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Local Film-makers Raise Cornwall's Profile

Cornish short at Clermont-Ferrand; Uprising writer to work with Oscar-nominated screenwriter.

Ornette Spenceley and Daniel Hurter's Tall Greens Tight Yellows (supported by Cornwall Film) has been selected for the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in February 2008.

Clermont- Ferrand is a springboard to greater things for new writers and directors, and offers a unique European showcase for the best short films around. Such is the festival's reputation that the British Council have also awarded the team funding to make a 35mm print of the film to ensure it is seen as widely as possible.

Ornette's Digital Short supported by Cornwall Film, South West Screen and the UK Film Council, Friday Night, based on Jane Pugh's screenplay, won the Audience Award at the Cornwall Film Festival in November.


Local writer Patrick Evans has been selected by Oscar-nominated US screenwriter Bill Nicholson (‘Gladiator’, ‘Shadowlands’, ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’) from 129 applications from screenwriters across the South West to receive a unique development oppportunity funded by South West Screen.
Patrick's project "White Elephants" was originally developed through Cornwall Film's Uprising scheme.

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.’

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 and Cornwall Film is absolutely invaluable as an incentive to writers and filmmakers in the region.’

About White Elephants

Set against the backdrop of corruption in the Nigerian oil industry, White Elephants 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. Kidnapping, industrial espionage and a life-or-death chase across a beautiful landscape devastated by greed pull our heroine and her father toward a tragic denouement that only their belief in each other can help them avoid.