When, last year, regional bodies were drawn together to form Creative England, there was one dissenter. Screen Yorkshire decided to go its own way and now it has come up with a £15M fund to boost arts production in the area.
Also covering the TV and video game industries, the Yorkshire Content Fund will be particularly welcomed by local filmmakers, who have been struggling to finance their work just when it is in demand. Following the success last year of Tyrannosaur, Kill List and Wuthering Heights, Yorkshire is attracting increased interest from potential investors, yet producers often find it difficult to get the seed funding with which to launch their films.
"An investment fund of this scale will attract inward investment and act as a catalyst for substantial production activity throughout the region," said Pathe UK director Cameron McCracken, who sits on the Screen Yorkshire board, stressing that it would also bring employment to the region.
The new resource is backed by a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund.
