west midlands production fund

Our West Midlands Production Fund (WMPF) was set up with the support of ERDF to encourage and invest in the sustainable production of feature films and TV drama in the region. 

WMPF operates as a legacy fund which reinvests recouped finance to support the West Midlands as a dynamic production hub by providing access to finance for SME’s. 

The fund will:

• consider funding higher end feature film and TV drama productions, with investments usually between £100k-500k
• invest debt or equity matched £ for £ by equivalent private and/or public risk finance
• only consider projects at an advanced stage of secured financing with a director and lead producer attached

• require projects to demonstrate clear potential for the fund to recoup its investment
• prioritise projects attracting significant private investment and demonstrating clear commercial potential
• require awarded projects to have an SME base and commit to production activity in the West Midlands region (Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall)

The fund will not:

• fund project development or short film production
• fund projects which do not demonstrate clear potential to recoup our investment
• provide finance on less favourable terms than the risk finance being matched

If you would like to apply to the fund, you must  consult the guidelines  in full before completing an Expression of Interest (EOI). 

Through the fund we have been able to back a number of successful releases:

Small Axe is an anthology of 5 films for BBCOne/Amazon Prime from Sir Steve McQueen, with two films shooting entirely in the region. Films from the series were first in official selection in Cannes and screened at further international festivals before broadcasting on the BBC and going on to win a Golden Globe as well as numerous further awards.

The Girl With All the Gifts was the opening film at Locarno before going on to Toronto, Sitges, Rotterdam, Palm Springs and more before its Warner UK release in 2016. The film was nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut and won a BIFA for Breakthrough Producer amongst its four nominations, as well as awards at Sitges, Fantastic Fest and Gerardmer.

Jawbone went on release in 2017 with a score composed by Paul Weller. The film was nominated for six BIFA awards in 2017 and the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut in 2018.

Line of Duty series 1 was the first installation of the multi-award-winning long-running BBC series.

Hustle series 6, 7 and 8 were the last three outings for this popular Emmy, BAFTA and RTS nominated BBC show

Dancing on the Edge was the Golden Globe and BAFTA award-winning BBC serial.

Further productions supported by the fund include Nativity 2, The Marker, The Call Up, Spooks: The Greater Good, One Mile Away, Toast, Fanny Lye Deliver’d and the forthcoming Benediction, The Colour Room and My Name Is Leon.