It's Gray in the U.K.

Calif. governor, Brits talk film in London

By ERICH BOEHM

LONDON -- The California road show rolled into London on Thursday as Motion Picture Assn. of America head Jack Valenti and the British Film Commission hosted a lunch for governor Gray Davis.

Event saluted the close ties between the U.K. and U.S. entertainment industries.

Valenti, who is particularly impressed with the strength of the British biz, said, "If one more film is made in Britain, this island will sink."

Davis and Valenti both stressed the need for cooperation on piracy issues, given the explosion in digital media, and a belief in fostering an international free trade environment for entertainment -- despite concerns in Hollywood about runaway production.

Valenti was en route to Beaune, France, where the French entertainment industry lobby ARP is convening in the run-up to the international trade talks in Seattle next month. The French want continued exemption for their cultural quotas on film and TV.

Valenti will meet with French Minister of Culture Catherine Trautmann. While he's unlikely to oppose France's quotas this time out (a big bone of contention last time around), Valenti said, "You can't have a thriving movie industry by building walls around the country. ... It's a huge mistake."

Davis will also visit Dublin and Edinburgh before heading to other destinations on the continent.

Although the tour is focused on several issues, the governor's team explained that a key point Davis is pressing upon the people he's meeting -- including U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair -- is that California's film, TV and multimedia expertise is a valuable asset to overseas industries.

(Michael Williams in Paris contributed to this report.)