Yorkshire indies get funding boost

Grierson-nominated factual indie Candour Productions and Channel 4 Indie Accelerator firm Meridian Line Films are among the 13 recipients of Screen Yorkshire's 'lifeline' fund.
Set up in partnership with the Leeds City Regional Enterprise Partnership and The Creative Catalyst programme, the £200,000 fund has supported 22 projects pitched to broadcasters.
Candour, which began as the Yorkshire arm of indie True Vision, is run by film-maker Anna Hall and received a Grierson nomination this week for its doc The Family Secret, which is up for best single documentary - domestic.
Meridian Line Films, meanwhile, was one of several BAME-led indies chosen for investment by C4 this summer. "As a diverse, northern indie, we're passioate about telling stories and creating formats, from our region and beyond, that reflect modern Britain," said the indie's development executive Nacressa Swann.
Other companies set to benefit from the fund include Kay Mellor's drama indie Rollem Productions, based in Leeds, and Huddersfield's Fettle Animation. The agency has yet to reveal the remaining nine companies.
Screen Yorkshire chief executive Sally Johnson added: ’’You can’t underestimate the importance of initiatives like this at such a critical time, whilst production has been at a standstill. Getting support for development has provided a lifeline to producers.”