Film Agency for Wales supports European talent

by Naman Ramachandran

22/03/2012 - The Film Agency for Wales has announced a total of £460,000 investment in films by Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (pictured - Elegy [trailer]) and British directors Dominic Murphy (White Lightnin’ [trailer]) and Duane Hopkins (Better Things [trailer]).

Rainy Day Films, UK (Patagonia [trailer]) and Tornasol, Spain (The Secret in Their Eyes [trailer]) get £200,000 towards producing Coixet’s teen psychological thriller Panda Eyes that’s due in production Spring 2012. Fox International Productions is handling distribution and sales.

Spring is also when Hopkins’ drama Bypass goes into production. Severn Screen gets £110,000 to produce alongside Third Films. The film has support from the British Film Institute and Sweden’s Film i Väst.

The Film Agency for Wales has also awarded £150,000 to Welsh producer Meinir Stoutt (Resistance) of Links Film Productions for Murphy’s Cassy and Jude, based on the novel Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker. Links will work with the UK’s F&ME and France’s Partizan. Content Film is handling international sales.

Suzanne Alizart, Interim Chief Executive of the Film Agency for Wales, said, “The funding for these three feature films is all about nurturing Welsh film talent and supporting the long-term viability of Welsh production companies. Our investment plays an important role in ensuring that Welsh talent develops and produces high impact films of international significance, confirming Wales as the creative nation to watch.”

“The potential economic benefits for Wales are also strong with a substantial inward investment of approximately £1.75 million and a Wales based shoot ensuring jobs for local crew,” she added.