Wigan Council's Film Fund showcased at International Film Festival

Wigan Council's Film Fund showcased at International Film Festival

Councillor Keith Cunliffe takes part in a panel discussion at Leeds International Film Festival

Wigan Council was invited to showcase its successful Film Fund at the recent Leeds International Film Festival. 

The event at Leeds City Museum saw the council’s Deputy Leader, Councillor Keith Cunliffe, take part in a panel discussion with the producers of The Split Up, a BBC series which was filmed on location in Leigh earlier this year. 

Panellists discussed how investment in productions outside London is helping to drive northern creativity, create opportunities for local talent and strengthen the region's creative economy. 

Coun Cunliffe said: "It was great sharing our experience of launching the Film Fund at one of the UK's leading film festivals.

“By reinvesting the location fee from The Split Up right back into the community in Leigh, local people were able to directly benefit from this filming in our borough with paid placements, bootcamps, work experience and further paid work opportunities for young people in Leigh. 

“Film and television production brings significant opportunities for local people, from skills development and employment to supporting local businesses and showcasing our communities on screen. 

"We have committed to reinvesting location fees back into our Film Fund, supporting the creative industries locally, ensuring local people directly benefit, and that the economic and cultural benefits of screen production are felt across our borough."

The Deputy Leader joined industry leaders from SISTER Pictures and the BBC, alongside cast and crew, for the panel discussion hosted by Spotlight.

The session ‘The Real Value Chain’ used The Split Up, filmed at Leigh Town Hall and locations across Greater Manchester, as a case study to explore the wider benefits of regional screen production.  

It brought together commissioners, producers, creatives and community leaders to discuss the wider impact of regional production and the role it plays in driving growth across the northern creative economy. 

Bryony Arnold, Executive Producer of The Split Up, which has now been recommissioned by the BBC for a second series, said: “What was great and beautiful about Leigh was the foundations of it.

“I think for us what was really important to the story was Dhruv Kishan, who’s the patriarch of the family, this is his law firm that he set up from day one, so we wanted to feel that cultural heritage of it as well. It’s part of the family.

“In the show there’s this conflict between the old and the new, contemporary versus the heritage, and we really wanted to lean into that. Leigh Town Hall is such a beautiful space.” 

The council's Film Fund forms part of wider efforts to support the creative sector, encourage inward investment and create new opportunities for residents interested in careers in film, television and digital media.

Learn more about filming in Wigan Borough.