NFTS And Left Bank Pictures Launch UK Writers Program
The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is launching a new writers development program in partnership with Left Bank Pictures, the production company behind shows as Netflix’s The Crown. Set to launch in March 2024, the scheme will replace the NFTS’s former diverse writers development program. Six screenwriters from under-represented backgrounds will be chosen to take part in the paid, intensive 10-week program that will immerse them in a dynamic environment of creativity and collaboration. During the course, four full series ideas will be developed and pitched with the aim of creating commercially viable television drama concepts. “Together with Left Bank Pictures, we hope to carve a new path where diverse voices illuminate the way forward, ensuring the stories we tell on screen are as vibrant and varied as the world we live in,” said NFTS Director Jon Wardle. “We can’t wait to find these six new emerging writing talents from across the UK and begin the exciting journey ahead.”
Netflix Pic ‘The Forgotten Battle’ Starring Tom Felton Lands International Deals
Dutch sales agent Incredible Film has acquired global distribution rights for The Forgotten Battle, starring Tom Felton (Harry Potter franchise). The film debuted on Netflix in multiple territories and will be featured on the Incredible Film slate at MIPCOM. Rights for USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, and German-speaking Europe have been sold to Dolphin Medien. The rights of Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia have been sold to Media Squad in Slovakia. Directed by Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen (The Thing), The Forgotten Battle follows three young lives become inextricably connected: a Dutch boy fighting for the Germans, an English glider pilot, and a girl from Zeeland connected to the resistance. Their paths merge and collide at the backdrop of a war-torn Europe, culminating in the visceral Battle of Walcheren Causeway during WWII in 1944. Their choices differ, but their goal is the same: freedom. The screenplay is by Paula van der Oest (Tonio, Love in a Bottle), and Alain De Levita (The Resistance Banker, Tonio) produced the film.