Written by James MacGregor | 04 April 2007 | in news - Screen Agency

North West Vision, the film, TV and digital media development agency for England's Northwest, has offered awards of over £300,000 worth of funding to some of the major players in the region's film industry.

The annual Heritage, Access to Film and Audience Development (HAFAD) fund supports a variety of film-related activities across the Northwest. This year, fifteen organisations have been chosen to receive funding from HAFAD, which was established in 2005.

Written by James MacGregor | 29 March 2007 | in news - Screen Agency

Lottery funding for award-winning director's second feature

Paul Andrew Williams, one of the UK's hottest new directors, is to receive Lottery funding for his new film The Cottage, the UK Film Council has announced.

The Cottage is a black comedy horror, set in a remote part of the countryside, about two brothers who manage to bungle the kidnapping of the reviling daughter of an underworld boss, and then stumble upon a dark rural secret. The UK Film Council's Premiere Fund has awarded £770,000 to the film. The film was supported at script stage by the UK Film Council's Development Fund.

The film will star Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Stormbreaker) heading up a cast that includes Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentleman), Jennifer Ellison (The Phantom of the Opera, Brookside) and Steve O'Donnell (Shakespeare in Love, A Knight's Tale, TV's The Comic Strip and Shameless).

Written by James MacGregor | 17 February 2007 | in news - Screen Agency

 Three Micro Features to be Financed

Liverpool is set to become Europe's shining light for micro-budget filmmaking with an ambitious plan to produce three feature-length films in the city in the run up to the 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.

North West Vision, together with its partners the Liverpool Culture Company, the UK Film Council and the BBC, is inviting writers, producers and directors from the city and across the broader Northwest to get involved in the ground-breaking Digital Departures project.

Written by Phil Miller, The Herald | 18 December 2006 | in news - Screen Agency

Scotland produces talent for the film industry out of proportion to its size and population. From actors to directors, producers, authors and scriptwriters; from Ewan McGregor to Brian Cox; from Lynne Ramsay to Andrew Macdonald to Bill Forsyth to Red Road's Andrea Arnold, the country consistently produces film talent as abundantly as it does in the fields of theatre, music and dance.

However, although Scotland has five official performing arts companies, designated as "national companies", paid for by the public purse - two orchestras, a ballet company, an opera and, newly, a national theatre - our national provision ignores the film industry.

Written by Nic Wistreich | 04 October 2006 | in news - Screen Agency

The BFI have announced February 1st 2007 as the date for opening the new BFI Southbank centre, the reincarnation of the National Film Theatre.

As well as the existing three cinemas, the space will include a Mediatheque for archive material, a drop in studio cinema, an visual art studio space,  and the long awaited return of the bookshop. 

Written by Administrator | 21 September 2006 | in news - Screen Agency

The opportunities and challenges faced by feature film producers in the Northwest will be discussed by a panel of established industry professionals at a free conference organised by North West Vision, (the film, TV and digital media agency for the Northwest) at FACT in Liverpool on the 12th October (9.30-18.30).

The event titled ‘Film Focus’ will provide an opportunity for filmmakers in the Northwest region to interact, discuss and network with well-known panellists from the UK Film Council, Film Four, and the BBC.

Written by Nic Wistreich | 18 July 2006 | in news - Screen Agency

Lenny Crooks, currently head of the Glasgow Film Office is set to take over from Paul Trijbits when his tenure as head of the UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund comes to an end on September 18. Crooks founded the Glagow Film Fund and  has backed a number of successful Scottish films, including Shallow Grave, Solid Air (pictured), The Magdalene Sisters, My Name is Joe and On A Clear Day.

Written by John Woodward CEO UK Film Council | 11 July 2006 | in news - Screen Agency

Audiences just love British films - and there's more of them in cinemas than ever, says John Woodward, Chief Executive of the UK Film Council in The Guardian, commenting on a previous article by Guy de Beaujeu  John Woodward writes .....

Guy de Beaujeu's article overlooks both the success story of British film and the problems faced by the Australian industry in the last few years (Lights, camera, bonza!, June 23).

Written by James MacGregor | 07 July 2006 | in news - Screen Agency

Responses to the government's National Lottery Consultation mean that the UK Film Council is to receive a funding boost. Consultation was carried out in the first three months of this year by an on-line questionnaire, accessed through Regional Screen Agencies.

Written by James MacGregor | 03 July 2006 | in news - Screen Agency

Northern Ireland has become one of the most successful nations in Europe in this scheme so far. The UK has regularly received the largest number of funding awards from the scheme and, within the UK, Northern Ireland has received the majority. 100% of all applications from Northern Ireland since the inception of the scheme have been successfully selected.