A Cornish independent film production company making the follow-up to BAFTA winning drama Bait has received a loan that will enable it to expand and recruit staff.
Penzance company Bosena is shooting the “ecosophical horror” Enys Men in the duchy after the production was delayed by the Covid pandemic.
The firm has now received £40,000 from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) and will also use it to support its sustainability-focused, ethical and environmentally positive principles and ways of working, and take on two staff members.
Bosena is focused on supporting and promoting Cornish and other under-represented talent within the media sector, while delivering each project in an “ecological harmony” manner. The company does this by creating jobs across the creative industries, building upon a commitment to making creatively and critically successful films which also follow the Bosena “stepping lightly” regenerative principles of production.
The company is working on projects across film, TV, and animation including niche Cornish language productions and these projects will be delivered across media channels including theatrical distribution, broadcasting, digital streaming and mobile.
The company’s latest feature is Enys Men, by BAFTA winning writer-director Mark Jenkin and produced by Bosena chief executive Denzil Monk.
The “ecosophical horror” is set in the Cornish landscape and is the follow up to 2019’s BAIT, the highly acclaimed, award-winning drama which focused on issues surrounding the gentrification of a Cornish fishing village.
Mr Monk said: “We are committed to showcasing the wealth of production talent that Cornwall has to offer by producing critically celebrated and commercially successful features. Acting local, whilst thinking global is vitally important to us as we’re proud of our roots, which is why we are always keen to make work which uses and celebrates our Cornish language and culture, and why finding and continually employing Cornish talent is a cornerstone of our ecosophical objectives.
“Wherever our productions are based, Bosena is committed to working with sustainable suppliers, local crews and talent, and to evolving our production process to achieve positive effects and outputs wherever possible. This way of working is more relevant, and more important than ever, so we are delighted to be partnering with CIOSIF to enable our growth whilst remaining steadfast in our commitment to Cornwall, and our surrounding environment.”
Rachel Thomson, CIOSIF business manager, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting a company that is so committed to its local heritage, using both the Cornish landscape and the people who live there. Many art house film fans were disappointed by the delay in release date for Enys Men which was postponed due to the pandemic, but we are delighted that production has now been able to resume. Bosena has some exciting projects in the pipeline, and we are pleased to be supporting them as they take their ideas and creativity forward with such a fitting, and admirable, sustainability philosophy.”
The £40m CIOSIF provides debt and equity finance from £25,000 to £2m to help growing small businesses across the region. It has been established by the British Business Bank in partnership with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP. CIOSIF is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
Lloyd Brina, senior manager at the British Business Bank, said: “Cornwall’s screen sector is booming in the digital era and wants to be known for world-leading sustainable practice. It’s good to see a business like Bosena helping to lead that vision, producing award-winning film in an ethical and environmentally positive way.”
John Acornley, LEP non-executive director and chair of the CIOSIF Advisory Board, said: “Bosena is committed to showcasing Cornish language, culture and talent and is the latest business to be backed by the fund that puts sustainability at the heart of everything it does.”
