A new funding agreement is set to boost film and television skills throughout the Liverpool City Region while also championing equality, inclusivity, and diversity in the industry.
On Tuesday, October 17, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet will consider whether to accept an £833,030 grant to help fund the formation of ‘Screen Alliance North,’ which will bring together the northern powerhouses Liverpool Film Office, Screen Manchester, Screen Yorkshire Limited, and North East Screen.
The British Film Institute and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority are teaming up to deliver a collaborative and ambitious skills cluster programme that will address the film industry’s skills shortages and improve access to high-quality training for those aged 18 and up.
In order to create a more fair and diverse screen workforce, the four regional hubs will launch a three-year programme that will assist people in gaining access to the industry through training and work experience, with the goal of ensuring a brand new cohort of professionals who can thrive in the industry beyond 2026.
An activity plan is currently being developed which will develop strategies for:
• Entry level training courses
• Paid industry placements to work on film and TV production
• Industry led workshops, panels and masterclasses
• Industry supported apprenticeships
• Industry focussed careers and networking events
• Film and TV studio and set visits
• Industry and further and higher education partnerships
There are currently approximately 22,000 industry professionals working in or near the four northern regions, and with production levels already returning to pre-pandemic levels, there is a need to increase the number of people working in this sector.
In 2022/23, the Liverpool Film Office attracted and supported 239 productions, resulting in 1,481 days of filming and a £28.8 million economic boost. It also supported 990 full-time equivalent jobs in the city region, as well as 44 new entrant roles with paid work on a feature film and a high-end TV drama.
High-profile TV series filming in 2022-23 include Paramount’s Sexy Beast, BBC’s The Responder, Time, Sky’s Funny Woman, Channel 4’s The Gathering, ITV’s Maternal, and upcoming Amazon series Dead Hot; plus Amazon feature film Heads of State, and the video for Taylor Swift’s hit I Can See You. This built on an already impressive recent portfolio such as The Batman, War of the Worlds, Tin Star, Help, The Ipcress Files and Peaky Blinders.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:
“Across the North, areas like ours are proving that long gone are the days when production companies could only look to London to base their studios – because we have all the capabilities, facilities and skills they need right here.
“This investment is about raising young people’s ambitions and making them realise that they don’t need to move down South to build a career in the film industry. Instead, we want to give the next generation access to opportunities to train and develop their skills and ensure we’re retaining the very best talent here in the North.
“I’ve been bold in my ambition to stake our region’s claim as the ‘Hollywood of the North’ and attracting the thousands of well-paid jobs and training opportunities that it will bring. I’m looking forward to seeing how Screen Alliance North can help us achieve that vision.”
To find out more about Liverpool Film office visit their website here.
