A charity that supports the mental and financial health of people working behind the scenes in film, television and cinema has increased its budget by £500,000 after an 800 per cent increase in applications for stopgap grants that support people in urgent financial need.
The Film and TV Charity said the “unprecedented situation” was the result of factors including the US actors (SAG-AFTRA) and writers (WGA) strikes, which are having a big impact on film and TV workers and shoots in the UK, as well as the cost-of-living crisis and pressures on scripted and unscripted production budgets.
Applicants are industry workers in financial crisis, the charity said, almost half of whom reportedly have less than £1,000 in savings.
The charity also reported that people from marginalised groups were more likely to have to navigate the current financial pressures with higher levels of debt and lower household incomes.
The Film and TV Charity’s corporate partners, the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Prime Video, have pledged further donations to bolster the charity’s budget.
Marcus Ryder, incoming chief executive of The Film and TV Charity, said: “The rise in grant applications we have seen, and the testimony we are hearing from production staff feeling the effects of a wide range of factors, all serve to underline a systemic problem with the financial resilience of the workforce who drive the UK production sector.”