Filming is now underway on A Town in Nova Scotia and Saviour, the latest productions to receive investment from Liverpool Film Office’s Liverpool City Region Production Fund, following its relaunch in Autumn 2025.
They join an impressive investment portfolio that includes recent acclaimed dramas This City is Ours (BBC/Left Bank Pictures), The Responder (BBC/Dancing Ledge) and Time (BBC/BBC Studios).
A Town in Nova Scotia is the first feature film that the Fund – delivered by Liverpool Film Office and supported by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority – has supported.
Directed by Babak Jalali (Fremont) and co-written with Carolina Cavalli (Amanda), the film stars Bill Nighy as Leon, a widowed man living in a block of council flats in Liverpool. Makram Khoury (The West Wing, A Syrian Bride) plays his close friend Saleh. The two leads are joined by a cast of local professional and non-professional actors recruited from across the city region.
Bill Nighy already has strong links to the region, having been a member of the Liverpool Everyman Theatre repertory company during its so-called golden era in the 1970’s, alongside stars such as Julie Walters, Jonathan Pryce and Bernard Hill.
A Town in Nova Scotia is being produced by up-and-coming Liverpool-based producer Jennifer Monks for The Fold and Naïma Abed and Émilie Georges for Paradise City. Alongside the Liverpool Film Office, it is supported with funding from BBC Films and the British Film Institute, as well as from private investors Desmar and Hoopsa.
Saviour is a new six-part courtroom thriller for ITV, marking another major collaboration between the broadcaster and the Fund following the success of The Ipcress File (ITV/Altitude Television) and the hit comedy G’wed (ITV/Golden Path).
Written by Liverpool-born criminal barrister, novelist, and first-time TV drama writer Imran Mahmood, Saviour is produced by Nisha Parti’s independent production company, Parti Productions, in partnership with the award-winning Drama Republic (Riot Women, One Day). All3 Media are the production’s global partner.
Following the story of Ben’s (Archie Fisher) journey through the criminal justice system after a case of assumed identity turns deadly, the show will also star Anjili Mohindra (The Lazarus Project, The Red King) as Indy, a criminal barrister with secrets of her own. Shaun Parkes (The Suspect, Human Traffic) co-stars as Detective Inspector Jon Creasy and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders) plays Eddie, Ben’s father and a fellow police officer.
Both productions will employ many local crew and facilities as well as trainees and new industry entrants through Liverpool Film Office’s Action! skills programme. The productions also reflect the key aims of the LCR Production Fund, supporting high-quality productions that deliver fresh, authentic portrayals and help to build long-term economic, cultural and social opportunities for the local screen industry.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture and Chair of the LCR Production Fund, Councillor Harry Doyle, said: “It’s absolutely brilliant to see production begin on both A Town in Nova Scotia – the first feature film backed by Liverpool City Region Production Fund – and Savior, which adds to our impressive investment portfolio of TV dramas.
“Through the fantastic work of Liverpool Film Office, we have become the UK’s go-to filming location outside of London and with that comes significant opportunity for our people and our communities.
“Not only do these productions feature local actors and crew, but many trainees and new entrants have been given their first steps in the industry thanks to the Film Office’s Action! skills programme.
“We’re very excited to see both productions on screen later this year and can’t wait to watch our city and our local talent shine on the global stage once again.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “The Liverpool City Region has always been a place where powerful stories are told – and increasingly, it’s where they’re made too. That’s why the LCR Production Fund was set up: to attract the very best projects to our area and support local talent.
“We’re growing a truly world-class film and TV sector, creating skilled jobs for local people, and showcasing our region on an international stage. It’s fantastic to see the Fund backing its first feature film as well as continuing to develop relationships with some of the UK’s top TV drama producers.
“I’m proud that our region continues to be a place where creativity, talent and ambition can thrive.”
A Town in Nova Scotia will be released in cinemas later in the year.
Saviour will air on ITV1 with streaming available on ITVX later this year/early next year.
LCR Production Fund
Launched in 2019, the Liverpool City Region Production Fund was established to increase the number, range and scale of feature films and scripted television. Managed by Liverpool Film Office, a department of Liverpool City Council, and supported by £3 million capital from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund, the fund provides discretionary investments of up to £500,000 per project.
Over the past five years, the fund has invested £2.8 million, generating £24.5 million in regional spend, creating 861 indirect FTE jobs and supporting 56 trainee and new entrant roles. Fund-supported productions have received more than 60 award nominations and 19 industry awards, including four BAFTAs and two International Emmys.
