The government’s £500 million scheme to kickstart film and television production entitled the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme helps UK film and TV productions struggling to secure insurance for COVID-19 related costs.
The scheme allows TV and film productions that have been halted or delayed by a lack of insurance to get started or restarted. Productions can receive compensation from the scheme for coronavirus related losses including filming delays and cast and crew illnesses.
Claims made under the Scheme can be backdated to 28 July 2020, the date the scheme was first announced. The Scheme is available to both pre-existing eligible productions and to new eligible productions.
The funding is available to all qualifying productions made by companies where at least 50% of the production budget is spent in the UK. There is a fee to participate in the scheme and a limit to the maximum claim allowable.
It was announced as part of the Budget measures that the scheme will be extended for a further 6 months. This means that the deadline for productions to register for the scheme and restart shooting has been extended until 31 October 2021. Claims will need to be submitted by 31 March 2022 for losses incurred up to 31 December 2021.
The government also announced an additional £300 million to support theatres, museums and other cultural organisations in England via the Culture Recovery Fund.