Film producer hits Edinburgh
A SALFORD production company has had two films accepted by the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
The festival, which starts next month, will screen Made up North’s feature about a teenage father A Boy Called Dad on June 18.
There will also be a screening of the first short film by The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barratt as part of the festival’s UK Shorts 2 programme.
Made Up North was founded by Michael Knowles in 2004 after he achieved success with his first production Talking With Angels. Joined by Stacey Murray in 2006 the pair raised the £1m they needed to start shooting A Boy Called Dad in September 2008.
Mr Knowles said: “This is a very exciting time for us. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved so far – particularly in such challenging economic times, but this is really only the beginning.
“We can’t wait to see how audiences and the industry react to the finished products.”
Ms Murray said: “Made Up North’s mission is to make high quality, commercial British films from outside London, and this news has really spurred us on to the next stage. We hope that it will encourage further investment in films made in the region, especially now that cinema attendance figures are rising and more traditional investment options are in decline.”
The company already has a new film, Waving at Trains starring Pete Postlethwaite, in post-production, and a further three feature films in development. The first of these will be shot in LA, and discussions with Universal Studios are underway.
A Boy Called Dad was co-financed by regional screen agency EM Media through the European Regional Development Fund. Additional finance came from Northwest Vision and Media, Film Agency Wales and Made Up North’s private equity partners in the north-west – a group of private investors and the North West Seed Fund.
