Ffilm Cymru, the development agency for Welsh film, has reopened its Company Support fund. The fund offers Wales-based companies with a feature film focus the opportunity to apply for loans of up to £75,000.
And for the first time, companies that are yet to produce their first feature film or documentary can apply for awards of up to £6,000 toward specialist consultancy and mentorship to help guide their business development strategy.
Ffilm Cymru’s Company Support fund is designed to build sustainable, creative businesses in Wales, enabling growth, facilitating innovation, and improving audience reach. The favourable-term loans are tailored to be responsive to the specific needs of the company.
Welsh companies that have previously received Company Support from Ffilm Cymru include: Mad As Birds Films, who used the funding to open a new office in Llandudno, and went on to shoot upcoming film Six Minutes to Midnight there with Dame Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard; Red & Black Films, who explored the broader IP value in their horror movie Don't Knock Twice, turning it into a hit VR game; and Y Gwyll/Hinterland producers Severn Screen, who increased staff capacity to work across Wales-shot television and film including Craith/Hidden, Denmark and Gareth Evans’ Apostle.
Western Edge Pictures (Prevenge), Ie Ie Productions (Queerama), Barefoot Rascals (London Recruits), Dogs of Annŵn (The Lighthouse), Truth Department (The Borneo Case) and Joio (Bang) have also benefited from Company Support funding from Ffilm Cymru.
Mad As Birds Films’ Celyn Jones comments:
“The Company Support allowed Mad As Birds to transition and grow from a single film entity to a thriving production company. That money helped us build our skill base and relations in America whilst shouldering the team while we developed good product for the market.
“We release three feature films in 2019 and are currently in pre-production on our next project and casting and packaging another with a big US partner, which are results we could have only dreamed of without the constant belief and support from partners like Ffilm Cymru.”
Kimberley Warner, Head of Creative Business at Ffilm Cymru, adds:
“I'm very proud of our comprehensive support for the Welsh film sector over the past 13 years; from getting people without networks their first production placements, to helping them to develop and produce their first shorts and feature ideas, through to supporting them to grow and sustain their companies.
“The companies we have previously given Company Support funding to are innovative, ambitious and talent-driven, and I'm looking forward to discovering the next generation of creative entrepreneurs.”
