It’s a gamble on soft power and culture. British film isn’t just an industry; it’s how the world sees us. It’s our export of creativity. But there is a lingering concern that this is just a sticking plaster on a gaping wound. The real problem is the monopoly power of the streamers in the distribution chain. If a brilliant British film gets made in Sheffield but nobody can find it on Netflix because the algorithm is busy pushing a reality show about selling houses, has the £75 million actually worked? Labour’s bet is that by nurturing talent and getting more films made, we’ll create a groundswell of content that the market cannot ignore. It’s a worthy, earnest, and very Labour solution to a cultural crisis. We’ll know if it worked in about three years when we see if those films ever make it out of the film festival circuit and into your local Odeon.
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