Written By / Photography By : Jess Lippa.
I sat down with Ryan Whittingham in his office at Picturehouse @ FACT, which he lovingly refers to as ‘the mezz’. The notice board holds endless to do lists, showcase programmes and posters. Dotted around the room are bits & pieces borrowed from prop rental houses for various workshops and events. On the desk, a framed photo of his nan.
Writer, producer, co-founder & CEO of Liverpool-based non-profit Let’s Make Films (LMF), Ryan’s work stems from an undying love for people, a quality which is at the heart of everything he does. “The power of creativity and art is the people that you meet, the people that you make things with,” he said, reminiscing fondly about his first ever ‘short’ film project - a 95 page sci-fi epic shot over 19 days and edited over 5 years. The film was originally meant to be 20 minutes long, and ended up being over an hour. “It's the worst thing you will ever watch. It's so bad. Makes no sense, but I'm telling you now, we had the time of our lives... and I remember, even though I was stressing every day and losing sleep, I was having so much fun with these people.”
Ryan’s own filmmaking experience has clearly informed his approach to LMF, even down to the name of the company. LMF’s monthly mixer events bring new filmmakers together and encourage them to collaborate. “I want people to just go out and make things,” he said, “come and just hang out with us, make friends… think about mental ideas and go make them. The amount of friendships that have come out of this, that's the thing that makes me so happy.”
Boasting eclectic, historically rich architecture and a diverse coastal landscape, it’s no surprise that Liverpool is referred to as the most widely filmed city in the UK (outside of London, obviously). Demonstrated by recent big-budget productions such as House of Guinness (2025), The Batman (2022) and This City is Ours (2025), the Film & TV industry seems to be turning its attention to northern locations more and more. Certainly a step in the right direction for representation, however this doesn’t directly correlate to opportunities for local talent. A Screenskills report suggests “in hubs outside of London/South East, there is a perception that inbound productions can overlook local crew.” LMF is trying to change that.
For Ryan, it was crucial that the Sandbox Showcase redefines what a film festival can look like - no competitions or awards, no extortionate entry fees and, ultimately, no gatekeeping.
“Why can't festivals also be reimagined? Why can't we innovate the system? Nearly 100,000 festivals worldwide all follow the same structure. Why does Liverpool have to follow a certain structure? We're not a city that does things like everyone else. And LMF’s approach has always been, do it the way that we feel is right.”
This attitude resonates with the wider filmmaking community in Liverpool, embodied by the term ‘Scouse New Wave’, originally coined by independent collective ‘1833 Films’.
“I love the phrase,” Ryan said, “when you hear ‘New Wave’, you think of the French New Wave, you think of all these big film movements. And [Alfie, co-founder of 1833 Films] talks about the Scouse New Wave being this independent movement where we're making films that are uniquely ours… it's that independence of believing in your idea strongly. And it's not associating it with typical tropes that London or everywhere else has [for] us.”
“Those companies are bringing in their own teams. Locals - regional talent - would only get dailies, no one would go on for full productions.” Ryan told me. “We were just here as a backdrop.” Alongside their growing independent community, LMF also provides opportunities for local crew to build their production skills through workshops and training schemes, with the long-term goal of nurturing a sustainable local talent pool for larger productions. Their training outreach has recently expanded to working with young people, including hosting Liverpool’s first ever National Saturday Club for 13-16 year olds, and the 2025 BFI Academy for 16-19 year olds. “These kids were incredible… [they] were hungry and you could tell they were being deprived of creative outlets…they need to know they've got talent. They need to know that their next steps can be a creative next step.”
When asked about his favourite LMF project, it was a no-brainer for Ryan. The Sandbox Showcase, a quarterly screening of locally made films, is a celebration of Liverpool’s vibrant creative scene. It epitomises what LMF stands for - community, creativity, and passion. Nathan Smith, a filmmaker who was selected for the November 2025 Sandbox Showcase with his short film ‘Passive’, said “There’s something very uplifting about finding community through what you make, and knowing that people appreciate what you do… it boosts your self-confidence and your faith in others, because we’re all lifting each other up.”
Looking to the future, Ryan isn’t short of ambition. “My whole thing is, if London can have it, why can't Liverpool? I want this to be an accessible city.” He envisions a ‘playground’ where creatives have room to grow, meet new people, and most importantly, create.
“We're not replicating an industry. We're not copying and pasting what's already being done. We're making something uniquely Liverpool, as Alfie would say, the Scouse New Wave.
And it's going to be ours.”
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