Netflix has made a £600,000 donation to the Film and TV Charity’s new Covid-19 Recovery Fund, established last month to help the film, television and cinema workers hit hardest by the pandemic.
The donation brings Netflix’s total contribution to the Film and TV Charity’s Covid-19 relief efforts to £1.75m. It previously made a £1m donation to the Covid-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund, established in March to provide immediate assistance amongst the shutdown of much of the creative industries. It subsequently topped up the fund by a further £150,000.
Netflix also donated £500,000 to the Theatre Artists Fund, a support resource for theatre workers, established by UK filmmaker Sam Mendes in July.
The fund is intended to assist and protect diverse emerging talent and underrepresented groups already facing barriers to staying in the industry, including Black, Asian and minority ethnic creatives; women; those living outside of London; and people with a disability. It is hoped that this support will help to reduce the risk of widening inequality across the creative industries as a result of the economic fallout from the pandemic.
“Netflix owes so much to the electricians, carpenters, make-up artists, camera crews and others that make our productions possible,” said Anne Mensah, vice president, original scripted series at Netflix. “We know that those from diverse backgrounds have been disproportionately impacted by Covid and we simply cannot afford to lose this talent from our sector. I strongly encourage people in the industry that are struggling and feel like they fit the criteria to apply as soon as possible.”
Applications for the Recovery Fund are open now, and close on October 12.
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