Film and TV Charity unveils £1m anti-racism fund

The Film and TV Charity is to invest £1m with anti-racism groups over the next three years as part of wide-ranging plans to tackle racial discrimination.

The money will be administered from early 2022 via an Impact Partnership Scheme, open to anti-racism, industry-focused groups led by people of colour. Applications will be invited later this year.

The charity will also invite industry leaders to take part in a series of roundtables to agree an anti-racism action plan by summer 2022. Invitations are being sent to individuals at broadcasters, production companies and community groups who can help introduce and measure initiatives to tackle racism.

The projects have been launched following the publication of two Film & TV Charity reports designed to spark action - Think Piece on Anti-Racism in the Film and TV Industry by Sasha Salmon and Racial Diversity Initiatives in UK Film and TV by Dr Clive Nwonka and Professor Sarita Malik.

The first, written by senior public policy advisor Salmon, reports on the experiences of racism of 55 people of colour. She notes that there “was wide consensus that racism in the industry was rife” and that participants found “a striking disconnect between anti-racism ‘action’ and the lived experience of people of colour”.

Salmon said: “The relationship-based structure of the industry…makes it particularly ripe for racism and bias. Given the influence film and TV has on society at large, this has damaging effects. If this industry gets it right, there is a precious opportunity to illuminate and change perceptions around race and help dismantle racism.”

Nwonka and Malik’s report reviews the principal policies, schemes and initiatives of the past 20 years. The pair conclude that traditional concepts of diversity have sought to address racial underrepresentation rather than engage with structural racism.

Chief exec Alex Pumfrey said: “Our ultimate intention…is to catalyse industry-led action. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the unequal impacts of the pandemic we heard the clear testimony of people of colour working in film and television - our beneficiaries - living with both interpersonal and structural racism in our industry.”

Last year, The Film and TV Charity acknowledged that it had not done enough to recognise racism in the industry, and that it was committed to being an actively Anti-Racist organisation.