London Climate Action Week kicks off today bringing together world-leading experts and policy makers to drive the national and international COVID-19 climate policy response. Events will focus on green finance and investment, climate policy and collaboration, and resilience. At Film London we would like to take the opportunity to share our latest news about how we are working to make our industry sustainable, both in terms of green practices and creating a skilled and diverse workforce for the future.

Film London’s sustainable activities are wide-ranging, from Green Screen UK, a practical online environmental certification programme delivered in partnership with Greenshoot, Interreg Europe funded project Green Screen Europe, working across eight EU regions, of which Film London is the lead partner, to our Equal Access Network, providing training and support to new entrants, mid-level professionals and returners in the Film & TV industry, working to ensure that the capital’s screen industries represent the diversity of the city itself.

Our year round activity has seen our Equal Access Network grow to over 900 members, 16.8% of carbon savings achieved across 245 productions shot in London including Sitting in Limbo and series 4 of The Crown, and a new pilot scheme developed to use renewable energy rather than relying on diesel generators at unit bases across London, to name just a few successes. But more action is required and we have set ambitious targets to work towards a more sustainable industry in the months and years ahead.

Green Screen Action Plan

We launched our Green Screen Action Plan this year, setting out the vision and proposed actions for Film London to implement during 2020-2021 in order to reduce the carbon footprint of our industry and to achieve policy change.

CineRegio Green Report 2020

As one of 28 European CineRegio Green Members and a signatory of the Manifesto for Sustainable Filming, our joint goal is to promote sustainable policies and make them achievable across Film & TV industries and earlier this year we launched the CineRegio Green Report 2020 at Berlinale. The report highlights opportunities, challenges, and tools that have already been implemented as we embrace this important learning curve towards a circular economy. Green practices can be integrated in the workflow of any film production – from short films and low-budget productions to Hollywood blockbusters.

The CineRegio Green Group also hosted a workshop on the challenges of environmental sustainability in the current Covid climate, for members last month, with presentations from experts including Charles Gachet-Dieuzeid, Secoya-Ecotournage, Birgit Heidsieck, Green Film Shooting and Benoit Ruiz, Innovation Expert.

Green Cultural Recovery

We were proud to endorse Julie’s Bicycle’s campaign to to make the cultural recovery a just and green cultural recovery.

The Future is Green: A European Partnership

A Green Screen panel at the Cannes Marche in June 2020 showcased new Interreg Europe funded Pilot schemes including Eureca – the European Carbon Calculator project led by ProMalaga in partnership with VAF and the Slovak Film Commission.

The Grid Project

The Grid Project, led by Film London and supported by Interreg Europe Pilot Action Funding and the Good Growth Fund, is building on a feasibility study carried out in 2019 and aims to install electrical cabinets in Victoria Park, a unit base frequently used by film and TV production as well as events. Once the cabinets have been installed, productions and events will be able to plug into electrical cabinets powered by renewable energy rather than relying on diesel generators, thus reducing levels of C02, N20 and PM to nil. Once the pilot has been delivered it is Film London’s intention to role the Grid Project out to Battersea Park and North Horse Ride. And the model can of course be replicated in other UK and European cities.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

We will be rounding off Breaking the Glass Ceiling, the leadership programme to support black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) mid-level professionals in the Film and TV industry, with a celebratory event this month. The programme run by our Equal Access Network was supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery through funds awarded from People’s Postcode Trust, Sony Pictures Entertainment, BBC Films and HBO.

Designed with and led by industry Executive Coach Jill Tandy, with support from leading industry experts such as ITV Studios, Roughcut TV, All3Media and Film 4, the programme benefited ten outstanding mid-level professionals from BAME backgrounds who are committed to developing an inclusive leadership style.

To find out more about Film London’s Equal Access Network or to join, email equalaccess@filmlondon.org.uk

Due to COVID-19 London Climate Action Week 2020 will take place in two instalments across the year. The first instalment will run from July 1-3. The second instalment will run in November, bringing together climate leadership from across London to generate and scale-up solutions to the climate emergency.

To find out more visit the website.