Liverpool boosts production fund
Liverpool Film Office has secured top-up funding to the tune of £1m over 12 months to attract more high-end productions to the city region.
The additional boost to the LCR Production Fund comes from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund and targets feature films, TV drama, animation and comedy series with investments of between £100K and £500k.
The new monies will enable the Fund to support a further 3 – 4 investments over the next 12 months, with priority given to those productions that can create significant opportunities for locally-based above and below the line talent as well as production facilities, locations and other services.
The Fund has previously invested more than £1.7m in six projects including Jimmy McGovern’s BBC drama Time and C4’s pandemic drama Help starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham, as well as The Responder with Martin Freeman and The Ipcress File with Joe Cole, both of which are expected to tx early next year.
Launched in 2019, the Fund has supported six productions so far, collectively estimated to have delivered over £12m of direct inward investment into the local economy.
Liverpool is well-established production hub, able to support multiple big-budget projects at any one time. The recent opening of The Depot studio complex will further enhance the area’s film-friendly reputation, as will the planned opening of another new studio in the former Littlewoods building.
Christopher Moll continues as advisor and executive producer for the Fund, which is now open. Further information can be found at liverpoolfilmoffice.tv/production-fund.
Beth Willis, executive producer for The Forge on Help, said of the fund: “The LCR Production Fund made everything possible for Help. The planning time for such a time specific show (set at the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020), during the second lockdown was extremely tight - and Chris Moll and Liverpool Film Office had our backs from the start. They supported the vision and the talent to make the show possible - and opened the doors of Liverpool to us with open arms.”
Tom Sherry, head of drama north for BBC Studios and executive producer on Time, added: “LCR’s Production Fund contribution was essential. Without that funding, we wouldn’t have been able to make Time, and for that we’re all enormously grateful to the city, for having the foresight to realise that, sometimes to create something, you have to support it.
“The city is helping develop an industry and a specialism within the region, and at the same time is seeing a financial return.
“By supporting this industry and enabling stories to be told and productions to go ahead, you create opportunities for people to have a role, to develop and to become a part of something special.”
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