EXCLUSIVE: Susanna White’s Prima Facie, starring Cynthia Erivo, is gearing up to shoot at London’s Story Works Studios in the autumn, marking the first independent feature to shoot at the studios.
The UK-Australian co-production is an adaptation of Suzie Miller’s Tony- and Olivier award-winning play.
Australia’s Bunya Productions produces alongside the UK’s Embankment Films, in association with Story Works Studios. Embankment also represents sales, with UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance co-representing for the US. Miller has adapted the play for the screen.
UK producers Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan founded 22-acre site Story Works at a former brewery in Richmond, southwest London, last year. It initially served as a temporary facility for Disney+ series A Thousand Blows, which Keogh and Vaughan produced. Universal Pictures’ Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and Amazon MGM’s upcoming Jack Ryan feature have also shot at the facility.
“Since opening, we have been focused on large-scale projects that use the entire studio, kick-started by producing A Thousand Blows for Disney+. We are excited now to welcome our first independent feature film to the studio and to help support the film by co-investing,” said Simon Vaughan, co-founder and CEO of Story Works, with the studios offering a discounted hire fee for the independent production.
“Having built out the space over recent years, we are now able to accommodate multiple projects side by side, which makes it more affordable for smaller-scale projects to shoot here.”
Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London, added: “We know that many independent producers have traditionally thought they couldn’t necessarily afford or get access to bigger studios, kit, costumes and facilities, but these possibilities are open to filmmakers, especially in light of the Enhanced Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit [Independent Film Tax Credit]. Story Works Studios opening its doors to independent film projects is a fantastic example of this.”
Production on Prima Facie is expected to wrap in November, with additional shooting taking place around London.