Producers come out against Brexit

Leading producers in the UK film and TV industry have backed the Remain campaign as the public vote today on whether the country should end its European Union (EU) membership.

Lord Puttnam

Industry veteran David Puttnam, Working Title boss Tim Bevan, Revolution Films’ Andrew Eaton and Top of the Lake producer Iain Canning are among those to oppose a possible EU exit, or ‘Brexit.’

In a letter penned this week, the group claimed that the UK staying in the EU would “support our current, thriving creative industries.”

They also said the EU’s Media and Creative Europe Programme has helped UK producers to benefit from £100m (US$148m) to the UK in the past 10 years, and has ensured producers have not been subject to quotas.

“Being in the EU means our feature films, our television programmes and our games can travel far more easily across borders because they are not subject to quotas or taxes of any kind in Europe,” they said.

“This significantly increases the earnings of UK audiovisual companies, helping them to grow their businesses and to employ far more people on film and TV sets, in special-effects houses, in games development, in cinemas and right across all of our industries.”

Other signatories on the letter are Graham Broadbent, Barbara Broccoli, Pete Czernin, Finola Dwyer, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Mark Herbert, Elizabeth Karlsen, Andrew MacDonald, Rebecca O’Brien, Alison Owen, Nira Park, Allon Reich, Michael G Wilson, Stephen Woolley, Matthew Vaughn and Aardman Animations.

The long battle between the Leave and Remain camps has finally reached its climax with today’s referendum, with polls leading up the vote putting the sides virtually neck and neck.

Last week Lord Puttnam said UK public service broadcasters were partly responsible for misinforming the public about the role of the EU prior to the vote.

UK indies have expressed fears over funding cuts and increased taxes should the Leave campaign prevail.

C21 is backing the Remain campaign’s call to stay within the EU.