Legendary Mancunian director Danny Boyle to play leading role in new media school at MMU

The International Screen School Manchester, led by Manchester Metropolitan University, is a project which will help develop interdisciplinary talent to support Greater Manchester’s creative and digital industries, which are among the fastest growth sectors in Europe.

The International Screen School Manchester (ISSM) will provide courses in film, animation, applied games, special effects, sound design, software design for screen, user experience design and immersive media content production for more than 1,000 students every year. It is estimated that the ISSM will generate an annual £13 million boost for the local economy.

Senior figures from film, media and commerce have already agreed to be part of the Screen School’s Industry Advisory Board.

Danny Boyle, known for his work on films including Trainspotting and 28 Days Later (some of which was filmed in Manchester), will co-chair the group, along with producer Nicola Shindler, founder of award-winning RED Productions.

Danny Boyle said: “This is just what Manchester needs and I am delighted to be part of the International Screen School Manchester.

“Manchester is a prolific centre of media production already and the Screen School will create the talent needed in the north to create even more success.

“I’m really keen to see young people from all backgrounds given the opportunity to learn to be the filmmakers and media producers of the future, and to have the opportunity to tell their own stories – but in ways that we’ve never experienced before.”

The new Screen School will work closely with key regional cultural and industry partners including HOME, RED Productions, BBC and ITV to ensure Greater Manchester has the skills base urgently needed to support this continued growth.

Greater Manchester leaders will be asked to give the green light to £15 million of Government funding for the International Screen School at February’s Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) meeting. This funding will then be matched by an additional investment of £15 million from Manchester Metropolitan University.

If agreed, work will begin to develop this innovative project on a site on Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor, within the Manchester Metropolitan University campus.