LANDMARK BOOST FOR YORKSHIRE’S SCREEN INDUSTRIES

BFI AWARDS NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING TO ‘CREATIVE CLUSTER’
LED BY SCREEN YORKSHIRE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GAME REPUBLIC & SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST

The region’s film, TV & games industries have received a significant boost today as the BFI announces Yorkshire is first past the post in its UK wide plan for creative industry development and economic growth. The Yorkshire Screen Industries Hub bid has been awarded National Lottery funding from the BFI through its Creative Clusters Challenge Fund, which aims to support the growth of emerging screen sector centres outside London and the South-East.

Matched by funding from a Yorkshire-wide consortium, Screen Yorkshire, in partnership with industry leaders Game Republic and Sheffield Doc/Fest, will spearhead the hub’s mission to build sustainable, long-term growth in the region’s burgeoning film, TV and games industries and maintain its competitiveness in a global industry.

The Yorkshire Screen Industries Hub will receive £127,000 through the BFI’s Creative Clusters Fund as seed funding for a plan to expand the region’s creative sector infrastructure and skills base. ‘Creating the Production Powerhouse’ is a nine-month programme of work beginning March 2016, that will identify the investment required for skills, training, infrastructure and knowledge sharing, to enable the Yorkshire and Humber region to compete globally. The BFI Award is matched by regional partners to create a total investment of £254,000.

The award from the BFI is a powerful affirmation of Yorkshire’s pivotal role at the heart of British television production for over 40 years and its major contribution to the development of the games industry on a global scale. It recognises the renaissance in content production which has swept across Yorkshire, the birthplace of film, in recent years and the region’s potential to nurture a new generation of talent.

Also investing in the Yorkshire Screen Industries Hub are the local authorities of Bradford, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York, Calderdale, Harrogate and Kirklees and six leading UK universities – Bradford, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds Beckett, Sheffield Hallam and York.

Lead industry bodies including Creative Skillset, TIGA and UKIE are supporting the creative cluster bid alongside the four Yorkshire and Humber Local Enterprise Partnerships. Industry partners and businesses supporting the bid include Warp Films, True North, Daisybeck Studios, Prime Studios, Fettle Animation, 104 Films and Revolution Software.

Yorkshire has seen a surge in production of major feature films and TV productions establishing a strong reputation for the region’s production facilities, crews, talent and locations. Screen Yorkshire’s own investment in 38 film and TV productions through the Yorkshire Content Fund has generated over £40 million of spend on the region’s businesses, services and talent. Major films which have been made in Yorkshire include Dad’s Army currently number one at the UK box office following its release on Friday (5 February) and the upcoming adaptation of Swallows and Amazons, as well as Testament of Youth, A Royal Night Out, and the award-winning ’71. Major TV productions made in the region include the multi award-winning TV series Peaky Blinders, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, An Inspector Calls, Jericho, Victoria, Happy Valley and This is England.

The screen industries are one of the UK’s biggest success stories delivering significant economic and cultural benefits to the UK - the BFI’s statistics for last year showed that over £1.4 billion was spent on film and high-end TV production in the UK alone. London and the South East are central to the UK’s success as it is where the vast majority of screen businesses are based but to sustain growth in this fast-growing sector and maintain the UK’s international competitiveness, developing capacity outside the capital and the South East is essential. Capitalising on the creative, technological and business development opportunities that are generating growth elsewhere in the UK is central to the BFI’s UK-wide ambitions and strategy for the UK’s film and screen sector.

The BFI’s Creative Cluster Challenge Fund was launched in summer 2015 to encourage and support emerging screen industry clusters (film, television, animation and video games) outside London and the South East. The award to the Yorkshire region follows a competitive applications process.

For more information visit http://www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/