Nigel Adams MP, Kevin Barron MP, Chair of the All Party Film Group, and Lord Tim Clement-Jones Head up the 2017 Film the House Competition

LONDON, April 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Nigel Adams MP, Member of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, Kevin Barron MP, Chair of the All Party Film Group, and Lord Tim Clement-Jones, Vice Chair of the All Party Intellectual Property (IP) Group, are delighted to head up the 2017 Film The House competition in Parliament. 

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Film the House is a competition run by MPs to find the filmmakers of the future. It also raises awareness of the importance of protecting IP rights among creators, legislators and the general public.

The creative industries are one of the United Kingdom's biggest success stories - contributing about £10 million per hour to the UK's economy. So it is essential that creators know their rights and that parliamentarians can knowledgably consider the industry and the almost 3 million people who work in and around it when debating any new legislation.

According to the British Film Institute, the UK film industry contributes over £4.6 billion to the UK GDP and supports over 117,000 jobs. 

The Film the House competition invites filmmakers to enter their original material to their MP, who will choose one entrant per category to represent their constituency. A national industry judging panel then will preside over choosing the finalists and winners, who go on to have their work screened in Parliament. Winners will receive prizes - which may be equipment, work experience, professional advice from writers and industry experts and/or a screening of their film.

The Film the House competition has huge cross-party support and is a great way for parliamentarians to engage with the UK's grass-roots creative future, as well as providing the creative community with a way in which to communicate directly with their MPs in a fun and unusual way, emphasising the importance of protecting IP within the political agenda.

Applicants can apply via http://www.filmthehouse.co.uk

The timeline for this year's competition is:

Applications deadline: 31 July 2017

Awards in Parliament: 24 October 2017

What supporters of IP and the competition are saying:

Kevin Barron MP, Chair of the All Party Film Group:

"As the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Film Group, I recognise the importance of Intellectual Property: it enables filmmakers and scriptwriters to earn recognition and/or financial benefit from what they create. It is hard to think of a service, product or activity which in some way does not depend on IP. I believe that the IP system must aim to create an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish." 

"I would urge you all to enter the Film the House short film competition as it is a great way of getting wider exposure for your films." 

Lord Puttnam, Producer of Chariots of Fire, The Killing Fields:

"The UK has always been a hotbed of cinematic talent, which is why it's crucial to constantly remind legislators of the importance of protecting and supporting this rich cultural economy. Film the House is an imaginative Parliamentary competition which manages to be fun whilst giving young creatives an opportunity to engage with their MPs, win fantastic prizes and all the while promote the importance of intellectual property rights. Those rights are the seed corn of your future; that being the case, I can only urge every would-be filmmaker to give it a go!" 

Adrian Hodges, scriptwriter for My Week with Marilyn, The Musketeers, Primeval:

"For me, as a writer of original Television and film screenplays, the value of an IP is impossible to overestimate. A hit show might be worth many thousands of pounds in future income, but if I don't own or retain a share of the IP, all that revenue goes to people who didn't, at the end of the day, create the show. Losing an IP in perpetuity is like losing a pension and potentially just as disastrous for writers." 

Notes for Editors  

Film the House was set up by former MP and IP adviser to the Prime Minister, Mike Weatherley. The competition was set up to:

"Educate parliamentarians about the importance of the creative industries to the British economy and how, without protecting intellectual property, we are putting important industries and revenue streams in jeopardy." 

Film the House was launched as a fun way to educate parliamentarians and young people about the importance of the creative industries to the UK economy and the many ways in which we can nurture and protect our creative industries. Together with partner competition Rock the House, it is now one of Parliament's largest competitions and is just one of a number of initiatives that is aimed at significantly raising awareness of the need to protect creativity and copyright by bringing together young filmmakers and parliamentarians.

Film the House is intended to invite and to showcase the 'best' film-makers and scriptwriters across the UK - with particular emphasis on young participants and people who have not, yet, been noticed and realised their potential. It is also a way for participants to meet their local MP and to learn a little more about how 'Parliament in Westminster' works.

As of April 2017, Film the House is being run by its industry sponsors:

• 21st Century Fox
• ALCS
• The Motion Picture Association
• NBC Universal
• Sky
• Viacom

The following organisations are also supporting the competition:

• BBFC
• BFI
• Industry Trust
• Into Film
• Luther Pendragon
• Visual Data Ltd
• Writers' Guild of Great Britain

Contacts:
Barbara Hayes and Alison Baxter
+44(0)20-7264-5700,
info@filmthehouse.co.uk