Winner of the first Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize announced
9 October 2012
A special commendation was also awarded to screenwriter and experimental filmmaker Sam Firth, who was given a £10 000 prize to help her develop further her proposed experimental documentary 'The Story of Me and You.' exploring the nature of memory, reality and objective truth.
Launched in June this year, the major new annual screenwriting prize is run in association with the BFI Film Fund. The award aims to encourage high-quality feature films inspired by biology and medicine.
As well as receiving a £20 000 cash prize to develop their idea to first draft, the winning screenwriter receives support from the Wellcome Trust to connect them with world-leading scientists and to help identify commercial partners and producers.
Al Smith, whose previous credits include BBC2 short film series 'The Cut' and the long-running BBC programmes 'Casualty' and 'Holby City', won the prize for his proposal, entitled 'Halflife'. 'Halflife' follows the story of two brain-damaged teenagers who steal a car and fall in love.
Clare Matterson, Director of Medical Humanities and Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, says: "Although the quality of shortlisted entries was extremely high, we were unanimous in our decision to award Al Smith our first ever Screenwriting Prize. His story is imaginative and well-structured with strong, believable characters. We hope that this award and the support of the BFI and Film 4 will enable him to develop this into a rich and thought-provoking film."
Lizzie Francke, Senior Executive at the BFI Film Fund, who helped judge the prize, says: "The Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize has been an exciting initiative to be involved with and has provided a significant new opportunity for screenwriters. Al Smith is a talented writer with a strong background in theatre and television. We're delighted that with the support that this prize provides, Al can now continue to develop his screenwriting voice."
Eva Yates, Development Editor at Film4, who also sat on the judging panel, says: "Key to our decision to award Al Smith and Sam Firth prizes was how imaginative and compelling their ideas were.
"Al's was a great story that we felt he would execute very skilfully, and was extremely considered in the way it incorporated biomedicine into the story. Sam's was a more experimental piece but also has enormous potential in terms of storytelling and science, and we are all delighted by Wellcome Trust's generosity in offering an additional prize for a second project so that she has the opportunity to pursue her vision too."
Image: Al Smith receiving the Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize.
Contact
Craig Brierley
Media Relations Manager
The Wellcome Trust
T: +44 (0)20 7611 7329
M: +44 (0)7957 468218
E:
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
Notes for editors
The 2012 finalists were:
- Steven Sheil, writer/director of 'Mum & Dad' (released by Revolver in 2008) and the forthcoming 'Dead Mine' (HBO Asia, for release 2013) and screenwriter of 2013's 'Gozo'
- Former Screen International Star of Tomorrow writer/director Emma Sullivan, whose short 'After Tomorrow' was nominated for a Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival
- Writer/director Josh Appignanesi, director of 'The Infidel' in 2010, and writer/director of 'Song of Songs' (2006), who is co-writing with award-winning novelist and games writer Naomi Alderman
- Sam Firth, screenwriter and experimental filmmaker whose work includes the film 'Stay the Same', in which she explores our relationship with time by filming herself in exactly the same place at exactly the same time every day for a year
- Al Smith, playwright and radio dramatist, currently also in development with BBC TV Drama
- Martina Amati, a BAFTA- and BIFA-award-winning filmmaker whose short films have screened at Sundance, Berlin and the London Film Festival.
About the Wellcome Trust
The
Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust's breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.
