Nottingham is a city for film. So why don't we act like it?
Between 2002 and 2013, EM Media helped produce This Is England, Control, Bronson, Mum & Dad and Dead Man's Shoes. British classics that put our region on the cinematic map. Proof that regional film funding works is staring us in the face. Yet Nottingham still has no dedicated feature film production fund.
I know the struggle firsthand. Our Nottingham feature The Correction Unit was financed through fifteen sources, bank loans, credit cards and an embarrassing number of favours. It took two years to shoot, involved 250 East Midlands creatives and gave forty young people their first industry experience. When we finally screened it to a sold-out Broadway Cinema in September 2025, it felt like we'd survived an unforgiving siege. Since its release, a huge number of opportunities have opened up for our young actors and crew.
Nottingham isn't short of talent. Bella Ramsey, Jack O'Connell, Vicky McClure, Samantha Morton and Spike Fearn all came through Nottingham Television Workshop and will be seen on many red carpets during awards season. Award-winning cinematographers like Jermaine Edwards and producers Anna Griffin and Alistair Clark are based here. Yet many leave for work. We're training talent for London and Manchester's benefit. Lovely of us.
Meanwhile, local filmmakers make ambitious films through desperate determination and a healthy dose of stupidity. Inspiring, but unsustainable.
East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward recently recognised film's importance to the visitor economy at the Visit East Midlands launch event. Productions fill hotels, employ local businesses and put places on the map. Imagine a funded industry where young filmmakers get paid, production companies grow and Nottingham stories reach international audiences. It surely is a no-brainer.
This monthly column will celebrate filmmakers grafting against the odds and make a racket. Hopefully, those holding the purse strings will recognise an industry primed and ready. It just needs investment.
There's plenty to talk about. See you next month.
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