NEW HORROR FEATURE WRITERS INITIATIVE ENTERS SIXTH YEAR
IN ASSOCIATION WITH QUEENSBURY PICTURES
As FrightFest returns to unleash new nightmares into the darkened corridors of London’s West End cinemas August, the mad doctors are sharpening their creative scalpels to encourage new writers in the horror genre to participate in its New Blood initiative.
Now in its sixth year, 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. Anyone who reaches the final selection is expected to send a rough draft of the first ten pages of their script since Queensbury Pictures seeks to acquiring scripts ready for production rather than just an idea.
The successful eight shortlisted applicants will workshop their ideas in a group setting under the guidance of top industry professionals and genre experts. Joining Giles Edwards as this year’s mentors are actor, writer and director Andy Nyman (Ghost Stories), Jennifer Sheridan, director of Rose: A Love Story and Disney+ show Extraordinary and writer, producer, director, actor Toby Poser (The Deeper You Dig, Where The Devil Roams)
Applications are open from Thursday 20th 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.
You can link through to the page from www.frightfest.co.uk
The deadline is Friday 4th August. All successful applicants will be notified by Monday 7th August 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.
The New Blood networking and workshop event will be held on the morning of Thursday 24th 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 says “Queensbury Pictures is proud to be back around the table with a formidable line-up of mentors for what will be the 6th New Blood session, rousing and inspiring a fresh crop of as-yet-undiscovered, earth-trembling genre talent”
Greg Day, co-director of FrightFest commented, “For FrightFest to be entering its 6th year in partnership with Giles and Queensbury Pictures is testament to how important and rewarding the New Blood initiative is. And long may it continue to be. Good luck to the New Blood class of 2023.”
FrightFest 2023 runs 24th to 28th August at the Cineworld, Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema.
www.frightfest.co.uk
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NEW BLOOD TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1.You (the ‘Applicant’) acknowledge that the Call out by Queensbury Pictures/FrightFest (together, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) is run by us with funding from Film London and is for feature film projects only.
2. Information on how to enter forms, the application and eligibility requirements form part of these terms and conditions.
3. No relationship of agency is established between Queensbury Pictures or FrightFest and you by the submission of this application. You make this submission voluntarily.
4. You acknowledge and agree that:
(a) Queensbury Pictures and FrightFest receive many ideas, scripts and projects for consideration or assessment and it is possible that some of the ideas, scripts and projects already under consideration or submitted after the date of this application may be similar or identical to some or all of the idea submissions and/or to your submission and you understand that you will not be entitled to any compensation because of our exploitation of such other similar or identical ideas, scripts, or projects; and
(b) You will not hold Queensbury Pictures or FrightFest liable in any way for the use of ideas of a general or generic nature contained in the submission (including, without limitation, any idea, theme, situation, geographic area and/or period in history) .
5. The Applicant warrants that he/she/they is/are the and exclusive sole creator(s), author(s), and owner(s) of the idea and that to the best of your knowledge no one else has any right to the idea. You further warrant that no rights in the idea have previously been granted to anyone nor has the idea otherwise been exploited in any way and you believe your idea and its features to be unique and novel. We are accepting original ideas only, no adaptations of existing material.
6. All rights in the submission remain your property during the initial assessment process. We may copy the submission for assessment, however, we will not otherwise copy or distribute the submission without your prior consent. You also acknowledge and agree that we are not obligated to return any materials you submit to you. If, following the workshop, your submission is short-listed, we will enter into an agreement with you for the exclusive rights in the submission and related ideas and materials (Project) and the Project will be granted to us for 12 months, during which time we may (at our discretion) option the Project on our usual option terms.
7. If you are selected for the workshop session, you will be required to keep other participants’ ideas confidential and your participation in the workshop will be subject to other reasonable terms. We will not be liable if you are unable to attend on the day.
8. We are not responsible for lost, late or illegible submissions. You must retain a copy of your signed application form and the signed terms and conditions.
9. All decisions concerning applications and assessments of idea submissions and Projects are at our absolute discretion. Due to the volume of submission, only successful applicants will be contacted. No further correspondence will be entered into with Applicants.
10. You must be a UK citizen or permanent resident and at least 18 years of age to be eligible for consideration.
11. We are not liable for any loss or damage or injury whatsoever (including without limitation consequential, incidental, special, or punitive) which is sustained (directly or indirectly) by you or any other Applicant in connection with this Call out except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law.
12. All personal information will be collected and stored by us in accordance with the [Privacy Act 1993.] We may use your personal information for the purposes of the Call out. You have the right to access your personal information and request correction of any errors in it pursuant to the Privacy Act. Please contact us by email frightfest@mac.com Your name and photograph may be used for publicity purposes in connection with this Call out.
13. We keep your personal information only for as long as required by us and we only collect the minimum needed to operate New Blood. You can read our privacy policy HERE
14. These terms and conditions constitute the entire understanding and agreement between us and you, and supersedes all prior understandings, whether written or oral. Any subsequent modification or waiver of these terms and conditions must be in writing, signed by both of you and us. The invalidity of any provision hereof is not to affect the remaining provisions.
Applications are open from Tuesday 20th July with potential participants asked to submit a 200 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 Friday 4th August. All successful applicants will be notified by 8th August and then will be requested to send over their sample script pages. All participants are expected to pay for their own travel and accommodation.
Editors notes:
About FrightFest
Dubbed “the Woodstock of Gore” by director Guillermo Del Toro, FrightFest, set up in 2000, has grown in size and stature since its cult roots at the Prince Charles Cinema and today is internationally renowned for discovering exciting and original horror fantasy genre films and for supporting the talent behind them, helping to launch the careers of such directors as Simon Rumley, Christopher Smith, Eli Roth, Neil Marshall and Simon Hunter.
Over the years the festival directors, Greg Day, Alan Jones, Paul McEvoy and Ian Rattray, have developed FrightFest into a brand leader for horror film, expanding its footprint in the UK by hosting special events throughout the year and joining forces with the Glasgow Film Festival, where they run an established three-day event. They have teamed up with FAB Press to publish a series of ‘The FrightFest Guide To…” books and have an exclusive partnership with Signature Entertainment to release films under the festival’s thriving label ‘FrightFest Presents’. You can catch the documentary FRIGHTFEST: BENEATH THE DARK HEART OF CINEMA on Amazon.
About Queensbury Pictures
Queensbury Pictures is a production company specializing in the development, finance and production of Film and TV/Digital Series for traditional and emerging distribution and exhibition platforms. Queensbury Pictures exists to usher in the next wave of audacious, world-class storytelling across multiple genres. Queensbury is based in LA, Chicago and London.
