Support for film and TV development

17th October 2013

Hyslop announces £2 million for production infrastructure.

Today Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, highlighted the contrasting priorities and approach between Scotland and Westminster and said Scotland faced a choice between two futures.

Ms Hyslop said culture and heritage would flourish with independence and compared the different choices Scotland was making - focusing on the intrinsic value of culture and heritage – in contrast to Westminster which focusses primarily on economic gains.

The Cabinet Secretary announced that the Scottish Government will provide a £2 million loan fund to support the long term development of production infrastructure for commercial film and television in Scotland.

Ms Hyslop also revealed that, in the next few weeks, the Scottish Government will launch details of a new Youth Arts Strategy including new facilities and opportunities for young people.

Ms Hyslop said:

“Our culture and heritage sectors make an invaluable contribution to our economic life, but in Scotland we will not measure the worth of our culture and heritage solely in pounds and pence. For me, culture’s economic value is not its primary purpose but a secondary benefit.

“The Scottish Government does not look at our cultural life and our heritage as if they are merely products that can be bought and sold. If there was ever a way to suck the vitality out of a sector of society that should energise, invigorate, inspire and move – it is to make a perfunctory nod to generic social benefits and then, in the next breath, reduce it to nothing more than a commodity.

“The Scottish Government’s record speaks for itself. While Westminster funding for arts and culture will be cut by 20 per cent in normal terms over the course of the UK parliament - we are protecting budgets and supporting the arts, culture and heritage wherever we can.”

Announcing the provision of a £2 million loan fund to support development of production and infrastructure for commercial film and television in Scotland, Ms Hyslop said:

“Scotland is already competing as a location on the international stage and demand from film and television companies continues to grow apace. Scotland’s unique scenery, heritage locations and excellent crews are already proving a strong draw for producers.

“At the beginning of September four Scottish films - Sunshine on Leith; The Railway Man; Under the Skin and Starred Up - premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, all funded through Creative Scotland helping to cement Scotland’s reputation for both quality film-making and as a great location for shooting.

“I am delighted to announce that the Scottish Government will provide £2 million loan fund to support the long term development of production infrastructure for commercial film and television in Scotland.

“This investment will also be utilised by the film studio delivery group – involving Scottish Enterprise and Creative Scotland - that I established in May to develop proposals for new film and TV production facilities in Scotland. We want to maximise the benefit of tax reliefs to Scotland and with this in mind, the delivery group is examining how film and television production facilities can be further developed.”

Announcing that the Scottish Government is to publish details of a new Youth Arts Strategy, Ms Hyslop said:“Next year Scotland welcomes the world to the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup and Homecoming.

“Events like these will inspire a new generation – and in the next few weeks I will be announcing details of our new Youth Arts Strategy with exciting new facilities and opportunities for our young people.”