North West Vision launch New Writers' Development Scheme

North West Vision and the Film Council Development Fund, in partnership with the First Film Foundation, have announced the launch of a new initiative for feature film writers from the North West region.
Under the New Writers' Development Scheme, both script development funding and high quality industry support will be offered via an intensive six-month programme to develop strong feature film scripts. The final scripts will be submitted to the Film Council who will be seeking to option the best scripts for further development.
Selected scriptwriters will attend script workshops, the aim of which is to improve screenwriting skills, knowledge of the production process and of the film industry itself.
To be eligible to apply you must be aged 18 or over and live or work in the North West Region (Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside). Companies, organisations and students are not eligible.
Applications are only open to writers who have not previously had a feature script commissioned by a UK body, and short film and television writers will be welcomed.
Initially 20 writers will be selected to undertake individual one-to-one sessions with a script consultant to improve ideas and submissions.
These one-to-ones will be held in Manchester and Liverpool on December 15, 16 and 17 December 2003. Then these 20 will submit a redrafted proposal to North West Vision to pass onto the Film Council. From these 20, five writers will be awarded £1,000 each (plus development support) to produce a full treatment.
From these five treatments two writers will then be selected to produce a first draft, for which they will be awarded £4,500.
The deadline for submissions is December 1 2003.
Further information is available from: www.northwestvision.co.uk.
(GB)