More artists should be on the board of Scotland's cultural funding body, a leading playwright has told the Scottish Parliament.
David Greig, writer of The Strange Undoing Of Prudencia Hart, Dunsinane and Midsummer, told MSPs that although a series of changes at Creative Scotland meant it was heading in a more positive direction, the body's board - which remains unchanged - should have "more practitioners".
Yesterday the writer, along with the nation's Makar Liz Lochhead, film producer Gillian Berrie and Judith Doherty, chief executive of Grid Iron theatre, appeared before the Education and Culture Committee to discuss the state of Creative Scotland a year on from its period of turmoil.
Greig said that overall the "direction of travel is very positive" for Creative Scotland and it is not fair to expect change "overnight". He said there needed to be more help for young and emerging artists and that the use of bureaucratic language by Creative Scotland "remains an issue".
Berrie, who has produced films such as Red Road, made a plea for more funds. She is a member of the newly formed Independent Producers Scotland which has raised its fears for the film industry.
She said the damage done to film making since Scottish Screen was abolished to make way for Creative Scotland was "significant".
Of the film funding situation, with Creative Scotland only spending £3m a year, she said: "It really is in a terrible state. There is no film plan in Scotland."
She noted the money spent by VisitScotland on promoting the Disney movie Brave (£6m), would have had a "great impact on the indigenous sector".
"We have so many stories to be told," Berrie added, saying it was time for the Government to fund films.
"It is very hard as a film maker to see that money being spent on a film that wasn't made by indigenous film makers, it's painful."
The chief executive of Creative Scotland, Janet Archer said while there were no new money for films, it was exploring other methods of funding. She admitted the current funding system was "confusing".
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