Tag: NESIP

Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day Begins Filming in the North East with Timothy Spall, Jennifer Saunders, and Haley Bennett

Posted on 19 November 202419 November 2024 by North East Screen

Production is underway in Newcastle, UK on Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day, adapted for the screen by Justine Waddell (Janine Jensen Falling for Stradivari, Force of Nature Natalia) and directed by BAFTA nominee Tina Gharavi (I Am Nasrine, Queen Cleopatra).

Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise, Decline & Fall, Good Omens), Jennifer Saunders (Death on the Nile, Sumotherhood, Allelujia), and Sally Phillips (Love at First Sight, Bridget Jones Diary) have joined the ensemble cast. Other cast members include Misia Butler (Kaos), Alex Macqueen (Downton Abbey), Simon Phillips (The Witcher) and Frances Barber (Goal!).

Haley Bennett (Widow Cliquot, Cyrano, Girl on a Train) will play the lead, as previously announced, with BAFTA-winner Timothy Spall (The Sixth Commandment, The King’s Speech, Harry Potter franchise), British singerLily Allen (How to Build a Girl) and German superstar Elyas M’Barek (Fack ju Göhte, This Crazy Heart, The Collini Case).

Set in an era when glass ceilings were made of concrete, Bennett will play Katharine Hilbery — one woman who insisted on reaching for the stars. Based on what has been called Woolf’s funniest novel, Night and Day is described as an “unromantic comedy” about a passionate astronomer who does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage. Contemporary in tone, the story of Katharine’s bold challenge to the Edwardian patriarchy is set against the backdrop of the suffragette movement and advances in science and technology, at the turn of the 20^thcentury.

Woolf is considered one of the most important 20^th century modernist authors. Her novels have been translated into over 50 languages. Night and Day, one of her early novels, examines the relationships between love, marriage, happiness and success.

The picture is produced by Justine Waddell (Janine Jensen Falling for Stradivari, Force of Nature Natalia), Christopher Figg (Golda, Silk Road, Mandy), Meg Thomson (Freud’s Last Session, Siren, Dot The I), Stephen Julius, Philipp Steffens (God You’re Such A Prick, Racing Hearts), Julie Link (Misfit) and Marc Grewe (The Queen’s Gambit, Babylon Berlin). Annegret Weitkämper–Krug, Egor Noskov, Margarethe Baillou, Lara Ta, Nadya Gorshkova and Konstantin Korenchuk will Executive Produce. Sebastian Leutner will Co-Produce.

WestEnd is handling international sales, and US Domestic will be co-repped by WestEnd and WME Independent. The film is financed by Sandylands Developments Ltd., M.Y.R.A. Entertainment, Tsavorite Films, Ciara Filmproduction, and Star Mountain Pictures with funding support by North East Screen Industries Partnership delivered by North East Screen, the Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, the MFG Baden-Württemberg, German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and development financing from the BFI (awarding National Lottery Funding). The film is a UK-German co-production, between Asterisk Films, Piccadilly Pictures, and GLISK a Federation Studios company. Co-production partners are Gretchenfilm, Senator Film, and German Film Partners, with filming taking place in Newcastle and in the areas around Cologne. WildBunch will distribute the film in GAS.

BBC and North East working together to boost the screen industry

Posted on 1 August 20242 August 2024 by North East Screen

Director-General Tim Davie met with local leaders Kim McGuinness and Ben Houchen at the Darlington Hippodrome today (1 August 2024), to discuss the region’s future. The event marked three years since the BBC first signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the North East Screen Industry Partnership (NESIP) as part of it’s Across the UK plan.

Since the MOU was signed in 2021, the BBC has worked closely with its North East partners to boost world class “homegrown storytelling” from the region – providing key funding for production, employment, and the development of the area’s media industry. This included additional funding for North East Screen, and was part of the BBC’s Across the UK programme – to better reflect, represent, and serve all parts of the UK.

The BBC and the North East Screen Partnership (NESIP) has created 293 local jobs to date, contributing £18.6m of value to the region, and is on track to create a £50m a year production sector in the area by 2027.

Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive of North East Screen, said: “The landmark BBC partnership was a substantial catalyst for the growth the screen industry in the North East. Over the past two years production has grown by 86% making our region the fastest growing in the UK. We have welcomed home grown and inward productions from the BBC, ITV, C4, Sky, Netflix, and Amazon, as well as major feature films. To date the NESIP programme has generated £40.2m of GVA and secured regional jobs equivalent to 650 FTEs.

“The BBC partnership has played a key role in driving industry confidence in our production and supply chain companies, talent, regional-based crew and our world-class locations.

With growing strength in our local production companies and infrastructure, and studio developments already underway, we will continue the delivering alongside our partners to ensure the North East has a sustainable screen industry that will see global content produced in the region all year long.”

On Wednesday, Tim Davie also visited the set of CBBC’s The Dumping Ground – which is filmed in Hexham, Northumberland, and employs local talent at all levels of production. The Dumping Ground’s award winning trainee scheme has seen over 80 participants take part from the region, securing a pipeline of local creative talent.

Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, says: “The BBC is proud to play a part in this landmark commitment to the North East. By boosting investment, allocating the right resources, and moving people outside of London – we’re making sure that authentic, home-grown stories from this amazing region are being told. It is our mission to bring people together and make sure the BBC continues to serve and reflect audiences from across the UK. We’re committed to our vision of supporting the North East’s vibrant media industry for the future.”

The BBC partnership has played a key role in driving industry confidence in our production and supply chain companies, talent, regional-based crew and our world-class locations. With growing strength in our talent, infrastructure, and studio developments already underway, we will continue the delivering alongside our partners to ensure the North East has a sustainable screen industry that will see global content produced in the region all year long.”

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness says: “Our North East has been the backdrop for iconic TV shows and films, and talent and creativity runs through our DNA as a region. Work by the BBC and North East Screen has helped kick start a renaissance in local production, job creation and investment in the North East’s screen industry. However, this is just the start. As Mayor I want to go further – so our region and talent is seen on screens across the globe. Just this week, I approved £25 million investment to begin work on the Crown Works Studios, which will create world-class film and TV production facilities in Sunderland. This will help make our area the home of real opportunity, ending the days where people have to leave the North East to pursue a career in creative industries.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen says: “Our region has fantastic locations, amazing talent, and huge potential as a centre for TV and film making – so it has been great to see the development of new shows in our area as part of this growing partnership with the BBC.

“We are building a growing reputation as a place where opportunities in the creative and digital sectors are thriving. This is why the expansion of the BBC in places such as Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool is so important as it not only shows off the best of our area but provides long-term careers for local people in well-paid skilled industries.”

Sara Davies says: “Having just finished filming The Big Idea Works with TwentySix03, I can tell you first-hand that the creative and production power of the North East is second to none. The BBC’s commitment to the region is a reflection of this wealth of talent, and long may it continue. We have much more to offer and, thanks to relationships with people like North East Screen, the viewers will see this in action. We all know that television is a challenging industry, but my goodness – there is a great deal to recognise in the region, and we need to make sure that production talent is preserved, nurtured and supported.”

By celebrating the MOU’s three-year anniversary and its current achievements, the BBC and its partners are ensuring that the North East’s growing legacy as a major entertainment producer is safeguarded for years to come

Tender for interim evaluation of NESIP Programme

Posted on 16 February 202416 February 2024 by North East Screen

North East Screen is inviting organisations and consultants to submit a proposal for an Interim evaluation of “North East Screen Industries Programme – Year 1 and Year 2”.

The North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP) is a vehicle established in 2022 to facilitate the strategic development of the TV and screen industry in the North East region. The development programme is delivered by North East Screen.

The programme aims to:

• Strengthen infrastructure

• Grow the sector through job creation, business growth and resilience

• Develop, attract, and retain talent

• Positively raise the profile of the region

• Build wider awareness of the screen sector opportunities in the North East

• Encourage pride in communities and a sense of belonging

• Support the region’s agenda to attract inward investment

Your proposal should include:

• A brief description of your organisation/area of work

• A description of how you will approach the requirements for this work; specifically, your response should address the areas listed in section 2

• A short description of the expertise that would be applied to this work (including CVs in appendix).

• Examples of any previous work which is relevant (maximum 2 examples)

• A quote for this work including VAT and expenses.

Click here to view the full Tender Specification.

Selection Process

Process	Date
Deadline for Receipt of Proposals	25/02/2024
Review proposals and seek any required clarifications	27/02/2024
Shortlist organisation to carry out evaluation study and report.	29/02/2024
Evaluation study and report (First Draft)	14/04/2024
Evaluation study and report (Final)	12/05/2024

Channel 4 and North East Screen Industries Partnership collaborate to help build the production sector in the North East

Posted on 12 October 202312 October 2023 by North East Screen

Channel 4 and the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP) have signed up to a collaboration to help build the production sector and develop talent in the North East.

Working closely with North East Screen and other partners across the region this collaboration will:

● enable better opportunities for the production community to engage with Channel 4 and forge strong creative relationships
● include specific commissioning and development initiatives to develop the production capability in the region and
● provide bespoke training and skills support to tackle skills gaps and open up creative careers to a wider range of people.

The overall aim of the agreement is to support the growth of independent production in the North East building the potential for more commissions from the region and enabling more careers in TV production.

Sinead Rocks, Managing Director Nations & Regions Channel 4, said: “As part of 4 All the UK we have regularly focused the different resources and initiatives on specific areas to help grow the production capacity. We know that there is enormous potential for the screen industries in the North East, and this collaboration with NESIP should provide tangible value and have real impact to help realise that potential.”

Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive of North East Screen, said: “This is an exciting statement of intent from Channel 4 to work closely with us and NESIP to provide more opportunities for our regional based indies, talent and crew. Channel 4 are a great broadcaster doing some really interesting work developing content and engaging audiences across linear and digital platforms.”

Channel 4 will build on its greater Nations and Regions presence to forge stronger and closer relationships in the North East. As part of this plan, there will be a range of activities geared towards supporting talent from across the region, including established to medium and smaller indies, freelance talent in TV and Film production, and those looking to launch their careers.

The first example of this will be a Channel 4 ‘Open Day’, a mix of virtual sessions and in-person activities for indies, freelancers and other stakeholders to find out more about the channel, meet commissioners and build relationships. This will take place on Wednesday 25^th October in Darlington.

Channel 4’s model is built around our unique relationship with independent production companies. There are already a range of schemes and interventions to support indies, especially those that are smaller and medium sized. Two North East indies (Sea and Sky Pictures and Motif Pictures) have already taken part in Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund. Channel 4 will continue to encourage and support applications from indies in the North East, including running individual and group workshops and surgeries.

Channel 4 and NESIP will work jointly to ensure that future opportunities, schemes and productions fund are shared across our collective networks in the region.

This collaboration will also involve bespoke development opportunities. To begin this work Channel 4 and NESIP have agreed to match-fund a development opportunity in the region for their new In Too Deep digital factual strand. This will be led by the digital commissioning team which is keen to commission a number of developments from the North East, either from indies directly or by pairing talent with indies in the region.

Funding is jointly provided by Channel 4 and NESIP. This will be a unique opportunity for talent and indies looking to work in the factual online space. Digital commissioners will take part in the North East Open Day on the 25^th October in Darlington to talk about this in more detail.

Alongside this work, there will be a major focus on training and skills. Channel 4 will look to support talent across all career stages through 4Skills – from inspiring young people, supporting early-stage writers to hone their skills, to progressing industry professionals in skills such as ideas development, pitching and business skills.

The North East has already been a priority area for 4Skills.

4Schools – Channel 4’s school engagement programme designed to encourage 11–16-year-olds to explore a career in the creative industry. Since 4Schools launched in 2022, it has engaged with 22 schools in the north east, and worked with 11,000 students in the region, with a particular focus on schools with higher percentage of free school meals. 4Schools will continue to prioritise the North East and engage with the regional and local authorities to ensure schools are aware of the opportunity.

Channel 4 will also build on its existing partnership with New Writing North (based at Northumbria University) to support emerging writers in developing their writing skills and providing career advice.

In addition to what is already underway, Channel 4 will develop and deliver new training initiatives that are designed to support the growth of skills in the region. The National Film and Television School will run a two-day careers roadshow in mid-October covering both scripted and unscripted roles. In 2024, Channel 4 and North East Screen will explore training that accelerates business development, covering leadership and management skills, as well as investment and distribution, along with other bespoke training requirements.

Finally, this collaboration will formalise the already strong working relationship between Channel 4 and North East Screen who will meet on a quarterly basis. In addition, Channel 4 will attend the already established NESIP Workforce Skills and Development Group which includes regional further and higher education bodies and representatives from Employment and Skills teams in each local authority.