Written by Shona Smith on Aug 5, 2020. Posted in Incentive News

Liverpool Film Office’s Film & TV Development Fund has supported fifteen projects

The Film Office’s Film & TV Development Fund was set up in response to Covid-19 using funding from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund. A total of GBP158 worth of funding has been awarded so far, with applications open until September.

The first tranche of awards have been awarded to a mix of established local producers such as Lime Pictures, Hurricane Films and Leopard Pictures as well as work from newer female and BAME-led companies such as Pencil Trick Productions and Redbag Pictures.

Pencil Trick Productions project Lily, a YA female football-themed TV drama has been awarded development funding as has Sefton based Redbag Pictures for Belly Full a comedy-drama feature film, set in and around a Caribbean takeaway from upcoming theatre writer/director Nathan Powell.

Redbag Pictures producer Barrington Paul Robinson is also assembling a slate of BAME-led projects and is part of BFI Network's inaugural Insight programme for emerging producers working towards their debut feature.

Chris Moll, Fund Advisor for the LCR Film & TV Development Fund comments “The awards announced demonstrate the breadth and depth of talent in the Liverpool City Region’s screen sector. It also shows a determination to face down the challenges posed by COVID-19 and to bring forward a pipeline of new content that can create jobs and investment for local crew and businesses as production resumes over the coming months. The Fund remains open until 30 September and we continue to welcome approaches, particularly from regionally based writers looking to forge new collaborations, and from producers committed to developing creative talent from the BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled communities”.

Bafta and Emmy winning writer Helen Blakeman (Dustbin Baby, Hetty Feather) who is involved in the adaptation of Nizrana Farook’s The Girl Who Stole and Elephant as an animated TV series in co-production between Heroic and Blue Bear Film & Television notes that I’m really excited to dive into an entirely new field with an animated adventure. The Development Fund has enabled Heroic to realise a long-held ambition to grow our own slate of imaginative screen content here in the City Region”.

Other awards made to date include an untitled feature film from Potboiler Productions, Liverpool set high concept horror series 12 Canning Square from Hurricane Films.