Neil Zeiger & Martin Proctor Launch Flickers Films

Industry veterans Neil Zeiger and Martin Proctor (Lamb, Reasonable Force, The Bolshoi Ballet) have launched Flickers Films to produce content for U.K. and international audiences across scripted and unscripted.

Backed by private investment, Flickers Films aims to have one or two projects in production over the next 12 months, with an emphasis on talent-driven, returning series and films.

Flickers Film’s scripted startup slate includes Charlie King, written by Ashley Pharoah (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Wild at Heart) and developed with World Productions; Bad Priest, created and written by Jamie Patterson (Fractured, Tucked, Justine, God’s Petting) and co-produced by APC Studios; and An Austrian Holiday, written and directed by Ann Hawker and co-produced with Astria Films in the U.K. and WEP Films in Germany.

The unscripted development slate features a range of projects that aim to tell challenging, unusual and proactive stories that have global resonance and significance, including Inside Out, a series that explores the lives of prisoners in the notorious San Pedro jail in Bolivia.

Zeiger and Proctor bring a wealth of experience to the new company. They originally ran their own independent company, Flickers Productions, in the 1980s, creating content such as the feature film Lamb, starring Liam Neeson; Reasonable Force, starring Adrian Dunbar; and The Bolshoi Ballet for the BBC. They also worked together to create and establish the BBC’s first drama unit in Northern Ireland.

Zeiger went on to produce over 200 hours of television drama before recently producing Brian Cox’s directorial debut feature film Glenrothan. Proctor’s credits include The Day the Silence Died and Blackthorn.

“Martin and I have always worked well together, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to revive Flickers and continue to tell the kind of stories that we would want to watch,” Zeiger said. “Our mission is to produce high-quality content that is value for money and delivers for the audience.”

Proctor added, “We are passionate about telling compelling stories with a fresh perspective, which is why we want to keep working with new talent and co-produce with partners that bring a different and complementary viewpoint to each project. As the business grows, our ethos is to pass on our experience and nurture emerging voices.”