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by james macgregor | 27th April, 2001 | contact: james@netribution.co.uk

Magdelene Rescue Bid Inder Way

Efforts have been under way this week to try to retain the filming of Magdelene in the Dumfries and Galloway area. The effort has been led by Scottish Screen Chief Executive John Archer, after it became clear a substantial grant offered by the local authority in a bid to keep the production in their area was not enough to meet underfunding in the film’s budget.

Filming of Magdalene, written and directed by Peter Mullan, starring Vanessa Redgrave, is scheduled to start in Dumfries and Galloway in June. The production could be in jeopardy after Mullan and the film's backer, Frances Higson, revealed their funding falls short of a £3 million budget. Now the film may be moved from Scotland to Ireland after the Scottish executive failed to come up with a £400,000 rescue package. The tax breaks on offer from the Irish Film Board would form sufficient reason to move the film’s location to Ireland.

The production of the film Braveheart, about Scottish patriot William Wallace, was also attracted to use Ireland for supposedly Scottish locations through tax break incentives. Dumfries and Galloway Council last week managed to put together a £250,000 offer in an effort to keep the film in the area. But the remaining £150,000 will have to made up by Scottish Screen, the body set up to promote the Scottish film industry, which has already invested £500,000 in the film.

The filming of Magdalene is expected to bring about £1 million into the Dumfries and Galloway economy, money which is much needed in light of the tourism industry being decimated in the region by the foot-and-mouth crisis. Defending the decision not to provide further funding a spokesman for the executive said: "It is our position that Scottish Screen has already given a maximum grant of £500,000 to this film and it is not for the Scottish executive to fund individual films beyond that. We obviously hope that the money can be found from somewhere and that the filming does go ahead here in Scotland."

However, John Archer, the Chief Executive of Scottish Screen, said his board will have to act fast to keep the project in Scotland. He said: "The executive's view is that this is something Scottish Screen has to deal with and we are looking at ways to ensure that Magdalene is made in Scotland. Bearing in mind the particular circumstances of the Dumfries and Galloway area due to foot-and-mouth, keeping this film here is important."

Ian Jenkins, the MSP for Tweeddale Ettrick & Lauderdale and the Scottish Liberal Democrat Culture spokesman, spoke of his disappointment at the possible loss of such a high-profile production. Mr Jenkins said: "If funding can be found to keep the film location in Dumfries, then it should be. The projected income for the local economy is three times more than the funding required. "At a time when Dumfries is suffering so badly from the foot and mouth crisis, the opportunity to show that Scotland is open for business should not be missed."

It has taken Mullan and Ms Higson more than 18 months to get the film to this stage and both are said to be bitterly disappointed that the film looks set to be moved to Ireland. However, the Magdalene project was almost totally scuppered two weeks ago when Antonine Films, the production company behind the film, went into receivership after failing to secure further funding from the Glasgow Development Fund. Mullan and Ms Higson had previously set up a separate company to develop Magdalene, called Antonine PFP, which was unaffected by Antonine's closure.

Council Denies Large Grant Offer

Dumfries and Galloway Council has since denied offering as much as UKP250,000 to keep Peter Mullan’s film Magdelene located in the council’s area.

A spokeswoman for Dumfries and Galloway Council denied reports that the council had awarded Antonine PFP, the production company responsible for the film, UKP250,000. The true figure was only one-tenth of that, she said.

"An awful lot of businesses in the area are desperate at the moment. We are working with other agencies to put together an economic recovery package for the area, which we have presented to the Scottish Executive. We certainly aren't in a position to be giving huge amounts of money away," she said. "However, we recommended the council pay a small sum, and we know the film company is keen to use some premises in Dumfries."

Actor-director Mullan is hoping to use a former convent in the town for key scenes in the film, which tells the story of a young woman who is a victim of rape and abuse in an asylum run by the Catholic church.

Paddy Higson, of Antonine PFP, said: "We hope very much that the location is going to be Dumfries. Peter has always wanted to shoot this in Scotland. It seems to be coming together now, although there are still a few parts of the jig-saw missing."

Dumfries and Galloway already provides the setting for the BBC TV drama Two Thousand Acres Of Sky, which is filmed in Port Logan and Portpatrick, although local chiefs are hoping to publicise this better after discovering that a high proportion of the audience was under the impression that the location of the film was the Isle of Skye.

Dumfries football club Queen of the South's Palmerston Park pitch was used for action sequences in the Robert Duval film The Cup, which featured former Scotland football international Ally McCoist.


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