West Midlands Production fund

WMPF will:

• consider funding higher end feature film and TV drama productions, with investments usually between £100k-500k
• invest debt or equity matched £ for £ by equivalent private and/or public risk finance
• consider projects only at an advanced stage of secured financing with a director, lead producer and established industry partners attached
• require projects to demonstrate clear potential for the fund to recoup its investment
• prioritise projects attracting significant private investment and demonstrating clear commercial potential
• require awarded projects to have an SME base and commit to production activity in the West Midlands region (Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall)

WMPF will NOT:

• fund project development, short film production or low-budget feature film production
• fund projects which do not demonstrate clear potential to be successful and recoup our investment
• fund projects without a matching risk financier
• provide finance on less favourable terms than the risk finance being matched

If you would like to apply to the fund, you must  consult the guidelines  in full before completing an Expression of Interest (EOI). 

Read the West Midlands Production Fund guidelines here

Through the fund we have backed a number of successful releases:

Small Axe is an anthology of films for BBC1/Amazon Prime from Sir Steve McQueen, two of which filmed in the region. The series went on to win a Golden Globe, BAFTAs and numerous further awards.

D.I. Ray, the 4-part pilot crime series set and filmed in Birmingham, was broadcast on ITV1 in 2022.

Benediction, the Siegfried Sassoon biopic from Terence Davies, premiered at Toronto and released theatrically worldwide in 2022.

The Colour Room, the Clarice Cliff biopic set and filmed in Staffordshire, released on Sky Cinema in 2021.

My Name Is Leon, the single film adaptation of the award-winning book set in Birmingham, was broadcast on BBC2 in 2022.

The Girl With All the Gifts premiered at Locarno and Toronto before its Warner UK release in 2016. The film was nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut and won a BIFA for Breakthrough Producer amongst its four nominations.

Jawbone went on release in 2017 with a score composed by Paul Weller. The film was nominated for six BIFA awards in 2017 and the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut in 2018.

Line of Duty series 1 was the first instalment of the multi-award-winning BBC series.

Hustle series 6, 7 and 8 were the last three outings for this popular Emmy, BAFTA and RTS nominated BBC show.

Dancing on the Edge was the Golden Globe and BAFTA award-winning BBC serial.

Nativity! and the follow-up Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger delivered successful theatrical releases for this popular Coventry-set franchise.

Further productions supported by the fund include The Marker, The Call Up, Spooks: The Greater Good, One Mile Away, Toast and Fanny Lye Deliver’d.