicable for ten years, starting April 2024).
Royal Television Society launches 2024 bursary schemes
C elebrating their tenth year in 2024, RTS’s esteemed bursary schemes are now open for applications. TV presenter AJ Odudu (pictured) is the official ambassador for the initiative, a role which will see her mentoring the scholars and attending events, as well as using her platform to highlight the importance of the schemes. To increase diversity and inclusivity in the TV industry, the bursaries are awarded to students from lower-income backgrounds studying an undergraduate degree or HND level 5 or 6. Key schemes include the digital innovation bursary – which addresses skills gaps in the industry through recruiting scholars in subjects such as VFX, IT systems, engineering, cybersecurity and virtual reality, and the television production and journalism bursary, which recruits scholars with an interest in TV production, journalism, animation, costume and set design. The schemes attract support in the form of donations and industry engagement through mentoring, networking and work experience, and are made possible with financial backing from STV, Apple TV+, All3Media, Steve Hewlett Fund, Hartswood Films, ITV Daytime and other benefactors. Applications close on 24 June.
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