Film Writer and Director Dan Thorburn encouraged students to incorporate their regional identities into their filmmaking at Leeds Trinity’s Journalism and Media Week 2026.
Originally a painter, Thorburn became a filmmaker after moving back to his hometown of Manchester from London, describing that he struggled to feel creative in that environment.
“Moving back up north reopened my eyes to all the amazing stories and people who are part of those worlds,” he said. “A big thing for me in filmmaking is telling the stories that mean a lot to me. Right now, that is about who I am and where I come from.”
Still based in Manchester, he has directed several critically acclaimed short films, all of which are set in British communities outside of Southern England.
According to a recent report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), in 2025 London held the largest share of filled jobs in the UK’s creative industries at 30.3%, followed by the Southeast at 16%.
However, Dan emphasised the importance of continuing to produce and set films outside this area: “We are all tricked into thinking the capital of art in the UK is London, but it doesn’t have to be [..] we have to continue to make work that makes people aware of outside of London.”
“There is a London versus everyone else divide,” he added. “As regional filmmakers part of what we have to do is fight for that money and fight for that right to be telling new stories.”
He encouraged Leeds Trinity students, from or now living in Leeds, to do the same and to look and utilise the space that surrounds them: “All of you guys have your own exciting voice and so much of what makes your voice is who you are and where you are from.”
But what kind of stories outside London need to be told?
Dan argued that filmmakers, specifically in Yorkshire and Manchester, should move past regional stereotypes and tell new stories about these communities that are not visible in the mainstream media.
“Leeds, Sheffield, these are melting pots of different people and there’s so much work to be made,” Dan said. “Saying I’m going to Yorkshire to make a film about flat caps or make a film in Manchester about the Hacienda is great, but we need to prove that these places are exciting in their own right […] a big part of that is getting away from these stereotypes.”
Dan’s debut feature film Barfly, set around the underground Manchester bar scene, is currently in the works. As well as this, he now sits as the HOME (Greater Manchester Art Centre) filmmaker in residence and works as a SONY ambassador, where he “aims to spotlight the ever-changing cultural landscape of the north.”
For more detail about Dan Thorburn’s films or future projects, here is a link to his website: https://www.danthorburn.co.uk/.