Britain hails best ever year for film makers

The so-called silver screen has entered a golden age with 2015 being the best ever year for film making in Britain, Chancellor George Osborne said Wednesday.

Government tax relief for independent and big budget international films has generated over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars worth of direct investment this year alone, Osborne reported.

He cited official statistics released by Britain's tax office, the HMRC, showing investment from the film industry since 2007 has now reached over 10 billion U.S. dollars.

This investment has led to 260,000 full-time creative sector jobs in Britain and led to critical acclaim many of the 220 movies made in the country.

Osborne described government tax relief for the film and creative sector as the most generous support ever provided by the government, reaping huge returns through a system which ultimately generates 18.50 U.S. dollars for British economy for every 1.5 U.S. dollars of tax relief granted.

This year six British films were nominated for Hollywood Oscars, with British made films accounting for almost 20 percent of all films nominated for gongs at major film festival and industry awards, the highest since records began.

Amanda Nevill, CEO of Britain's film institute, the BFI, said: "Britain loves film, and the world loves British films. Britain's film and creative industries give us much to be proud of, with British stories as diverse as Spectre, the recent James Bond box-office hit, and Suffragette winning the hearts and minds of audiences across the world."

As a spin off the film industry has also supported 40,000 full time jobs in a variety of sectors which the sector relies upon, such as catering and security. This is a 22 percent increase from 2009.

The British government first introduced tax breaks for film makers in 2007, but this year it was extended to 25 pecent for films of all budget levels. Endit