North West Film Network

 
On average 94% of film funding is commandeered by London. That’s 6% for the rest of the UK. What’s more, most of that 6% was never intended to be spent on regional filmmaking, but on attracting the ‘film industry’ – be it London or Hollywood – to come and spend some money in the regions. A tiny fraction, typically £100,000 per region, was to be spent on short films and script development as a talent-spotting exercise that might, just might, lead to one or two people from the regions getting the opportunity of moving to London and becoming part of the industry. So, whichever way you look at it, when it comes to filmmaking, London and Hollywood were the intended beneficiaries of even the crumbs under the table. Of course all these structures were pretty much out of date by the time they were established, as they were rooted in the pre-digital age. So filmmakers in the regions (funny that, London’s not a region, everywhere else is) simply side-stepped the powers that be, and were caught up by the realisation that there wasn’t that much difference between making films and making albums. Many of these films have not been that good, although there is research that suggests the ratio of good to bad is actually better than Hollywood. Many have been sidetracked by the belief that ‘no-budget’ means cutting corners, or by self-styled gurus preaching the mantra of ‘make a genre film, make a gangster flick or horror movie’. However, a group of filmmakers in the North West have embraced the creative freedom that comes with complete independence and have set about making films without compromise, no matter how long they may take to complete. These aren’t films with a cast of four, mumbled improvised dialogue and one location. Albino Injun’s big-hearted now-previewing production, Lookin’ for Lucky, features a large ensemble cast who portray characters, trapped by bad luck on a sink estate in Bolton, whose lives are colliding, in a Joe O’Byrne script that’s more reminiscent of Robert Altman than Shane Meadows.
Or there’s Pleased Sheep Film’s very highly-rated Diary of a Bad Lad – a black comedy that exposes the moral vacuum at the centre of the media’s fascination with crime; and was shot at countless locations in Blackburn and its surrounding parts of East Lancashire, as well as Bolton and Manchester, and includes not just one but two night club scenes! And both films were made on less than £5000 cash. These films came out of an awareness that they could only be made on a part-time basis, with everyone who contributed having a stake in the project. They were going to take a very long time – years, not months – and they had to be good enough to inspire everyone’s determination to see them through to completion and beyond. Others were joining the movement. Filmmaker and jazz pianist Baldwin Li set about making 25gs, which, on the surface is a Manchester gangster flick, except one that’s been re-worked into a Lynchian meditation on responsibility and the circular nature of events. It’s definitely a film that, if made abroad, would be screened in Manchester’s The Cornerhouse – but, like the other major arthouses, it’s programmed by the ICO in London and receives subsidies to show ‘non-British’ films. Then there’s Siab Studios just completed Mancattan which takes a sideways look at the ‘rom-com’ through the eyes of a couple of ex-film students who flee from their relationship problems in Manchester and head off for New York in an attempt to make a documentary about Woody Allen. Now these filmmakers are coming together with the aim of establishing an alternative regional exhibition circuit made up of independent cinemas, arts centres and other venues. And so far the response has been 100% positive.

Article by Jon Williams, North West filmmaker

Reprinted from Film & Festivals magazine May 2009

The Pennine Film Festival is proud to be involved with local film making talent, we aim to provide an opportunity to showcase North West film at our festival.

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