Top film producer returns to Middlesbrough

Film producer Roger Shannon graduated from Teesside Polytechnic in 1976 with a BA (Hons) Humanities. He went on to enjoy a highly successful career in the British film industry, working as a producer, executive producer, financier, Film Festival Director, writer and broadcaster.

He has worked with a range of big-screen British acting talent, such as Bill Nighy, Rita Tushingham, Ricky Tomlinson and Samantha Morton. Films he has financed or executive produced have won awards at major international film festivals. These films include Butterfly Kiss, Under the Skin and Beautiful People.

Roger returned to the University of Teesside recently, to give a guest lecture about his film career and tour the campus. Roger, 55, is now a Professor of Film and Television at Edge Hill University. He came to Teesside Polytechnic in 1973 from his home city of Liverpool.

He said: ‘In some ways I started my career here, as I set up a film society. I also made some long-term professional contacts with a group of film makers in Newcastle, some of whom went on to form Amber films.

‘I very much took to the North East as a whole. The whole town has changed now, the MIMA art gallery is a fantastic development, really inspiring. I’m really impressed by the changed campus; it’s much bigger than I thought. And there was no Students’ Union in the early 70s, we used to socialise in a building called the Buttery. I wanted to study English and not only did I do that but the course propelled me into areas that sent me on my way.’

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