Screenwriter Development Competition - winner announced

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Bill Nicholson (Gladiator, Shadowlands, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) has announced Patrick Evans as the winner of South West Screen's 'Screenwriter Development Competition'.

129 budding writers from the South West of England region submitted screenplays for the competition which offered a cash prize of £3,000 and mentoring from Bill Nicholson to develop a feature-length script with commercial potential. Entries were shortlisted down with the help of industry experts and the final decision was made by Bill Nicholson himself.

Bill said
'I read the shortlisted screenplays, and was thrilled by the sheer exuberance of imagination on display. The range of subject matter is awe-inspiring. In most cases the action, the dialogue, and the visual pleasures are all of a very high order...

The winning screenplay benefitted from a simple powerful idea that was sustained throughout the plot; as well as a richly researched setting. 'White Elephants' delivers a dynamic central relationship and a thriller action plot against a background of contemporary political relevance. I now look forward to working with Patrick Evans on maximising the emotional impact of the wonderful story he has created.'

Originally from Gloucestershire, winning screenwriter Patrick Evans is a graduate of University College Falmouth's Professional Writing programme and now lives in Penryn, Cornwall. His screenplay, White Elephants, is set against the backdrop of corruption in the Nigerian oil industry and tells the story of a father and teenage daughter torn apart by time, re-united in desperate circumstances and forced to re-discover what it means to love.

Patrick said
'I'm delighted to have won the competition - it's a fantastic opportunity which I feel extremely fortunate to take up. I'm very much looking forward to working with someone of Bill Nicholson's inspirational talent and experience on developing the script to the next stage. I think the kind of support offered by organisations like South West Screen is absolutely invaluable as an incentive to writers and filmmakers in the region.'

Please click here to download the full press release.

More information