Developing opportunities for film and digital screen talent in Lancashire

Creative Lancashire, in association with They Eat Culture, are relaunching their joint ‘Screen Opps’ initiative to develop the screen industries in Lancashire.

The ‘Making Films in Lancashire’ event takes place at The Continental in Preston on Wednesday 12 October from 6pm.

It will focus on independent filmmaking in the North West, and includes a special screening of gritty Birkenhead-set drama The Violators, followed by a live Q&A session with the film’s writer and director Helen Walsh, producer David Hughes and lead actress Brogan Ellis.

The event also marks the return of the popular ‘Show & Tell’ sessions, where people with work in production can receive feedback from a test audience, as well as industry professionals.

Find out more and book your place at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/screen-opps-relaunch-making-films-in-lancashire-tickets-27890541360. The event is free to Screen Opps participants.

Ed Matthews-Gentle from Creative Lancashire explained: "This event is a fantastic way for people to have conversations with industry practitioners, find out about opportunities in the industry, gain vital insight and make contact with influential screen practitioners.

"Screen Opps will also be creating a report looking at the current state of the industry. We really need input from industry professionals, to feed in their comments about what is needed to help develop more opportunities in Lancashire."

Further events are planned across the county during the coming months, offering development and networking sessions and talks from regional, national and international screen and storytelling specialists.

Creative Lancashire is a service provided by Lancashire County Council through its economic development company – Lancashire County Developments Ltd (LCDL). They support creative and digital businesses and work with all sectors to realise creative potential.

For more details visit www.creativelancashire.org or follow them on twitter @creativelancs.

They Eat Culture is a non-profit arts and cultural production company based in Preston, UK.

Ruth Heritage, creative director, They Eat Culture, said: "We think it's vital to Lancashire's growing creative and cultural economy that there are opportunities within the screen industries, for those just entering or those already working in the industry.

"Lancashire has so much to offer as a location for filming, from the beautiful coastline, the villages and fells, to the towns and cities that make up the county, all deserving to profile the county on screen.

"Equally, we want to make sure the county thrives as a place to have a career in screen industries. Screen Opps aims to accelerate this and to ensure we're thinking together about what screen industries in Lancashire look like, and They Eat Culture are very pleased to be working alongside Creative Lancashire to move this forward."

They Eat Culture is a direct creative intervention into the cultural life of Preston, Lancashire, and elsewhere. They work with creatives, artists, thinkers and commentators, and partners to present and produce creatively ambitious projects and artistic interventions, often co-designed with communities and in relationship to the places we live. Find out more about their work at www.theyeatculture.org.