MPs’ Culture Committee, including Rupa Huq, calls for film marketing tax relief

Image: Rupa Huq MP

Committee including local MP urges Chancellor to support film distribution ahead of Autumn Budget

A cross-party committee of MPs including local representative Rupa Huq has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to introduce tax relief for film promotion in next month’s Budget – a move that could benefit areas like Chiswick with their strong cinema-going traditions.

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which includes Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq, wrote to the Chancellor on October 30 urging a 25% tax relief on the prints and advertising costs of independent British films.

The call comes just over a year after the government introduced the Independent Film Tax Credit in October 2024, which provided a 53% relief on production costs for films with budgets up to £15 million.

While that measure has helped filmmakers produce quality British films, the committee warns many are now failing to reach audiences because distributors cannot afford marketing costs.

The call resonates strongly in Chiswick, where more than 30 feature films have been shot, several of them Oscar and BAFTA winners. Harold Pinter’s The Servant (1963) filmed at Chiswick House, while Julie Christie’s Oscar-winning Darling (1965) shot scenes at Strand on the Green.

More recently, the area has hosted Never Let Me Go (2010) starring Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley, and Jurassic World Dominion (2022) at Chiswick Business Park.

The area is also home to film industry businesses, with The Walt Disney Company having an office at Chiswick Park. This film heritage inspired the Chiswick in Film Festival  – a partnership between The Chiswick Calendar and Chiswick Cinema – which this month returns for its fourth year and features screenings with Charles Dance and Nigel Lindsay.

READ ALSO: Chiswick In Film – Location, location, location

READ ALSO: Chiswick in Film Festival November 2025 – Charles Dance and Nigel Lindsay

“Even top-quality films cannot find an audience without distributors and their investment in promoting films,” wrote Committee Chair Dame Caroline Dinenage MP. “Cinemas will not programme films without marketing spend attached, as the risk would be too great.”

Image: Dame Caroline Dinenage MP

Economic modelling suggests the tax relief would deliver more than £7 for every £1 spent – meaning the economy would see over seven pounds in return for every pound invested.

The proposed relief would represent just 2% of total film tax relief claimed on production costs but could benefit cinemas, distributors, advertising businesses and high streets nationwide.

Dame Caroline added: “Cinemas are the driving force behind film’s income streams, and they are an easy and affordable way to bring culture to our towns and cities. But to thrive, our cinemas need more high-quality, well-marketed British films.”

The Autumn Budget is scheduled for November 26.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar