A fund to back movie-making in Scotland has been given an extra £250,000 to help boost the film industry north of the border.
Fiona Hyslop, Scotland's culture secretary, told an audience at the screen summit at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, that the Production Growth Fund, which has benefitted films and TV shows including Trainspotting 2, Churchill and The Loch, will be increased to £3.25m.
The Growth Fund is made up of a combination of Scottish Government and National Lottery Funding and is administered by Creative Scotland, the national arts agency.
The extra funds come after Ms Hyslop said analysis had shown the first £1.75m award from the fund had resulted in a boost to the Scottish economy of £17.5m.
Ms Hyslop said: "Film and TV producers spent a record £53m shooting in Scotland in 2015 – an increase of £30m in the last ten years.
"One crucial initiative that has attracted major productions to base themselves in Scotland has been the Production Growth Fund, of which £1.75m had been awarded at the end of March.
"The fund has underpinned strong demand for our crew and our services, cemented trust in the excellence of our work and strengthened Scotland’s reputation as a base for big budget productions.
"It is attracting major productions to showcase Scotland and our breathtaking locations to audiences around the world, with clear knock on benefits for our tourism sector.
“This is great news both for our screen industry and Scotland’s wider economy.”
Natalie Usher, Director of Screen at Creative Scotland said: "The Production Growth Fund has proved to be a significant factor in the increase in Film and TV production in Scotland in recent years."
Piers Tempest, the producer of Churchill, which received £250,000, said: "With the support of Creative Scotland and the Production Growth Fund, we had an extremely positive experience filming Churchill in Scotland, and it really felt like the natural place to bring our next film, The Wife."
The Production Growth Fund was set up in September 2015 and initially stood at £1.75 million.
Figures provided by Creative Scotland estimate the first £1.75 million allocated has resulted in a wider economic spend of £17,592,118.
Trainspotting 2 received £500,000 from the fund.
Ms Hyslop also said a new screen unit, within Creative Scotland, will be established later this year.
She said: "I and my fellow Ministers share the sector’s wish for momentum and pace so I am pleased that this work – which is being taken forward in partnership – is now entering a new phase.
"All agencies have agreed how they will work together to develop, over the summer, an agreed proposal for how the Screen Unit ambition might best be delivered.
"I look forward to receiving, this autumn, a single blueprint which commands the support and commitment of all.
"It should include an agreed vision and strategy for the screen sector, with defined agency roles and contributions to enable joined-up service delivery to users."
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