UK film industry suffering from diversity 'pandemic'

Industry bosses from the Star Wars and Bond franchises have warned the UK film industry is facing a serious diversity issue.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli are part of a group of industry leaders backing a government action plan to tackle the problem.

This comes after an industry review commissioned by the British Film Industry found there is a "pandemic lack of inclusion" in the business.

The paper published by the Work Foundation showed that just 12% of the film workforce are from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Of those, 5% have a disability and just 3% are from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background.

Women make up 40% of the workforce and earn on average £3,000 less than their male counterparts.

According to the review, this is contributing to a serious skills shortage, which requires 10,000 people to enter the industry over the next five years to maintain the UK's position in the global market.

"Learners genuinely lack an awareness that there are opportunities for them in the screen industries," said Work Foundation's associate consultant Heather Carey.

"We found, having looked at demand and supply, that the progression into work is not an easy one. There is a culture of nepotism, the majority of employers recruit through word of mouth, and that creates real barriers for people who don't know people," she added.

Carey says the exclusion of young workers from less advantaged socio-economic background is mostly due to unpaid work experience.

"Then there is real challenge of unpaid work experience, no wonder that acts as an obstacle, particularly for those without financial means," she said.

"Those obstacles are more pronounced for minority groups, but they face additional barriers. Through our process of consultation we found examples of discrimination in the workplace," Carey added.

"When we try to get below the surface there are huge obstacles and those obstacles are creating a pandemic lack of inclusion in this industry."

This comes as the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who vote for the Oscars, is inviting 774 new members to join its ranks in a drive for diversity.

Riz Ahmed, Naomie Harris and Warwick Davis are among the actors invited to become film academy members.

The academy announced that 39% of the new class are women and a third non-white, meaning the academy's
members are now 13% people of colour, up from 8% two years ago.

In the UK, the BFI is using a £20m boost from the National Lottery to launch a 10-point action plan which includes the creation of a reliable online career information service, an accreditation system to guarantee employer confidence
and a mentoring service.

It will also include new apprenticeship standards, a service to forecast industry needs and a bursary programme to ensure diverse participation.