Dutch producers have given a warm, but guarded, welcome tonews that the Dutch tax-backed support system for film is to be reprieved. Itseems that the system will benefit from Euros20m of tax money.

The government announcement of a reprieve came as somethingof a surprise. At the beginning of the week the government had announced thatthe controversial and underused current system, which requires the creation ofspecial investment vehicles (CVs), would be halted at the end of the year.

The turnround came as a result of agreement between three ofthe political parties in the governing coalition and the government itself.

'This is the best possible news with which to startthe Netherlands Film Festival,' said Carolien Croon, head of theAssociation of Dutch Film Producers, speaking in Utrecht. Toine Berbers,director of the Netherlands Film Fund, said: 'We are very happy that thiskind of money is available. We have always argued for a market-orientation forthe money that goes into Dutch film, not just subsidy - the tax scheme providesthat.'

But the hurried nature of the reprieve means that numerousuncertainties remain.