Policies for Independent UK Film in Europe Post-Brexit

It is fair to say that following the 2016 referendum, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (henceforth, the UK) and its citizens have experienced considerable internal and external evaluation regarding their continued European identity. This has permeated all levels of debate over Brexit alongside the myriad practical issues that have accompanied the process of the UK leaving the European Union (EU). For the UK film industry, there has been much speculation about the potential impacts of Brexit, from the loss of access to European funding, to potential restrictions on the movement of cultural workers (Wilson 2020, 91). Although previously less prominent within the debate, the question of the continued European categorisation of UK films is increasingly rising to the fore due to the significance that such labelling has on the artistic identity of those working in the UK film industry (Spicer 2019). There are also numerous practical ramifications for ‘producers, public film funds, regulators and service providers’ due to the way national classification can dictate the applicability of various regulatory rules and opportunities (European Audiovisual Observatory 2020, 1).