The FINANCIAL — Two new reports have been released today revealing the significant monetary and non-monetary impacts the European Union support programme Creative Europe has had in the UK.
A publication unveiling the latest annual results found that €16.6 million benefitted the UK’s audiovisual, creative and cultural industries in 2017 through non-repayable grants and the distribution of British films in other countries, bringing UK support from 2014 to date to €74 million.
Separately, an in-depth evaluation report has highlighted that Creative Europe’s many benefits far exceed the monetary grant funding, and reveals new details about the programme’s powerful effect on building international networks, growing audiences, generating jobs and skills, and much more.
Culture sub-programme
In 2017, 48 UK creative, cultural and heritage organisations received grants totalling €3.8 million for transnational collaborative projects through Creative Europe’s Culture sub-programme.
This includes organisations such as Sadler’s Wells, Opera North, Abandon Normal Devices, Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, Xpo North, and Fitzcarraldo Editions (the publishing house behind the winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize).
MEDIA sub-programme
The UK’s film, TV and video game industries benefitted from Creative Europe’s MEDIA sub-programme in 2017. Grants totalling €12.8 million were awarded to 43 UK companies, 46 UK cinemas in the Europa Cinemas network and to support the distribution of 52 UK films elsewhere in Europe.
52 UK films including The Sense of an Ending, God’s Own Country and Lady Macbeth had their distribution supported in other European countries with €6.1 million of investment. Likewise, films from elsewhere in Europe received support for their release in the UK, including The Square (Sweden/Germany/France/Denmark), Happy End (France/Austria/Germany) and BPM (Beats per Minute) (France).
Headline statistics from the impacts report:
Creative Europe grants leverage additional funding. UK organisations in Culture projects have more than doubled their Creative Europe grants, generating over €20 million in match-funding, while MEDIA beneficiaries in the UK leveraged match-funding worth nearly €120m.
Creative Europe helps the UK’s creative industries reach audiences at home and internationally. Culture projects funded with UK partners so far are set to reach 61 million audience members – with 7 million of those based in the UK.
The value of the UK to other countries in Creative Europe is underlined by how widely the UK businesses and organisations are embraced as partners. UK organisations in Culture projects have worked with 743 partners across 34 countries.
Creative Europe helps the wider circulation of UK films. In MEDIA, distributors and sales agents outside of the UK have spent 19% of the grants awarded to their sector on acquiring and releasing UK films in their territories. The revenue generated by these films is just under €400 million.
Highlight case studies from the impacts report:
Creative Europe’s social impact is highlighted in the project Moving Beyond Inclusion. Led by Candoco Dance Company, it brings together six inclusive dance companies and presenters from across Europe. “Without the Creative Europe funding, we simply wouldn’t have been able to run the project, and it would have taken many smaller-scale projects over a much longer period of time to achieve the same kind of impacts that we’re seeing now.” Joanne Lyons, General Manager at Candoco.
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