With Arrow Video FrightFest unleashing the fearsome hordes into London’s West End cinemas in late August, the search resumes for new writers in the horror genre through its New Blood initiative. New Blood reunites FrightFest with Giles Edwards of Queensbury Pictures in its mission to find emerging UK-based writers dedicated to the genre and nurture their projects from script to screen. Queensbury Pictures is ultimately interested in acquiring scripts ready for production rather than just an idea, and so, all successful final candidates, if selected, should be able to send even a rough draft of the first ten pages of their script through with their acceptance.
The successful shortlisted applicants will workshop their ideas in a group setting under the guidance of top industry professionals and genre experts. This year’s panel will be announced shortly.
Applications are open for 10 days from 19th July with potential participants asked to submit a 400 word proposal through the dedicated New Blood page on the FrightFest website and if selected, each writer is expected to submit the first ten pages of their script idea. The deadline is 28th July. All successful applicants will be notified by 29th July and then will be requested to send over their sample script pages. All participants are expected to pay for their own travel to, and accommodation in, London.
To apply: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/NEWBLOOD.html
Please read Terms & Conditions.
The New Blood networking and workshop event will be held on the morning of Thursday 25th August, the opening day of this year’s festival, in a Central London venue
To date the scheme has delivered two new projects: Broadcast Signal Intrusion, written by Phil Drinkwater and Tim Woodall and directed by Jacob Gentry (The Signal) was produced by Greg Newman, Nicola Goelzhaeuser & Giles Edwards at Queensbury Pictures ans premiered to enormous acclaim at FrightFest 2021, and The Change, written by Carina Rodney has been optioned by another acclaimed UK producer.
Giles Edwards of Queensbury Pictures said, “Having already achieved the initial aim of New Blood, with the discovery of the phenomenal script Broadcast Signal Intrusion from Phil and Tim which then exceeded our wildest expectations as a finished feature, and the another of our mentors falling for Carina’s *absolutely wild* The Change, we’re supremely confident that the cream of UK genre writing talent is out there, just waiting for the opportunity to wrench our collective gut with their visions of true terror.”
Greg Day, co-director of FrightFest added, “For FrightFest to be continuing to support and enable aspiring scriptwriters to have this opportunity is very gratifying, especially as Giles and Queensbury Pictures have proved that they really mean business and are not just playing industry lip-service. Good luck to the New Blood class of 2022.”
Arrow Video FrightFest 2021 runs 25th to 29th August at the Cineworld, Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema.
