Could This New £2.5m Scheme Change Cornwall’s Film Future?

A major investment has been announced to boost film and high-end TV production across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, with a new £2.5 million equity scheme set to support up to ten projects over the next three years.

A New Backing for the Screen Industry

Screen Cornwall Equity Production Investment (SCEPI) has been launched with £1.25 million from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme. The public and private scheme, led by regional screen agency Screen Cornwall, aims to help the region grow as a nationally significant screen cluster.

SCEPI will invest in high-end TV and film projects produced or filmed in the region between 2025 and 2028. Productions will be expected to bring direct economic benefits to Cornwall through local spend and strong creative links to the area.

Each selected project will receive between £125,000 and £500,000, matched by private investors. According to Screen Cornwall, the scheme is expected to generate more than £6.75 million in additional regional spend and support up to 117 jobs. The announcement follows a record £16.2 million in production spend in Cornwall during 2023 and 2024.

Announced on Set in Cornwall

The scheme was unveiled by Cornwall Council Leader Leigh Frost during a visit to the set of Beyond Paradise, the BBC crime drama starring Chris Marshall and Sally Bretton, which is currently filming its fourth series in Cornwall.

Leigh said: “This scheme builds on Good Growth investment in Screen Cornwall and marks a bold step forward for Cornwall’s creative industries. It will drive jobs and career development opportunities for locally based talent and crew and strengthen and retain our diverse and highly skilled workforce. Supporting stories and storytellers with natural links to the region also promotes Cornwall and the Isles of Scily at home and abroad as a dynamic place to live, work and invest in through on-screen cultural and geographical representation to audiences worldwide.”

What the Scheme Will Support

SCEPI is open to UK production companies working on narrative feature films and high-end scripted drama or comedy intended for TV or streaming services.

Backed projects must:

• Deliver strong commercial potential

• Contribute production spend to the Cornish economy

• Have clear creative links to Cornwall

• Meet advanced environmental standards

Supported productions will also provide paid placements for 30 local trainees, helping them build long term careers in the industry.

Focus on Local Culture and Identity

Projects will be selected for their ability to showcase Cornwall’s unique identity, including the use of the Cornish language, and to enhance the region’s visibility on screen. The scheme is also expected to strengthen the area’s growing reputation for screen tourism and creative talent.

Nada Cirjanic, the newly appointed Investment Manager for SCEPI at Screen Cornwall, said: “I am delighted to be joining the team and excited by all the opportunities SCEPI investment brings to the industry and to the region. SCEPI will offer experienced producers a source of equity for high end audience facing projects which shoot in Cornwall, answering a need for new finance in the market, but also drawing on the resources and experience in the region after many years of high profile film and TV shoots here.”

Part of a Wider Good Growth Plan

The scheme supports the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Plan for 2024 to 2035, which aims to create a fairer, greener and more prosperous economy. The wider Good Growth programme is managed by Cornwall Council and has £186 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund until March 2026.

More information is available on the Good Growth Programme website at https://ciosgoodgrowth.com/

📷L-R: Laura Giles, Managing Director of Screen Cornwall, Cllr Leigh Frost, Leader of Cornwall Council, trainee James McBride from Looe, Cllr Sarah Preece, Cornwall Council Portfolio holder for Tourism, Localism and Planning, Phillippa Giles, Chair of Screen Cornwall on the set of Beyond Paradise at St Mellion.