EIFF announces screenwriter-in-residence

Three Girls Photo: BBC

Edinburgh International Film Festival announced Glasgow-born screenwriter Nicole Taylor, whose Three Girls recently aired on BBC1, as the new EIFF Screenwriter-in-Residence.

Taylor will receive a bursary of £7,500 and access to the four Edinburgh universities between now and June 2018, when the 72nd edition of the festival will take place. During this time she will have the opportunity to develop project ideas with science and humanities researchers.

Nicole Taylor

Taylor's three-part Three Girls, about the Rochdale grooming scandal, garnered a strong critical response and a consolidated audience of 8.1 million on BBC1 and more than 9.3 million requests for the series were made on BBC iPlayer.

Prior to that Taylor’s multi-BAFTA nominated single drama, The C Word, starring Sheridan Smith, was produced for the channel. She has also written on numerous series, including Indian Summers for Channel 4, The Hour for BBC2, and Ashes to Ashes for BBC1.

Her original feature Country Music - directed by Tom Harper - and telling the tale of a Scots musician who dreams of becoming a star in Nashville, has just completed filming in Glasgow.

Taylor said: “I am so delighted and grateful to have been chosen as the EIFF’s screenwriter-in-residence. I can’t think of a more valuable opportunity for a screenwriter than access to the great brains and great work of Edinburgh’s universities. I’m so excited about the year of discussions that lie ahead, which I hope will be touch paper for new ideas and new work.”

The programme is developed in partnership with Wellcome and with the Beltane Public Engagement Network, who provide links and facilitate access to research at The University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University. This access helps build connections between the worlds of film and science.

EIFF artistic director Mark Adams said: “We are thrilled that Nicole will be the latest EIFF screenwriter-in-residence. She is a real talent, delivering striking new work and look forward to seeing what she will be achieving with the research opportunities on offer.”

It marks the second year of the screenwriter-in-residence post, held last year by Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures is currently attached to produce her adaptation of The Good Nurse, about a US serial killer.