South West Screen backs five new projects for development

South West Screen is backing five new projects in a new round of development funding.

The filmmakers will receive between £5,000 and £10,000 to support on-going script development.

The recipients are:

• Writer/director Lucy Catherine (Being Human) for Bristol-set modern-day romance The Goldilocks Zone
• Writer/director Dan Gitsham (a former Screen International Star of Tomorrow) [pictured] and producer Sophie Mairfor twisted horror Ella
• Writer/director Joe Magee (a longtime collaborator with Bill Bailey) for an adaptation of Darren King’s cult novel Boxy An Star
• Writer Davey Jones and producer Lis Steele for Hanging Out With Zara Swift, about a 17-year-old girl who falls in love with a guardian angel
• Writer/director Rachel Tillotson, who made the short I’ll Tell You, for an as-yet-untitled project

Meanwhile, South West Screen’s iFeatures slate, backed by BBC Films, BFI, Matador and ContentFilm, is finishing its first two features In The Dark Half and Eight Minutes Idle.

South West Screen’s Executive Producer Christopher Moll said: “Building on the momentum of iFeatures, these awards underline South West Screen’s commitment to invest in the very best ideas and talent in the region. This is an eclectic and exciting slate from filmmakers who have come up through shorts, radio, TV drama, artist’s film and micro features. What unites them is a desire to tell truly cinematic stories that will engage and appeal to a broad variety of audiences.

“In some cases, we are providing continuity by giving follow on support to talent that has come through other schemes. For example, Lucy Catherine wrote the screenplay for the iFeatures film In the Dark Half, while Dan Gitsham first became known to us through our Digital Shorts scheme last year. This type of ongoing support is so important in helping these filmmakers really progress in this tough industry.”