Local Film Producer Mike Knowles is on a roll. His last film, the Salford-set Talking with Angels was BAFTA-nominated, he’s now got 2 new feature films ready to go in to production and he’s gearing up for this year’s Salford Film Festival.
The success of Talking with Angels marked Mike and his production company Made up North Productions as names to watch in the industry.
Mike recently returned from the United States, where he has been drumming up support for Made Up North feature film projects A Boy called Dad and Vows and Rites. Having already received offers of support and involvement from leading lights in the UK and US film industry, both films now have an outstanding chance of being fast-tracked through production.
Mike remains steadfast that: “A Boy called Dad will be filmed in the north. It will be directed by BAFTA award-winning Brian Percival and tells the story of a 14 year old boy who goes on the run with his young baby after unexpectedly becoming a dad. It’s poignant, funny and contemporary.”
Committed to developing filmmaking outside London, Mike was responsible for establishing the Northern Film Network, an organisation providing information and support to emerging filmmakers. He then went on to be a prime mover, chairman and promoter of the inaugural Salford Film Festival which received significant critical acclaim and media coverage.
The festival returns this November with a programme of films including international premieres, locally made community films and the best regional short films. Running from 24-28 November, it is a celebration of Salford’s cinematic talent. The line-up features five of Sir Ben Kingsley’s best films, the premiere of It’s Not The End of The World, directed by Eastenders star Stephen Lord, a screening of the cult ‘Northern Noir’ Hell is a City, a rare Shelagh Delaney double bill, and much more.
Mike, who continues to chair the festival, says: “The aim of this festival is introduce people to the film industry through screenings, workshops and conferences, all of which are FREE! It’s also a great platform for local film makers to get their films shown to a wider audience, which certainly helped me.”
The Salford Film Festival runs from 24-28 November at a range of different venues across the city. For more information, visit:
Made up North Productions currently have several films in development with support from regional and national film agencies. ‘A Boy called Dad’ and Vows and Rites which are scheduled to start filming next year.
A downloadable version of this press release is available HERE.