A new combatant in the fight against the proposed closure of the UK Film Council raised his head above the parapet this weekend. Oscar-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood was so concerned by the move, announced by the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, a fortnight ago as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures, that he wrote a letter of protest to the chancellor, George Osborne.

The man who was Dirty Harry wrote: "I cannot stress how important the UK Film Council is to me ... The prospect of losing such a valuable resource is of great concern as we contemplate future projects."

Eastwood praised the efforts of the council during the London-based shoot of his most recent film, The Hereafter, and cautioned that after its abolition, such a production would be less likely to choose the UK as a location and that money being pumped into the economy might dry up.

"Locales with active, knowledgable film commissions are far more appealing to us as producers ... I respectfully request careful consideration of these concerns in deciding the fate of the UK Film Council."

Eastwood's statement comes in the wake of a wave of condemnation from industry workers, including actors Liam Neeson, James McAvoy and Emily Blunt. An online petition to save the council has also accumulated thousands of signatures.