Deeside based independent film company wins Welsh Government backing for high-end TV series

A Deeside based independent film production company, Mad As Birds is being backed by the The Welsh Government in the development of a high-end television series called Minotaur.

The series will be written by Celyn Jones, actor/writer behind Set Fire to the Stars, and tells a darkly original, unique tale of human redemption and fear.

It will be set between France and North Wales and has already attracted the attention of major global talent who wish to be involved.

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Ken Skates said:

“I am particularly pleased the Media Investment Budget is supporting home grown talent like Mad as Birds and that our funding will ensure the majority of filming takes place in Wales.

“TV and film productions provide work for a wide range of freelancers, creative industry companies and local businesses that create economic benefits for the region.

“The Media Investment Budget has successfully invested in a number of high profile films that have boosted the economy and helped raise the profile and expertise of the creative industries in Wales.”

Based in Sealand, Flintshire, Mad as Birds was initially set up in 2014 to produce the Dylan Thomas biopic Set Fire To The Stars starring Celyn Jones as Dylan Thomas, alongside Elijah Wood, which went on to win three BAFTA Cymru awards in 2015.

The production company now boasts a slate of film and TV projects in development, all with scripts and directors attached.

Mad as Birds Director Sean Marley said:

“Minotaur is an exciting take on the crime thriller genre and a poignant character study from the creative mind of Celyn Jones, an emerging Welsh talent. We’re delighted to have attracted funding from this new partnership and that they share our belief in the worldwide potential of this Welsh based drama series.”

Executive Producer Paul Higgins commented that it had the potential to be Wales’s True Detective.

Robert Norris, Senior Vice President of Pinewood Pictures, said: “We are delighted to bring Media Investment Budget funding to this exciting Welsh-based TV project – original and compelling drama of this sort is exactly what we are looking for.”

The project is aiming for pre-production in early 2017.