Liverpool Film Office kicks off its 35th anniversary with the news that 2023 was its busiest to date.
In total 301 film and television productions took place in the Liverpool City Region.
That includes:
- Taylor Swift’s pop promo for I Can See You (Taylor’s Version);
- Sexy Beast (Paramount);
- Cobra 3 (New Pictures/Sky);
- The Responder 2 (Dancing Ledge/BBC);
- Time 2 (BBC Studios/BBC);
- The Gathering (World Productions/Channel 4);
- Dead Hot (Quay Street Productions/Amazon);
- The Tower 3 (Mammoth Screen/Windhover Film/ITV) and;
- Such Brave Girls (VAL/A24/BBC).
Sexy Beast was the first long-term tenant at Film Office-managed, The Depot. This wrapped in February, following 144 shoot days in the region.
The city was also the base for Eurovision, with 63 different productions shooting in the city over that period, including a secret pop-up performance by Sam Ryder at Albert Dock.
More stats show that the 301 productions consisted of 1,933 film days. They boosted the local economy by £43.6m and supported 1,493 full-time equivalent jobs (direct, indirect and induced).
“As we head into our 35th year, I can honestly say that this year has been a truly ground-breaking year for film and TV production across the Liverpool City Region – from feature films to high-end TV, we have seen it all,” said Lynn Saunders, Head of Liverpool Film Office.
“Year in and out, my team of eight, supported by a team of eight hundred, work to bring production to our region and this has resulted in a fantastic array of projects filming right across Wirral, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Sefton.”
2023 also saw the creation of the Screen Alliance North, a partnership between Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester and Screen Yorkshire to help build a “stronger and more inclusive workforce.”
Saunders acknowledged that in spite of all this, it has been a difficult year for the UK screen industry, due to the writers’ and actors’ strike, which has impacted freelance crew and supply chain services.
“Despite the year we’ve had in the Liverpool City Region, we are mindful that the strikes in the US have hit production hard in the UK, particularly for crew and services, many who live in our area,” she added.
“With our recent BFI skills cluster partnership with Screen Manchester, North East Screen and Screen Yorkshire, under Screen Alliance North, we will be working to continue to build a thriving and skilled screen workforce in the north and I would urge anyone who is interested in a career in our industry to keep their eyes peeled on our channels early next year for some exciting news.
“Looking to next year, we will be working with our partners on how to generate a more sustainable and skilled screen sector in the north while continuing our efforts to generate and retain even more production in the region.”
