Genre Feature Lab writers announced
The three Northern writer-producer teams selected for the Film4 backed lab were announced in Screen International today. We ran a weekend lab back in September and the writers are now developing their ideas.
Following an open call by New Writing North three writers were teamed up with Northern production companies and joined a weekend genre development lab led by BAFTA winning producers Ivana Mackinnon (The Descent, How to Have Sex, Beast) and Emily Leo (Under the Shadow, iBoy) from Wild Swim Films. Each writer will now be paired with an experienced script editor to help take their early-stage idea for a feature film into a compelling treatment and deck ready to present and pitch to Film4.
The three projects selected:
‘The Lost’
Written by Jackie Okwera
Produced by Dermot O’Dempsey and Jack Tarling, Shudder Films (Kneecap, God’s Own Country)
The Lost is a supernatural drama that follows a 16-year-old Ugandan girl who is transported into a New York dreamscape to find her missing mother, but that dream turns into a nightmare when she faces an impossible choice.
Jackie has worked in writers’ rooms for Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, Apple TV+, Sky, and Channel 4. She previously wrote an episode and was a supervising producer for the DC Comics reboot of Constantine with Bad Robot for HBO Max.
Dermot O’Dempsey, Shudder Films comments: "The Genre Feature Lab represents a powerful opportunity to discover and support new talent in genre filmmaking. We're excited to help shape the next generation of distinctive storytellers from the North and in doing so, continue to build meaningful relationships with Film4 & New Writing North".
‘Scrum’
Written by Bethan Moore
Produced by Andy Malone (Eight Zero Three Media) and Maria Caruana Galizia (Candle and Bell). Executive Produced by Ivana Mackinnon and Emily Leo.
Scrum is an action film following a women’s Rugby Sevens team on Tour in Costa Brava as they hunt down a gang that has kidnapped one of their own.
Bethan graduated the National Film and Television School in 2023, winning the NFTS Popcorn Prize for her black comedy crime script THE WIDOW MAKING SYNDICATE, which subsequently went into development with the Popcorn Group. Bethan is currently in development on her first TV series, DIRTY HABITS, with Game of Thrones producer Frank Doelger.
Bethan Moore, writer comments:‘It’s been so exciting and inspiring to start work on this project surrounded and supported by people who really know and love their genre. I’ve come away from this weekend so pumped! I’m so grateful to be working with New Writing North and Film4 and can’t wait to see where this feature can go.”
‘You Can Leave Whenever You Want’
Written by Emilie Robson
Produced by Steve Bowden, Vita Nova Films (The Carer)
You Can Leave Whenever You Want is a satirical psychological horror following a group of friends who attend a wellness spa in Mexico that slowly descends into chaos.
Since participating in 4Screenwriting's 2021 course Emilie has worked with Home Team Content, DNA Films, Bonafide, Firebird, Kudos, New Pictures and Witchery Pictures.
She currently has a book adaptation in development with the BBC and Heyday TV and has recently commenced a North East set project with Range Media UK and a pilot with New Pictures.
Steve Bowden, Vita Nova Films comments: “This initiative is a fantastic opportunity to build a relationship with Film4, a key player in the film industry with an outstanding track record. Working alongside New Writing North and their talented development executives and mentors, I was able to engage with innovative and refreshing approaches to storytelling, all while developing a commercially viable, genre-based film.”
Genre Feature Lab, produced by New Writing North and supported by Film4 builds on a long-standing relationship with Channel 4, including the Northern Talent Network and the Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards, which support writers in the North of England to develop their work for television.
Amy O’Hara, Development and Production Executive at Film4 comments: “We’re thrilled to be entering the next stage of this project with New Writing North, whose reputation for nurturing writers from the North is second to none. The genre lab gives us a focused approach to developing relationships with storytellers from the region and we’re excited by the talent and ideas we have discovered and look forward to developing with these projects.”