We are delighted to announce the producers and directors selected for FilmWorks 2012, a Film Networks project supported by the National Lottery through the BFI and Creative England, specifically targeted at filmmakers in the English regions. Managed by Watershed and co-produced by ShowroomWorkstation in Sheffield and Broadway in Nottingham, FilmWorks offers a priceless opportunity for emerging talent in or near Bristol, Nottingham and Sheffield to expand both their creative, and commercial, potential. There were 150 applications to the scheme and the quality of the submissions was extremely high.

The forty-eight successful participants include such talent as the Sheffield-based animation double-act Ann Wilkins and Emily Howells (A Film about Poo, Spin Spun Span, Hum), Nottingham’s Carolina Giametta who has made several shorts, and from Bristol, director Dan Gitcham, one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow 2010, plus producer Tamsin Wiley-Scott whose video credits include The Killer’s ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ and Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Eleanor Put Your Boots On’. Tamsin says:

“I’m thrilled to be part of FilmWorks at Watershed – it’s so important to have mentoring support, particularly in the regions, and I’m hopeful that it will help me focus on the crucial next steps in this tough industry.”

Over the next three months, industry practitioners with world-class reputations will share their experience, knowledge and insights with programme participants. Bristol’s producer is Aardman Animations’ Julie Lockhart (The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists) who says:

“I’m looking forward to sharing my practice-based expertise in the animation industry to help what I hope might be the next generation of regional filmmakers to develop their projects, approaches and networks.”

Meanwhile Sheffield’s Colin Pons (Hush, The Acid House, Fanny and Elvis) and Nottingham’s Alastair Clark (London to Brighton, Crying with Laughter, A Man’s Story) bring together experience in independent low budget feature production and European co-production. Colin Pons, independent producer, said:

“FilmWorks is a concrete expression of confidence in the future of regional production in the UK. The unique collaborative approach between cinemas and producers could be a key driver in a re-balancing of the geography of production output and audience engagement for the British industry.”

Al Clark agrees:

“We are very excited about the standard of the participants and about how open and supportive they were of each other's projects. It feels as if a new regional filmmaking community is emerging and one that is full of promise.”

Ruth Carney, one of the FilmWorks participants at ShowroomWorkstation, added,

“After 15 years as a professional theatre director I have decided to step away from the bright lights of the West End onto the cutting room floor. I feel very privileged to have been accepted onto FilmWorks and to be surrounded by experienced people with an overwhelming passion for their work. I have the passion and what this course will give me is the knowledge and skills to turn this into a reality.”

Rhys Davies, from Hive Films in Nottingham, said,

“It is fantastic to be part of this unique talent development opportunity. As a director not based in London, FilmWorks is priceless to me in facilitating the networking, connections and collaborations vital for progression in the film industry."

FilmWorks got off to a flying with a packed industry event at the 18th Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival last week, which saw participants from Sheffield and Nottingham join in live from the comfort of their own venues. Julie Lockhart quizzed Award-winning film director Peter Lord (Aardman co-founder) about how his ideas shape up. At the other end of the spectrum, Bristol-based producer Alison Sterling discussed the development of Flying Blind, Polish director’s Katarzyna Klimkiewicz’s debut low-budget feature following their encounter at the festival in 2008.

Mark Cosgrove, Head of Programme at Watershed, says:

“This is a groundbreaking initiative in talent development with live talks and events across partner venues while also working with locally-based film producers to train and mentor. The aim is to develop regionally-based film talent and help generate self supporting cross regional networks that share skills and experiences – critically fostering a creative local environment where talent can grow without feeling that need to move to the capital.”

FilmWorks runs until early December 2012 at the three regional venue hubs: Watershed, Sheffield’s ShowroomWorkstation and Nottingham’s Broadway.

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