When it comes to filmmaking of any genre the director is the one gets all the credit when films works. Of course there is a few other positions that deserve credit it to like screen writers and FrightFest can see that. For this year’s Arrow Video FrightFest they will stalk the dark recesses of the big screen again. As they search for the cream of the crop of new writers in horror in their New Blood initiative.
New Blood reunites FrightFest with Giles Edwards of Queensbury Pictures won that mission to find emerging UK-based writers dedicated to the genre and nurture their projects from script to screen. Queensbury will ultimately look at possibly buy the finished script rather than the idea, and so, this year 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.
This scheme has already delivered two new projects: Broadcast Signal Intrusion, written by Phil Drinkwater and Tim Woodall and directed by Jacob Gentry (The Signal) which World Premiered to enormous acclaim at SXSW 2021 and will come home to screen at FrightFest this August and The Change, written by Carina 
Rodney and optioned by acclaimed producer Jennifer Handorf (The Borderlands, The Chamber).
The successful applicants will workshop their ideas under the guidance of some of the top industry professionals and genre experts. This year’s panel are includes Prano Bailey-Bond and acclaimed writer / director of Censor, Jed Shepherd, co-writer of Host and Rob Savage’s upcoming secret Blumhouse project, Najarra Townsend, actress and producer, The Stylist and Queensbury Pictures’ Giles Edwards.
Giles Edwards commented “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 amazing Jennifer Handorf falling for Carina’s *absolutely wild* The Change, we’re more adamant than ever 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 2021.”
The New Blood networking and workshop event will be held on Thursday 26 August, the opening day of this year’s festival, in a Central London venue
Applications are open from today Monday 12th 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 Sunday 26th July, more info here.
