Creative UK Investments announces new Board
// investment
he highly anticipated feature film, ‘She Who Brings Gifts’, due to be released internationally and starring critically-acclaimed film talent, started filming in the West Midlands this week with significant location work due to take place across Dudley, Birmingham, Cannock Chase, Stoke and many other local areas.
‘She Who Brings Gifts’ represents the biggest ever investment by Creative England’s West Midlands Production Fund (WMPF) which invests in the production of feature films and high-end TV drama from companies based in the West Midlands, as well as from producers looking to bring significant projects to the region.
The film also sees 12-year-old Midlands actress Sennia Nanua in her first lead role, alongside Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and six-time Academy Award-nominee Glenn Close.
Richard Holmes, Senior Film Executive at Creative England, said: “Bringing larger-scale feature films like this to the West Midlands not only supports local talent; it also enriches the industry, generates jobs for freelancers and brings economic activity to the region – both through the direct spend a production makes whilst filming and also by enhancing the profile of the West Midlands as a film and TV drama friendly hub.
“With that added profile comes the potential for significant follow-on inward investment. In future, bigger and bigger productions will look to the West Midlands and see it as a place they can do business.”
The West Midlands Production Fund, which can now invest up to £1m per film or TV drama on a recoupable basis, has previously supported projects as diverse as ‘Spooks: The Greater Good‘, ‘The Call Up’, the ‘Nativity’ films, documentary ‘One Mile Away’ (winner of Best British Feature at 2012’s Edinburgh International Film Festival), high-rating TV series ‘Line of Duty’ and Emmy nominated and Golden Globe/BAFTA award winning ‘Dancing on the Edge’.
‘She Who Brings Gifts” Producer, Camille Gatin, said: “The West Midlands has offered a variety of urban and rural, modern and period locations that will give the film the scale it deserves. “The local knowledge and enthusiasm of Creative England and their staff has been invaluable for setting up the shoot and has made working in the West Midlands a highly efficient and positive experience.”
In addition to production finance, Creative England’s Production Services team also worked extensively with the film’s director, Colm McCarthy, and the producers to help source suitable locations, facilities and locally based crew. The team also worked to facilitate production by working with key Film Friendly Partners for securing filming permissions for street scenes and for some environmentally sensitive locations. To find out more about what our Production Services team have to offer, head here.
‘She Who Brings Gifts’ is also funded by the BFI Film Fund and Altitude Film Entertainment. The film is being sold internationally by Altitude Film Sales. The film will be distributed in the UK by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
