The Government has handed a £2.7million lifeline to more than 40 cinemas across the South West to prevent the curtain coming down for good this Christmas.
More than 200 independent picture houses across England, which have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic and its economic aftershocks, are being supported with £16million in grants from the Government’s £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund.
In the South West a total of £2,725,192 has been allocated to 44 cinemas, including to WTW Cinema Ltd’s venues in St Austell, Truro and Newquay, where the White River Cinema, the Plaza and Lighthouse receive £171,566 each.
Other movie houses helped out include Plymouth Arts Cinema, which is given £51,789, Newton Abbot’s Alexandra, which benefits from £42,143m and Totnes Cinema, which has been given £63,148.
Cinemas from Bristol to Dorset and down to Penzance have been helped by the fund, with grants ranging from £243,405 for the Regent Centre in Christchurch, Dorset, to £675 for Bournemouth Colosseum Cinema.
The Watermark, in Ivybridge, received one of the smaller grants, £7,164, while Merlin Cinemas received £69,200 for each of its theatres in Redruth, Wellington, Tiverton, Coleford, Penzance, St Ives, Falmouth, Okehampton, Kingbridge, Helston, Ilfracombe, Torquay and Bodmin.
The Wells Film Centre, a family-run business in Somerset, will benefit from £78,980 so it can continue to offer its screening programme for young people, parents and babies, its popular Tea Matinees as well as its regular talks with invited art and history speakers.
Sally Cooper, proprietor, Wells Film Centre, said: “After what has been an exceedingly difficult year due to Covid-19, the financial support from the Culture Recovery Fund has helped secure the continued survival of the Wells Film Centre so that we can continue entertaining and bringing together our local community."
Across the country 202 cinemas have received funding so far from a £30million pot allocated by the British Film Institute (BFI), on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as part of the biggest ever single investment in this country’s cultural sectors.
More grant applications from independent cinemas are also currently being assessed. Cinemas will be able to apply for another £14million in grants in the new year as part of the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund. The new round of funding is in addition to the £30 million already being allocated by the BFI.
The BFI has been accepting applications and awarding grants to independent cinemas throughout the autumn.
Eligible cinemas were able to apply for Safety Grants, to help venues meet the immediate costs of implementing Covid-secure measures to protect staff and audiences, and larger Business Sustainability grants to help stabilise sites financially.
Recognising that cinemas need content, during this crisis, the Government’s Film and TV Production Restart Scheme has helped keep the cameras rolling at the other end of the screen supply chain.
The £500million scheme, which opened for applications in October, has assured nearly 100 productions that they will be supported if future losses are incurred due to Covid-19 and provided the confidence they need to restart filming.
From today, the scope of the Restart Scheme has been extended so that cast and crew over the age of 70 can be included in the cover provided by the scheme.
The changes to the scheme will enable productions to receive compensation for Covid-related delays affecting up to two cast or crew members over 70 years old.
This extension will give productions that involve cast and crew over 70 the confidence to start or restart production, increasing employment opportunities for this group.
The deadline for productions to register for the scheme has also been extended until April 2021, giving more film and high-end TV projects the security to start shooting in the spring.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The magic of film is such an important part of the festive period and this investment will help protect our independent cinemas so they're around for many Christmases to come.
“Alongside it, the extension of the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme means the UK will be producing even more great content as the cinema industry recovers, keeping us at the forefront of the creative industries.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “As a Star Wars fan, I know there’s no better place to experience great films than in your local cinema and these grants will provide vital support for independent venues through Christmas and beyond.
“Our Restart Scheme has already helped to get nearly 100 film and TV productions back up and running as part of our Plan for Jobs, and it’s right that we extend this to support even more jobs in the UK’s creative industries, including for the over 70s.”
The majority of the grant funding allocated by the BFI has been awarded to cinema sites in every corner of the country, from Penrith to Peckham and Penzance, with cinemas outside London benefitting from 78% of funding to date.
The BFI worked closely with individual cinemas to provide detailed and bespoke support throughout the application process.
Ben Roberts, BFI chief executive, said: “Across the country, local independent cinemas are hubs and lifelines for communities and often the only form of culture and entertainment.
“From educational programmes and workshops for young people, to screenings for the elderly and audiences with specialised needs, these cinemas play such an important role in people’s lives.
“The Culture Recovery Fund will mean that many of these cinemas survive the current crisis, and go on to play a vital role in the recovery of local economies and communities, bringing people together to offer joy, solace and the magic of the big screen.”
