Latest news with #CreativeWales
Business News Wales
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Creative Wales Announces New Round of Music Capital Fund
Creative Wales – the Welsh Government agency that supports and promotes the creative industries in Wales – has announced a new round of its Music Capital Fund. The fund, worth more than £500,000, welcomes applications from small and medium-sized music businesses for grants of between £10,000 to £40,000. The aim is for these businesses to identify areas of their establishment and operations in need of capital investment and then put the funding towards improving and increasing the businesses' commercial outlook and sustainability, in turn benefiting the music industry in Wales. Last year 17 music businesses received over £715,000 in grant funding, including CELLB in Blaenau Ffestiniog; Y Saith Seren in Wrexham, The Bank Vault in Aberystwyth and Porter's in Cardiff. They then used the funding to upgrade and improve their spaces, extend premises and, in many cases, improve accessibility. Independent Cardiff venue Porter's used their funding on a project to convert an old nightclub into new premises when they had to vacate their previous location in late 2023. Works at the new venue included acoustic insulation, a new lobby with fire exits and an accessible toilet to ensure the new premises were fully compliant with regulations and open to the widest audience possible. The Bank Vault in Aberystwyth used their funding towards much needed construction costs. Zac Marsden, owner of the venue, said: 'The grant funding given to us via the Music Capital Fund proved vital to us. Creative Wales' support helped us to make improvements to the venue which helped improve its long-term viability as both a business, and as importantly, an independent music venue in Aberystwyth that brings people together and gives artists a vital platform.' Applications to the fund are open until midday on 26th June. For more information about the fund and the other support given to the creative sectors in Wales, visit here .
South Wales Argus
17-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Welsh TV sector boosted by hit BBC show filmed in Cardiff
Season four of Industry, which airs on the BBC in the UK, is again being produced by Welsh-based production company Bad Wolf, this time with support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales as part of a four-year deal between the two parties. As part of the deal, Bad Wolf, via Screen Alliance Wales, provides on-set training and work shadowing experiences for people entering the industry, as well as up-skilling opportunities for people looking to progress their careers. The show follows the high-pressured lives of a group of young bankers in London. Skills and Culture Minister Jack Sargeant visited the set this week and met cast, crew, and four trainees working on the show. He said: "It's been a pleasure to hear what valuable training opportunities Charlie, Jacob, Rosie, and Robyn have experienced working on Industry 4. "We are immensely proud of our Welsh film and TV sector and opportunities like these further develop our homegrown talent and cements Wales' reputation as a first-class filming location with skilled crew able to service high-end productions."
South Wales Argus
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Fund to boost Welsh language films now open for applications
Sinema Cymru, a partnership between S4C, Ffilm Cymru Wales, and the Welsh Government through Creative Wales, has announced the second round of its funding initiative. This aims to support the development of several Welsh-language feature films each year, with at least one progressing to production funding annually. The fund also seeks to nurture early-stage, high-potential filmmaking talent to ensure a vibrant future for Welsh language feature filmmaking in Wales. The scheme's first round last year received a significant number of high-quality applications, from which four projects were selected for feature development. The second round is now open for applications from experienced filmmakers across Wales. The fund, administered by Ffilm Cymru Wales, offers up to £30,000 for individual projects that could be ready for production within 12 months of the development period, with smaller awards of up to £10,000 available for earlier stage projects. Jack Sargeant, Welsh Government minister for culture, said: "The Sinema Cymru fund shows our drive to delivering more independent Welsh language film, and we particularly want to champion under-represented voices and push the boundaries of what is expected from Welsh language film. "The success of the four projects funded in our first round demonstrates the wealth of talent and creativity in Wales." Gwenllian Gravelle, head of film and drama for S4C, said: "The cinema is a special medium that allows us to entertain, connect with our audiences and start meaningful conversations. "Sinema Cymru is very exciting as it helps us to showcase Wales, our language, our unique talent and our stories with audiences both locally and globally." Interested applicants should submit their applications by Monday, June 16. For more information and to apply, visit the Ffilm Cymru Wales website.
Business News Wales
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business News Wales
Biggest Feature Film Shot Entirely in Wales Is Released
The biggest feature film to be shot entirely in Wales has been released on Netflix. HAVOC, starring Tom Hardy and written/directed by Welsh-born Gareth Evans (The Raid, Apostle, Gangs of London) follows a deal gone wrong and a bruised detective having to fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician's estranged son. The production was shot at Great Point Studios in Cardiff, Dragon Studios in Bridgend and on location across South Wales. The drama is the latest in a long line of major TV and film productions filmed in Wales with Welsh Government backing through Creative Wales: from HBO's House of the Dragon, to Amazon's recently announced Young Sherlock and the much-acclaimed recent cinematic release Mr Burton. The £28.6 million of production funding Creative Wales has invested so far in the screen sector is projected to bring an additional £342 million of additional spend into the Welsh economy, meaning for every £1 it has invested, Creative Wales has seen nearly £12 invested back in the Welsh economy. This investment has delivered 420 trainee placements and apprenticeships, ensuring a thriving pipeline of skilled professionals. Wales has become one of Netflix's key production hubs, and has been the filming location for iconic shows like the hit Netfix original Sex Education which was shot at various locations across South Wales over four seasons. With Creative Wales support the teen comedy drama was able to create a significant amount of job opportunities locally, as well as over 60 trainee and apprenticeship positions for young Welsh creatives, many of whom went on to secure full time roles. An economic impact report recently published by Netflix revealed that its productions in Wales have contributed over £200 million to the UK economy since 2020, supporting over 500 businesses from all over Wales in that time. Netflix has ensured that HAVOC will be available to view with Welsh-language subtitles, much like The Adam Project starring Ryan Reynolds and Dal Y Mellt which was the first S4C Welsh-language drama picked up by Netflix. Anna Mallet, Vice President of Production, UK, Netflix, said: 'From Sex Education to The Crown, and now to HAVOC, some of our most beloved titles were filmed or produced in Wales. Blessed with incredible creative talent and beautiful natural landscapes, Wales is an amazing place to make entertainment, so Netflix is delighted that our Welsh productions can continue to create such enduring cultural and economic opportunities.' Culture Minister, Jack Sargeant, said: 'We are immensely proud of our Welsh creative industries, which employ over 35,000 talented individuals, and the world-class infrastructure we have in place for film and TV productions. We are proud to work closely with Netflix, HBO, Amazon and others to bring major productions to Wales. Collaborations like this create jobs, training opportunities and major spend within our economy and are a global platform to showcase everything we offer as a nation.'
ITV News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Welsh-Made thriller Havoc starring Tom Hardy lands on Netflix
Article by Susie White The biggest feature film shot entirely in Wales has landed on Netflix today. Havoc - an action thriller starring Tom Hardy, and directed by Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans, is being hailed as the biggest feature ever filmed solely in the country, according to the streaming platform. Filming was spread across South Wales, with a mix of location shoots and studio work in Cardiff and Bridgend. The crime drama follows a detective forced to navigate a dangerous criminal underworld after a deal gone wrong. Its production is one of the latest projects supported by Creative Wales, and is part of a wider boom of film-making across the nation. Following the huge successes of Wales-based productions- like Sex Education - Netflix say since 2020, these have injected more than £200 million into the UK economy, and supported over 500 Welsh businesses. Calling attention to Wales' beautiful landscapes, Netflix UK's Vice President of Production, Anna Mallet, praised it as 'an amazing place to make entertainment.' In a further nod to its filming roots, Havoc is available with Welsh-subtitles, following similiar efforts with The Adam Project starring Ryan Reynolds, and Dal Y Mellt. Culture Minister, Jack Sargeant has praised collaborations like these, which provide jobs, training and opportunities for Welsh people, saying they are a "global platform to showcase everything we offer as a nation".
