Shrouded In Darkness - CineStory Competition Winner

Euroscript-developed screenplay Shrouded In Darkness, written by James Walker, scoops first place in 2009's prestigious US competition. 

James Walker's powerful political thriller Shrouded in Darkness, set in Somalia and Kenya and script-edited for Euroscript by Ian Long, has just garnered a First Place award in Hollywood's 2009 CineStory competition, which is sponsored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. James has been invited to a retreat in California to receive one-on-one tuition and to meet producers and agents.

In the story, an American intelligence operative and a Kenyan Islamist jihadi briefly
find common cause as they hunt a child-trafficker across the Horn of Africa.

James thanked Ian and Euroscript for their part in his success: "Thanks once again for your help," he said. "I doubt if I would have reached the final eight, let alone first place, if it wasn't for your input."

Little Ashes - Euroscript comp winner goes on release

Euroscript-developed Little Ashes, written by first-timer Philippa Goslett, is now showing in the UK and world wide. 

Little Ashes won the Euroscript Screen Story Competition in 2000 and as a result a year's worth of development. Now a Spanish-British co-production, it examines the fraught relationships between Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia Lorca and is directed by Paul Morrison who also shot the acclaimed Wondrous Oblivion. Starring Robert Pattinson, who caused such a stir in Twilight, the movie premiered at Raindance in 2008.

In 2000, Philippa Goslett was a novice, as writer and co-producer of a feature film. Yet her outline of Little Ashes came first in that year's Euroscript Screen Story competition.

"It won," says Goslett. "It got script edited and then I had to write it, a bit of a surprise to say the least." As the winner, Goslett shaped her story with three drafts, a full Euroscript development programme and received assistance from Euroscript, promoting the project to the market.

“The Euroscript experience was invaluable to me.” Says Goslett. “My script editor – Lara Masters – worked with my co-producers Moira Campbell and Pikka Brassey to shape and edit the script. She did an amazing job."

The project attracted producers Carlo Dusi and Jonny Persey of Aria Films and Met Films, and Morrison came on board as director. Further development funding was secured from the Film Council and Factotum Films in Spain joined the project as the film slowly became a reality.

At the time, Goslett had a background in theatre production and had worked at Creative Artists Management where she assisted top agent Michael Wiggs with script reading and publicity. She now works as a screenwriter for feature film. Her second feature, Holy Money, an adaptation of an Italian crime thriller, stars Aaron Stanford, Anouk Aimee, Ben Gazzara and Karel Roden amongst a host of European talent. The film is currently in post-production. Philippa’s latest script, Isabela, will be produced by Carlo Dusi (Little Ashes) and Gaby Tana (The Duchess) with Claudia Solti directing.  

Philippa Fordham

Pilippa Fordham, comedienne and Euroscript member, launched her new radio comedy series, the Fordham & Lipson Show, commissioned by the BBC following the double-act's Edinburgh success and broadcast on Radio 4.

Philippa Fordham and Simon Lipson first performed their comedy double-act in 2001 at the Soho Theatre. Philippa first trained as an actress and later performed in a range of comedy shows as well as various TV and radio programmes such as People Like Us on BBC2 and the movie 'Johny English'. Simon was a stand up comedian and impressionist who had appeared on DeadRingers on Radio 4, The Stand Up Show on BBC1 and Celebrity Squares on ITV.

Philippa and Simon took their sketch show, He Barks She Bites, to theEdinburgh Festival in 2005 where they were nominated for the prestigious Double Act Award and subsequently commissioned to write and perform in their own series. 

They were also asked to write a sitcom for BBC1 TV and have several projects in development.

Greg Loftin

Member Greg Loftin's first feature Saxon was selected for its World Festival Premiere by the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Greg Loftin runs his own video production company First Field, and has been writing original scripts and directing shorts since graduating with first class honours from Central St Martin's (MA in Independent Film and Video) and King Alfred's College (BA Hons in Drama, Theatre and TV Studies). His short Don Juan premiered at the Santander Film Festival.

Saxon, produced by Elise Valmorbida, is Greg's first feature film as writer and director, completed following many years of script development.

Judy Upton

Former Euroscript competition winner, playwright and screenwriter, Judy Upton,  from Shoreham on Sea, West Sussex, scooped another prize in the national 'Make Your Mark in Film'  scriptwriting competition with her entry ‘My Imprisoned Heart’.

Singled out by judges as a clear favourite, Judy was awarded £3,000 and will see her film put into production and premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007.

She has also been awarded a Research and Development Grant 2007 from PAWS (Public Awareness Of Science & Engineering) to develop her TV series idea 'Tooth And Claw' with Film & General.

Judy has been writing scripts since she was in her twenties and has seen them performed at theatres including London’s Royal Court and the Birmingham Repertory theatre; her work has also been aired on BBC Radio 4. Her play, ‘Ashes and Sand’ was the winner of the George Devine Award and turned into a film starring Nick Moran.

Nicola Mills

Joint 2nd Prize, 'Greengrass' Nicola Mills.  After working as a designer director in the world of Channel Identities, and winning awards with her re-brand of the BBC News, Nicola joined the National Film and Television School in 2004. Her graduation film The Toughest Girl in the World has been sreened at various festivals including Clermont-Ferrand, as well as travelling the world with Future shorts.

She has also shot The Other Me, a surreal black comedy, written by Mark Cowling and the winner of the British Short Screenplay Competition 2005.

Nicola is now working on a draft of ‘Greengrass’, second prize winner in the Euroscript 2007 screen story competition, and another feature-length screenplay, ‘Digging for Marni’, a surreal comedy about a woman who has to travel to India to rescue her errant sister from burying herself alive in the name of world peace. She was asked to apply for the prestigious Sundance Film-makers award and submitted this project. Nicola has been developing this script on the Binger Film Lab Script Development Programme in Amsterdam.