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About the Films

Source: www.expressandstar.com

As well as Dudley-born Sir Lenry, the film also stars former Dr Who Christopher Eccleston and Black Mirror’s Malachi Kirby. The 90-minute drama is an adaptation of the novel of Kit de Waal’s novel of the same name.

It is set in Birmingham in the 19080s and tells the story of nine-year-old Leon, a mixed race boy who hopes to reunite his family after being taken into care and separated from from his blond and blue eyed baby brother. Viewers will follow Leon’s relationship with his foster carer as the production explores issues of identity and belonging.

Sir Lenny, aged 62, who will be the executive producer, said: “I discovered the book while performing the audio book and was so moved on the first day’s work I rang my office at lunchtime and said, ‘We’ve got to try and do this’. Thankfully, after five years, we’ve pulled it together with a great writer (Shola Amoo), director (Lynette Linton), cast and crew. I can’t wait to see the results.”

My Name is Leon will air on BBC One at a future date.

Source: www.birminghammail.co.uk

A new £18m TV and film production creative hub – designed for media innovation – will bring technological solutions to Birmingham, as the city’s creatives explore new platforms.

A planning application has been submitted for Fazeley Street, Digbeth, which would see five existing and derelict heritage buildings changed for independent TV production and content developers to use for a creative hub. Producers will work with broadcasters at the new area for film, TV, games and virtual production. The facility – costing £18m – will resident in a 50,000 sq ft space after cash injections from Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP).

Anita Bhalla, GBSLEP Board Director for Creative and Culture said: “GBSLEP’s investment of £3m reflects our commitment to the creative industries which we see as a priority sector that stimulates inclusive economic growth and a catalyst for job creation. The Creative Content Hub will be an exciting addition to the media landscape and at the heart of innovative production in the region. It’s also an exciting step towards creating a TV, film and multimedia cluster in the heart of Birmingham’s Creative Quarter, in Digbeth.

“As a LEP we work with our public, private and academic partners to identify opportunities of growth in our region and the Creative Content Hub is an example of how we have come together to create a cohesive offering for businesses in the creative industries. Crucially, GBSLEP’s investment means the funding gap for this project has been filled and it can now be moved to the next stage of development.’’

Source: www.birminghammail.co.uk

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Contemporary arts education provider BIMM group is opening two new colleges in Birmingham this year to meet demand for industry-ready graduates in the creative sector.

Screen and Film School Birmingham and Performers College Birmingham will offer BA (Hons) level courses from its new campus in Digbeth this September.

The Department for Culture Media and Sports estimates that the creative industries were the fastest growing sector of the past decade. By 2019, they contributed £115.9bn gross value added to the UK economy, second only to the digital industry and more than the aerospace, automotive and life sciences sectors combined.

A planned film studio expansion – led by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight – will be located a short distance from BIMM’s two new colleges. They will sit alongside the established BIMM Birmingham, which opened in September 2017. All three BIMM colleges are building outreach initiatives with local schools and FE colleges and have formed relationships with industry organisations such as Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Film Festival, Optomen, North One, ACE Dance and Music, and Nicholson Studios.

CEO and head of institution for the BIMM Group, Adam Carswell said: “I am exceptionally proud of the success we have seen in our music colleges in our UK and European cities. With nearly four decades of experience, we’re recognised as being at the forefront of UK music education and we are excited to bring our unique approach to both the performing arts and filmmaking sectors. Finding a path to building a successful career in the creative industries can feel daunting to many young people, which is why we work in partnership with the industries we serve to ensure our students have everything they need to hit the ground running when they graduate.

“While the recent pandemic has brought many challenges, it has also demonstrated the agility and resilience of the creative industries. With the ever growing opportunities in the sector, there’s never been a better time to be a student or practitioner in today’s diverse, creative and world-leading industry.”

Source: www.thebusinessdesk.com

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Actor Adil Hussain has opened up on his recent shoot in Birmingham amid Covid protocol post lockdown, for the British-Indian film Footprints On Water. The film tells the story of an illegal immigrant in the UK who is frantically searching for his missing daughter while evading the police. A directorial venture of Nathalia Syam, starring Adil Hussain, the story is by Neetha Syam.

“Keeping the backdrop of the story aside, the emotion of a father and his responsibility towards his daughter are universal. Here, in the film, the predicament is such that this father cannot go to the police to seek help because he is an illegal migrant. He is helpless and cannot take legal support. It is interesting how his emotion plays out and how desperate he feels,” Adil told IANS.

“Nathalia is a delight to work with. She has a clear vision and a close connection with the story of the film. She is well-versed with reality. On one hand, while the actors were given the freedom to bring their own interpretation, Nathalia has a careful eye on maintaining the emotional graph and texture of the story so that we maintain the sense of authenticity of the story and characters. It was quite an interesting process to indulge in,” Adil said.

Apart from Adil Hussain, Lena Kumar portrays the missing girl’s stepmother while Nimisha Sajayan plays the girl. Nimisha, incidentally, was the leader of the 2019 Venice Film Festival title, Shadow Of Water.

The team finished their England schedule recently.

“We shot it in Birmingham, and we got support from British Film Institute (BFI) and the local film council. We had to stay in a bubble during the entire schedule. It is new normal and we are getting used to it, wherever we go. Yes, initially it was strange but we human beings naturally get used to these things,” said Adil Hussain, about the shoot.

The makers are looking for a theatrical release for the film, according to film’s London-based producer Mohaan Nadaar. “We want to take the film to festivals and premiere it along with the best in the world; we have a three-day schedule in Kerala in February and will be fully ready by April-end. We plan a release theatrically,” he said.

Source: www.koimoi.com

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Foresnsics experts from West Midlands Police are the focus of a new fly-on-the-wall BBC Two documentary series which started Tuesday February 9 at 9pm.

A TV camera crew were granted a rare opportunity to follow serious crime investigations in real time for Forensics: The Real CSI. In the first episode, crime scene coordinator Jo Ward leads the search for evidence and motive following a double murder in Birmingham.

The force’s assistant director for forensic services, Michelle Painter, said: “The role of forensics is crucial in some of the most serious crimes the force investigates. It can be the finest of details which provides the critical evidence which enables detectives to catch whoever is responsible and bring them to justice. This documentary gives an insight into real-life policing and expertise of our much valued teams. There are fascinating and challenging roles within forensics and it could be you decide a future in forensics is just for you. We’re in the process of recruiting so please keep looking at our jobs page.”

Over the coming weeks the force will be publishing more about those featured in the episode including their careers, route into their job and the range of emotions they experience  on @wmpolice on Twitter and West Midlands Police Facebook page.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “As a force we never underestimate the impact of serious crime on our communities – and  especially the loss of a loved one in tragic and violent circumstances. We’ve worked with producers so those who’ve been affected by the cases covered are aware of this documentary.

“Our intention has never been to sensationalise, but to show the realities of what our staff are faced with and their commitment to help solve serious crimes.”

Source: coventryobserver.co.uk

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Official figures published by the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit reveal strong signs of economic recovery in UK film and high-end TV (HETV) production following months of suspended filming in the wake of the pandemic.

The final three months have recorded a £1.19 billion spend in the final quarter of 2020, the second highest spend ever over a three-month period. Despite disrupted production schedules over five to six months, production spend for the whole of 2022 is just 21 per cent down on 2019’s record levels. Inward investment and co-production films and HETV shows have delivered 76 per cent of the production spend underlining the UK’s global reputation as the world-leading centre for film and TV production.

The spend on film and HETV production in the UK in 2020 reached £2.84 billion, a 21 per cent decrease on 2019’s levels. The year started strongly and was heading towards a record production spend for the first quarter, however by the end of March production was suspended. Some post-production, VFX and animation was able to continue, but physical production only started to resume from mid-July. It is the final quarter of the year that saw a strong resumption in production activity generating a £1.19 billion spend, 38 per cent higher than the previous three months and the second highest quarterly result on record.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “These impressive figures show the resilience and creativity of the UK screen industries. We’re getting our screen industries firing on all cylinders again with the Government’s Film and TV Restart Scheme and £1.5 billion Cultural Recovery Fund which has awarded £30 million in lifeline grants to independent cinemas. I am pleased that the Government’s targeted interventions mean this sector is well placed for future strong growth and job creation.”

Ben Roberts, BFI Chief Executive, said: “After an unbelievably tough year, today’s figures show an incredibly vibrant and positive picture for film and TV in the UK. Last spring it was hard to imagine that we would be generating £1 billion worth of production activity in the final quarter which has been achieved by industry and government pulling together and the determination of our workforce to get back up and running. This sector is primed to grow with expansion underway in studios and production hot spots across the UK, delivering more jobs and more to the economy. It’s been a challenging year for cinemas but we remain optimistic for the day whne we can welcome back audiences and it’s brilliant to see some of the UK’s  greatest talent making big pictures such as 1917 which topped the box office before the pandemic hit.”

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said: “As today’s figures show, production recovery in the UK is well underway and demand for content is not only still there, but in fact greater than ever before. Our sector, like many, has faced unprecedented challenges, but thanks to the sheer talent of our workforce and the creative and technological innovation of our companies and infrastructure, we were swift in developing ways of continuing to produce outstanding content. Film and high-end TV have an important role to play in the UK’s economy, providing UK plc with billions of pounds into the nations and regions and supporting hundreds and thousands of jobs.”

The BFI’s Screen Sector Task Force brought together a coalition of professionals from every part of the film sector to drive forward a recovery programme to enable the industry to restart and recover. Priorities included Covid-safe guidelines for film and TV production, VFX and post-production, guidance for cinemas, the Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas in England and the ground-breaking Film & TV Production Restart Scheme backed by Government to support production companies struggling with getting insurance against Covid-related losses.  This work has been pivotal to getting film and TV production back up and running, generating jobs and contributing to the UK economy.

Cinemas across the UK faced a difficult year with efforts to tackle the pandemic requiring cinemas to close and when they were open to operate with reduced seating capacity to accommodate social distancing.  Distributors were faced with rescheduling their films, uncertain as to when they could move ahead with a confirmed opening date, including major releases the 25th Bond film No Time to Die, Marvel’s Black Widow, Death on the Nile, Fast & Furious 9, Top Gun: Maverick, West Side Story and The Witches.  Many films, rather than having their cinema releases rescheduled, were instead released or premiered on VoD platforms, eg Trolls World Tour, Artemis Fowl and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.

The highest grossing film released in 2020 was Sam Mendes’s UK/US film 1917, with £44 million, followed by Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog (£19 million) and Christopher Nolan’s UK/US Tenet (£17 million).  Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen was the highest grossing independent UK film of 2020 grossing £12 million, followed by Autumn de Wilde’s Emma (£7 million) and Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield (£6 million).

Film production in detail

The total spend on feature film production during the year was £1.37 billion, 37 per cent than the level of activity in 2019. Of this spend, £412.3 million was generated in Q4, 30 per cent of the year’s total spend.

The majority of the total spend, £1.24 billion or 91 per cent, was generated by inward investment films generally in the blockbuster budget range, and co-productions, underlining the UK industry’s world-class reputation globally as an international production hub. US-studio backed productions accounted for £1.06 billion

Inward investment films which started production include The Batman (dir. Matt Reeves),  Cinderella (dir. Kay Cannon), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (dir. Sam Raimi),  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 (dir. David Yates), Jurassic World: Dominion (dir. Colin Trevorrow),  The Little Mermaid (dir. Rob Marshall),  Lockdown (dir. Doug Liman), Mission: Impossible 7 (dir. Christopher McQuarrie), The Northman (dir, Robert Eggers) and Text for You (w/t, dir. Jim Strouse).

Inward investment production comes to the UK from a number of different countries.  As with 2019, the analysis of inward investment productions reveals 12 Indian films  including Bell Bottom (dir. Ranjit Tewari), The Chef (dir. Ana Sasi) and Paani Ch Madhaani (dir. Vijay Kumar Arora).

Domestic UK films generated spend of £119.5 million, £89 million less than in 2019 and a 43 per cent decrease on spend from 2019.  Films which went into production included Belfast (dir Kenneth Branagh), Benediction (dir. Terence Davies), Boxing Day (dir. Aml Ameen), The Duke (dir. Roger Michell), ear for eye (dir, debbie tucker green), The Fantastic Flitcrofts (dir. Craig Roberts), The Forgiven (dir. John Michael McDonagh), Mothering Sunday (dir. Eva Husson), Pirates (dir. Reggie Yates), Quant (dir. Sadie Frost), True Things About Me (dir. Harry Wootliff), The Score  (dir. Malachi Smyth) and What’s Love Got To do With It? (dir. Shekhar Kapur).  Co-productions included Ballywalter (dir. Prasanna Puwanarajah) and My Son (dir. Christian Carion).

High-end television production in detail

The spend on HETV production in the UK in 2020 was £1.49 million, just 11 per cent lower than the £1.67 million reported for 2019 (updated mid-year to £2.09 billion and the highest HETV spend on record). Inward investment and co-production HETV accounted for £1.13 billion or 76 per cent of the total HETV spend.  Even allowing for the impact of the pandemic on halting production activity, the 2020 spend is the second highest on record.  Inward investment HETV productions included Anatomy of a Scandal (dir. SJ Clarkson), Andor (dir. Toby Haynes), Becoming Elizabeth (dir. Justin Chadwick), The Girlfriend Experience – series 3 (dir, Anja Marquardt),  Godmothered (dir. Sharon Maguire), Hanna – series 3 (dir. Sacha Polak), Pennyworth – series 2 (dir. Danny Cannon), The Pursuit of Love (dir. Emily Mortimer), The Sandman (dir. Jamie Childs), War of the Worlds – series 2 (dir. Richard Clark), The Witcher – series 2 (dir. Stephen Surjik).

Domestic HETV productions accounted for £357 million only 4 per cent less than the £372 million for 2019 (updated mid-year to £482 million).  2019 domestic HETV productions included  Bloodlands (dir. Pete Travis), Call The Midwife  – series 10,  Cobra – series (dirs. Hans Herbots, Al Mackey), Doctor Who – series 13, Finding Alice (dir. Roger Goldby), Grace (dir. John Alexander), Line of Duty – series 6 (dir. Daniel Nettheim),  The Pact (dir. Rebecca Johnson), The Pembrokeshire Murders (dir. Marc Evans),  My Name is Lizzie (dir. Niall MacCormick), Roald and Beatrix – The Tail of the Curious Mouse (dir. David Kerr), The Syndicate – series 4 (dir. Kay Mellor) and Worzel Gummidge- Saucy Nancy (dir. Mackenzie Crook).

Film and high-end television production generates local business activity and jobs across the UK. In 2020 production locations included:

• London: All The Old Knives, The Batman, Belfast, Bell Bottom, Boxing Day, Daemon Mind, The Duke, ear for eye, The Fantastic Flitcrofts, The Girlfriend Experience, The Great (series 2), Lockdown, Mission: Impossible 7, Paani Ch Madhaani, Pirates, Suspicion, Text for You (w/t), What’s Love Got To Do With It?
• East of England: Angela Black, The Batman, Britannia, Close to Me, The Fantastic Flitcrofts, The Great (series 2), Mission: Impossible 7, Motherland, Pennyworth, Professor T
• East Midlands:  As Dead as it Gets, The Great Season, Unforgotten
• West Midlands:  The Last Time you Saw Me, Time
• North-east:  Vera
• North-west: The Batman, Brassic, Cobra, The Fantastic Flitcrofts, Milo, Munich ’38, Ridley Road, Time, Viewpoint
• South-east: All The Old Knives, Andor, Belfast, Britannia, Call the Midwife, Cinderella,  The Fantastic Flitcrofts, The Girlfriend Experience, The Great (series 2), Mission: Impossible 7,  Mothering Sunday, My Name is Lizzie, Paani Ch Madhaani, Whitstable Pearl
• South-west: Becoming Elizabeth, Britannia, A Discovery of Witches, Manhunt: The Nightstalker, McDonald & Dodds, Mission: Impossible 7, The Offenders, Sex Education,  Suspicion, Trying, War of the Worlds
• Yorkshire: Ackley Bridge, Brassic, The Duke, Gentleman Jack, The Great (series2), Serena’s Game, The Syndicate
• Northern Ireland:   Awakening, Ballywalter, Belfast, Bloodlands, Frank of Ireland, Line of Duty, Mandrake, The Northmen, Puffin Rock Movie, Stranger with a Camera, Zone 414
• Scotland:  A Castle for Christmas, Annika, The Batman, Bell Bottom, Brassic, Guilt, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, The Origin, The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star
• Wales:  Brassic, Doctor Who, A Discovery of Witches, The Pact, Sex Education, War of the Worlds

Animation television in detail

The spend on animation programme production in the UK in 2020 was £61 million which is 55 per cent higher than the total reported in January 2019 (later updated to £65.3 million).   Of the total spend £16.2 million or 26 per cent was generated by domestic productions and £44.8 million or 74 per cent by inward investment and co-production programmes.  2019’s overview showed domestic animation contributing the majority share of spend at 51 per cent. Animation titles starting production in 2020 included inward investment and co-production titles Deadlandia – series 1, Chip and Potato – series 2 and Robin Robin.  2020 domestic animation projects included Milo, Quentin Blake’s Clown and The Rubbish World of Dave Spud –  series 2.

The UK spend and production data published today are interim results which is updated in the coming period as final reporting is received.

Box office in 2020

The year started strongly with January and February with admissions to UK cinemas being 20 per cent up on the previous year driven by the continued performance of the 2019 releases of Little Women, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Jumanji: The Next Level, alongside early 2020 new releases such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Bad Boys for Life, and 2020’s highest grossing film, 1917.  In March all cinemas were required to close and only started to reopen in July, some four months later.  Christopher Nolan’s Tenet was eagerly awaited by industry and audiences and with other releases including After We Collided, The New Mutants and Bill and Ted Face the Music, attracted 5 million admissions during the July to September Q3.  The final three months of the year saw cinemas close for periods including all cinemas in England from 5 November, limiting admissions and box office earnings.  Cats & Dogs: Paws Unite!, Wonder Woman 1984 and the UK independent film Saint Maud were all released during Q4 helping to attract 3 million admissions, 94 per cent down on the same period in 2019.

Collectively, films on release in UK cinemas in 2020 attracted 44 million admissions, a long way off the UK’s consistently annual high admissions levels of between 171 million and 177 million (2017-2019) generated when all cinemas were fully open.    Total box office revenue for all titles released was £307 million, again 75 per cent down on 2019’s earnings of £1.254 billion.

Out of the new 2020 film releases at the UK and Republic of Ireland box office,seven of the top 20 box office releases had substantial UK production involvement led by Sam Mendes’s 1917, a UK/USA production, as year’s top grossing film with £44 million, Tenet, Dolittle, The Gentlemen and The Personal History of David Copperfield.  Also, ranked is the UK films Emma and Military Wives.

The top ten grossing UK qualifying independent films released in 2020 were The Gentlemen, Emma, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Military Wives, Saint Maud, The Secret Garden, Misbehaviour, Pixie, The Rhythm Section and Rocks. 

The film market share of newly released independent UK films at the UK and Republic of Ireland box office in 2020 was 14 per cent, a slight increase from 13 per cent in 2019.  When UK-made, studio-backed films are added to the picture, eg, 1917, Tenet, Dolittle, The Gentlemen, The Personal History of David Copperfield, the full UK market share increases to 46 per cent.

Source: advanced-television.com

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As Create Central transitions to their next phase, the trade body is evolving the way our membership model works. Create Central will be creating a streamlined Executive Board that will help to steer a broader membership of industry Working Groups and Member Champions.

Their first steps are to recruit five new industry leaders to join the Executive Board that have the skills, drive and commitment to help grow West Midlands’ creative businesses.

In addition to their membership’s  existing skills, they need experienced individuals working in high-end TV, virtual production, animation, digital media, games, VFX and those businesses directly in the supply chain. They’re also keen to increase our expertise around sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

As a commitment to the diversity and youth of the region, they are particularly seeking applications from under-represented groups, to help the, turbo-charge the West Midland’s creative content sector.

As an Executive Board Member, you will have the opportunity to accelerate the growth of the West Midlands screen sector through dynamic private-sector leadership and to provide your expertise to promote the region as a vibrant creative cluster to attract inward investment, new talent and to retain existing talent.

To Apply

Applications close on 19 February 2021. Interviews will take place online on 5 March 2021.

Source: www.createcentraluk.com

The documentary delves into punk history and follows The Nightingales and The Prefects frontman Robert Lloyd, who has gone “under the radar for four decades”.

Set to premiere on Sky Arts on February 6 at 9pm, the film features the likes of Lee and a host of well-known faces including Frank Skinner, Duran Duran‘s John Taylor and Samira Ahmed. In it, the comedian journeys with Lloyd as the latter reflects on his legacy and underground status in comparison to his fellow musicians. Watch a trailer here.

The official logline reads: “The anti-rockumentary King Rocker weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art.”

Lee himself teased King Rocker during an interview with NME last year, revealing he had worked on the project before the coronavirus pandemic.

“In the year before lockdown I worked on a film with Michael Cumming, who directed Brasseye and Toast Of London,” he said. “It was called King Rocker and was about Birmingham post-punk band The Nightingales. They used to be The Prefects and were on the White Riot tour with The Clash. They’re still going. We funded it ourselves and only the crew got paid, everyone else volunteered.”

During his chat with NME, Lee also spoke about having his Snowflake/Tornado tour pulled due to coronavirus.

King Rocker also features the likes of John Peel, Nigel Slater, Robin Askwith, Gina Birch, Marc Riley, Danny Fields, Paul Morley, Fuzzbox, Kevin Eldon, Nish Kumar, Bridget Christie, Andrew O’Neill and Seann Walsh.

King Rocker premieres on Sky Arts on February 6.