It had to happen sooner or later. Dame Helen Mirren waded into the fight between the ‘traditional’ film industry and the film streaming services Netflix. She turned the air blue at the recent CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas claiming in somewhat colourful language the devastating effect on the industry. Cinema chains and a growing number of directors fear that the well-funded Netflix operation will lay waste to the current artistic and business models. We share their fears.

The unique cinema experience with often stunning cinematography and world-class sound is something we all cherish. Will we get licenses from Netflix? Not sure. Most film festivals, too, are concerned as their rules forbid entries unless films are available on general release. Netflix answer for the UK? License a small chain of cinemas and hope for the best.

Films/actors/directors/writers et al need/want prizes, good for the soul and good for turnover.