The West of England has launched a new £4.5 million fund to increase film and television production across the region and expand its screen industry. Called Greenlight West, the fund was launched on September 17 at Bristol Old Vic by Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England.
The initiative is expected to generate £20.7 million in production spending across the region and support more than 230 jobs.
The investment comes as Bristol continues to build on its established screen industry. In 2022, natural history content alone generated £127.2 million, accounting for 44% of Bristol’s £288 million screen industry turnover. The figure highlights the scale of production activity already based in the city and provides context for the new fund, which is intended to support further work across film and television.
Greenlight West will provide non-recoupable grants ranging from £50,000 to £500,000 for commercially viable film and television projects. The funding is intended to increase production in the West of England while encouraging projects to spend money locally and create opportunities for workers and businesses in the region.
Incoming productions filming in the area can apply, alongside projects led by production companies based in the West of England. Productions using significant local post-production facilities can also qualify. The scheme is designed to support producers, freelancers, crews, local suppliers and skills development, allowing more of the economic activity created by productions to remain within the region.
The West of England Combined Authority describes Greenlight West as the biggest boost to film and television production in the region in more than a decade. Its projected £20.7 million in production spending is expected to benefit businesses and workers involved in filming, equipment, post-production and other specialist services.
The West of England is the UK’s third-largest screen-production hub, with Bristol and Bath forming the centre of a wider creative sector. The region’s screen industries generate an estimated £325 million in turnover and support around 3,000 full-time-equivalent jobs, alongside thousands of freelance and contract roles.
Bristol’s screen industry covers factual programming, animation and scripted production. The city is home to the BBC Studios Natural History Unit and Aardman, the Oscar- and BAFTA-winning animation studio. The Bottle Yard Studios is the largest film and television production facility in the West of England. Bristol has also held UNESCO City of Film status since 2017.
The region has recently been used for productions including Bridgerton, Rivals, The Outlaws and Young Sherlock. According to the West of England Combined Authority, content made in Bristol and the surrounding region is watched by more than 800 million people every month, giving the area a significant international audience.
Greenlight West is the first investment from the £25 million secured by the West of England through the UK government’s Creative Places Growth Fund. The wider programme is intended to support creative businesses and freelancers through investment in skills, innovation and international opportunities.
For the West of England, the new fund provides additional financial support for a screen sector that already includes major studios, production companies, specialist facilities and experienced crews. By supporting productions that create local spending and employment, Greenlight West is intended to increase activity across the wider screen economy.
The fund also gives regional production companies another source of finance for projects and provides incoming productions with an additional reason to consider the West of England. With Bristol’s established reputation in natural history, animation and scripted entertainment, the new investment adds financial support to an industry that is already an important part of the region’s creative economy.
