Corona crisis: Netflix helps filmmakers worldwide with million

The film industry and all those employed in it also suffer from the coronavirus crisis - productions are cancelled or postponed en masse and cinemas are closed (here is an overview of the series. Amongst others, productions like the second season of Netflix& successful fantasy series "The Witcher" and "Stranger Things", which will be paused for 2 weeks, or the Marvel Studios project "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" are affected.

In order to alleviate the consequences, Netflix has now announced the launch of a million fund, which is specifically designed to help film-makers who have become unemployed due to the cancelled Netflix productions through the crisis. In the USA, an estimated 120,000 people from the film industry have lost their jobs due to the crisis. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos:

"The COVID 19 crisis is devastating many industries, including creative. Almost all television and film production has now been shut down worldwide - leaving hundreds of thousands of crew members and actors without jobs. These include electricians, carpenters and drivers, many of whom are paid by the hour and work on a project basis. This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still considering what economic support they will provide.>/quote>

Netflix Production The Witcher

15 million dollars from the fund will go to non-profit organizations that provide emergency aid for unemployed crews and actors in countries with a large production base. Netflix will donate 1 million each to the SAG-AFTRA COVID 19 Disaster Fund, the Motion Picture & Television Fund and the Actors Fund Emergency Assistance in the U.S., and 1 million each to the AFC and Fondation des Artistes. NEtflix also plans to work with industry organizations in Europe, Latin America and Asia to support relief efforts in the field. Special help will also be given to those currently involved in Netflix projects that were cancelled due to the corona virus.

However, there are also rays of hope in the midst of the crisis: in China, which has (for the time being) successfully contained the corona virus outbreak and, as a pioneer (as well as South Korea, Taiwan or Singapore) always offers a possible outlook, options for action as well as the next stages of the development of the corona crisis in other countries, 500 cinemas are opening their doors again, thus giving hope that film production will also be restarted there soon.