THE drive to attract more high-end international film and TV drama production to Wales gets a boost this week with a major promotion in Los Angeles during UK Film and TV Week.

This is a new event organised by the British Film Commission in Los Angeles and brings together the UK national screen agencies to promote film, TV and animation incentives to the US entertainment industry.

An five-day programme (20-24 October) has been drawn up for the Welsh creative industry team with meetings set up with support from Pinewood International. The itinerary includes meetings with key TV executives from the major US broadcasters and studios with the aim of attracting more inward film and TV studio production to Wales.

It will provide an opportunity to promote and raise awareness of Pinewood Studio Wales and the Media Investment Budget which will be heavily promoted during the week.

Economy Minister Edwina Hart said:” Attracting high-end TV and film production to Wales is an essential part of our strategy to grow what is a thriving industry in Wales. We have had numerous international successes with Da Vinci’s Demons, Atlantis, Doctor Who and Sherlock, to name a few.

“We will be promoting what Wales can offer the US industry throughout the week, raising awareness of the facilities we have in Wales, the talent, the locations and the support that is available. The West Coast of the US is one of our target markets and this event will enable us to build on the relationships we have already established there.”

Some recent productions filmed on location in Wales include: Take Down, a pilot produced by Pinewood Pictures filmed in north and south Wales this summer which benefited from the Media Investment Budget; Pride produced by Calamity Films which has been in cinemas recently used South West Wales as a location; Tarzan, the Untamed by Warner Bros filmed special effect scenes in north Wales this summer and scenes for the new Guy Ritchie directed version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E were shot in Mid Wales