APPARENTLY, women watch horror movies more than men and a training scheme is seeking to overturn the massive under-represention of women among horror movie directors.
The scheme, Darklight: Women Direct Horror, promises to “provide an opportunity for female directors to develop their horror ideas through residential workshops and with specialised script editing and mentoring support”.
At least two of the ideas will be produced by Sheffield-based low-budget digital studio, Warp X, in three years’ time.
At a question-and-answer session held at the recent Edinburgh International Film Festival, a panel of filmmakers and critics “with impeccable horror credentials” joined in a discussion about why women directors are so rare in the world of horror, and whether the growing female appetite for scary movies might change what we see on our screens.
The panel was chaired by film director, Nigel Floyd, and included Lizzie Francke (executive producer, Trauma), Lucy Moore (writer, Lullaby), Ros Borland (producer, Wild Country) and Billy O’Brian (writer/director, Isolation).
Prospective participants should apply with a CV, DVD showreel and three, one-page project outlines. The deadline for applications is November 3.
There will be two residential workshops in February and May next year, led by a team of industry specialists.
Ten projects will be then developed to ‘outline stage with supporting visual material’.
After that stage, four projects will have then writers and producers attached and will be “developed to 25-page treatments”.
At least two of these four will be then developed to script stage and given the go-ahead by Warp X for production in three years’ time.
For more information, email darklight@thresholdstudios.tv
