Film4 commission SCRUM following pilot development programme
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Film4 have commissioned SCRUM, a debut action film written by Bethan Moore and produced by Eight Zero Three Media and Candle and Bell.
Originally commissioned by New Writing North as part of the Genre Feature Lab programme, SCRUM is an action film following a women’s Rugby Sevens team on tour in Costa Brava as they hunt down a gang that has kidnapped one of their own. SCRUM is a film about the violence of love. It explores the complexity of female relationships, particularly ones between queer women, and brings what is normally explored through a small, domestic lens into a bombastic, bloody and muddy world.
In 2024 Bethan Moore was one of the screenwriters selected for Genre Feature Lab, a pilot programme, funded by the North East Combined Authority and in partnership with Film4.
As part of the programme Bethan was paired with Newcastle-based producer Andy Malone and Gateshead-based Maria Caruana Galizia and received mentoring from seasoned executive producers Ivana Mackinnon and Emily Leo of Wild Swim Films.
Following an intensive two-day residential lab, further development of the script with mentors over the course of six months, SCRUM was pitched to Film4, who have now commissioned development.
Bethan Moore said: “I am so excited to be working on this with Maria, Andy, Emily and Ivanna over the upcoming months. They and the teams at New Writing North and Film4 have been so supportive of this mad venture, and it’s been so encouraging to be working on an original, British, female led genre film.”
Andy Malone, Eight Zero Three Media, said: “From the very first chat with Bethan about SCRUM, we were in. With Film4 now backing the development, we’re buzzing to drive this queer, high-octane story one step closer to the big screen.”
Maria Caruana Galizia, Candle and Bell, said: “Developing Scrum with Bethan has been a hugely rewarding experience, and we would never have had this opportunity without the Genre Feature Lab. We’re hugely grateful to New Writing North and Roxy McKenna for running the lab – schemes like this make a real difference to regional producers. Andy and I are thrilled to now be working with Ivana and Emily at Wild Swim Films – two of the best producers in the UK – as we take the project forward with Film4.“
Roxy Mckenna, Development Producer (Screen) at New Writing North, said: “We are thrilled that Film4 have recognised Bethan’s talent and are taking this exciting genre film into development. The Genre Feature Lab brought together a brand-new team – pairing the exceptional writing talent of Bethan Moore with the powerhouse North East producing duo Andy Malone and Maria Caruana Galizia who have worked tirelessly alongside their brilliant mentors to develop a truly special idea that I can’t wait to see on a cinema screen in the future.”