Record year, but Highland film body faces being put on hold

Published on Monday 15 March 2010 22:09

A BODY that generates up to £4 million a year by helping put the Highlands and Islands on the big screen is financially unsustainable, despite enjoying a record-breaking year, a new report reveals.

The Inverness-based Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission (SHIFC) has helped attract films such as Loch Ness and the Harry Potter series to be partly shot in the area.

Together with television series, including Monarch of the Glen and commercials, the work brings in 3m-4m a year in direct spending and significant indirect benefits such as film-related tourism.

But funding has been cut by some local authorities and it is now proposed the commission become "dormant" this year, leaving the area reliant on the work of national bodies.

The report due to go to Highland Council's planning, environment and development committee tomorrow says: "The SHIFC as a network of the Highlands and Islands local authorities no longer exists and is financially unsustainable in its current form. Change is required."

SHIFC was established as a regional film commission in 1997 with original partners Highlands and Islands Enterprise and councils in Argyll and Bute, Highland, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles.

In 2005-8, the total economic spend in the region measured by the commission averaged more than 1.8m a year.

As this did not include the filming of scenes from the Harry Potter movies and some other large productions, the real value is estimated to be 3m-4m.

It presently receives about 200 inquiries a year, with 35-40 per cent of these going on to film in the area. It is hoped the conversion from inquiries to "shoots" will reach an all-time high this year.

The commission costs 110,333 a year to run but Western Isles Council withdrew funding in 2008 and Moray will pull out this month due to cash constraints.