Film fund of £3.5m to boost Norfolk movies
ROB GARRATT
11 February 2010
Norfolk's film industry is to enjoy a boost after a £3.5m fund was unveiled to help get movies made in the county onto the silver screen.
A raft of funding opportunities has been revealed that could help the county's filmmakers, television producers and computer games creators realise their dreams.
The fund also sees Norwich-based Screen East leading the industry into a greener future - with productions only granted funding if they slash carbon emissions.
The agency's last round of investments, between May 2007 and December 2008, helped bring hit films like Dean Spanley and Glorious 39 to the big screen.
The new fund, expected to help at least 15 new projects get off the ground, has a goal of reducing the carbon footprint of productions by 30pc.
Films, television shows and computer games will only be eligible to access funding, of up to £250,000, after meeting with a carbon reduction consultant who will spell out ways of cutting emissions.
Chief executive Laurie Hayward says the Low Carbon Fund could be the first forward-thinking fund of its kind, and hopes the scheme will provide case studies of green practices that can be implemented nationwide.
Mr Hayward said: “It's a very inventive and exciting scheme; we want to lead the industry nationally on how it can adopt low carbon techniques.
“In the previous fund, we wanted to support strategic productions in the region and take good ideas from the script to the screen - the core of this one is really to change behaviour.”
The scheme has been developed in conjunction with the UEA's Low Carbon Innovation Centre. The first step to accessing the fund is to take part in carbon reduction workshops, with more than 20 firms already signed up for the first workshop on February 24.
The agency's goal is to bring investment into the region, and wherever possible green technologies, such as low carbon power generators or energy efficient lights, will be sourced locally to encourage money to stay in the East of England.
The £3.5m, which will be distributed over the next three years, comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is managed by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).
David Morrall, international director of EEDA, said: “This fund will bring important economic benefits for businesses in the film sector and the region's flourishing creative economy.”
Screen East's last £2.25m investment fund brought nearly £19m into the East of England and created 53 jobs. Six of the 12 films co-financed by the fund were accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival and The Times BFI London Film Festival during 2008 and 2009.
