Arjun Rose

It seems as if writer-director Arjun Rose has emerged out of nowhere. Formerly a futures trader with no film training whatsoever, the 31-year-old Londoner left the City four years ago to write films — the twist in the tale was his insistence to direct them himself.

Rose convinced Exile Media Group to back his debut, teen horror Suicide Kids, to the tune of $82,000 (£50,000) — a figure which eventually rose to $197,000 (£120,000) — and, with Idris Elba on board as executive producer, Ashley Walters playing a policeman and Misfits’ Robbie Sheehan in the lead, he hopped behind the camera. With Universal kicking in $328,000 (£200,000) worth of music rights, Suicide Kids is set for a significant UK release in September/October and is a London-set take on US franchises such as Scream. Next up is urban drama Swift, set for a summer shoot with Elba in the lead, which Rose wrote and will direct. “I’ve learned so much it hurts,” he says of the last year. “Everything has been on-the-job for me.”

Contact: Jennie Miller - jenniemiller@independenttalent.com