Screen Yorkshire, Liverpool Film Office, Screen Manchester and North East Screen have been awarded a £2.3m grant as they come together to form Screen Alliance North.
The cash, which comes from BFI National Lottery Funding is to be used to support the development and training of the screen sector workforce across the North of England.
It’s part of a larger pot of £8.1m which has been divided amongst 6 BFI Skills Clusters across the country.
“The North of England has a world leading cultural offer and a rich history that the screen sector is a vital part of,” said Sara Whybrew, Head of National Lottery Skills Programmes at the BFI.
“The unified approach being taken by Screen Alliance North to developing and supporting a greater diversity of local talent to enter the screen workforce speaks to the impressive leadership of the Alliance. The BFI is delighted to be supporting their ambitions with National Lottery funding and I look forward to meeting many of the beneficiaries they’ll support over the coming months and years.”
The BFI Skills Clusters investment is part of a scheme to strike a balance between building on the existing production infrastructure to provide new opportunities, while also helping to grow local crewing.
“Screen Alliance North will build a thriving screen workforce in the North of England that will reflect our diverse, talented and ambitious communities, our dynamic culture and rich heritage and will drive development so that we become a beacon of sustainable screen production,” said Caroline Cooper-Charles, Chief Executive at Screen Yorkshire.
Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive at North East Screen added:
“We believe in a screen sector where access to opportunity is the norm and outdated preconceptions are banished. Whatever your background or wherever you live, we see a future for those with the ambition of working in the sector.”
In Liverpool, Lynn Saunders, Chief Executive at Liverpool Film Office said:
“We are a uniquely northern partnership, grounded in a national context with sights set internationally. As we work closely with the screen industries and regional authorities, we can connect industry knowledge, opportunities and partnerships so that we can help boost regional economy and employment.”
