Scottish Film Talent Network commissions six shorts

Write4Film participants also announced

by Amber Wilkinson

Widdershins was one of last year's selected projects
Widdershins was one of last year's selected projects

The Scottish Film Talent Network development programme has announced the six short films it has commissioned for the New Talent Scottish Shorts 2018 programme.

It has also announced the seven writers selected for this year’s edition of the Write4Film programme, a workshop-based development scheme to develop their writing and improve their networks.

The selected New Talent Scottish Shorts were chosen from 13 filmmaking teams who undertook a series of development workshops and master classes led by producer Paul Welsh, DigiCult, and supported by producer Carolynne Sinclair of Hopscotch Films. The 13 teams pitched their productions to an industry panel featuring representatives from Scottish Film Talent Network, the Centre for the Moving Image, DigiCult, Hopscotch Films and Creative Scotland. Last year's chosen projects included Bunny, by Shaun Hughes, and Simon P Biggs' Widdershins, which both had their world premiere at EIFF in June.

Two of this year’s selected filmmakers are graduates of last year’s SFTN Write4Film programme - Adura Onashile and Julia Taudevin.

The six shorts will receive £15,000 for their production budget and start filming later this year:

  • Dark Road (Drama) - Writer/Director: Rory Gibson - Two young men are drawn towards one another through a shared grief.
  • Duck Daze (Black Comedy/Drama) - Writer: Julia Taudevin; Director: Alison Piper - A woman gets revenge on her childhood abuser and the community that enabled him with the help of a duck.
  • Expensive Shit (drama) - Writer/Director: Adura Onashile - A nightclub toilet attendant is forced to choose between saving herself or harming a regular punter.
  • Once Upon A Time In North Glasgow (Drama) - Writer/Director: James Price - Late one night, long after bedtime, 12-year-old Reese must brave the mean and marvellous streets of North East Glasgow to bring his drunken father safely home.
  • Lucky Star (Drama) - Writer/Director: Russell Davidson; Producer: David Neilson - 1980s Glasgow: as his family disintegrate around him the only thing on eight-year-old Jonjo’s mind is getting his prized A Team figure for Christmas.
  • The Fabric Of You (Animation) - Writer/Director: Josephine Self - Unable to show his true identity, Michael, a grieving tailor mouse, recounts and reckons with the memories of a past lover.

The Write4film cohort are:

  • Elaine Thomson – novelist
  • Laurie Motherwell – playwright
  • Leyla Josephine – theatre maker and poet
  • Liam Bell – novelist
  • Rachel Maclean – multi media artist
  • Rachelle Atalia – literary fiction writer, novels and short stories
  • Russel McLean – novelist
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