Young Nantwich scriptwriter Linda Barnett is reaching for the stars after landing her first screenplay – just a year after graduating from university.
The 21-year-old former Malbank student (pictured) is now determined to follow in the footsteps of other Cheshire screen writers, such as two-time Academy Award winner Robert Bolt.
And she is already on her way after her first screenplay, Girl Alone, was been picked up by a Manchester production company to be made into a short film.
Now she is hoping for a little help from residents and she seeks to raise finance through crowd-funding to help produce the film.
Linda, who studied at Malbank between 2007-2014, said: “Financing for independent films is the hardest step, but it would mean so much that I would be able to get this film made and my local community could gather round to support me and a great Manchester based production
“I love this screenplay and I’m so honoured it has a lot of well-respected people helping me turn it into a short-film, and we hope it will go on to great success.”
Girl Alone is a dark tale about a woman on the run from her past.
The film follows the eponymous Girl as she tries to escape unseen pursuers and her own demons.
Linda believes that Girl Alone will be a great story for the modern audience and hopes to gather the support of Nantwich and Cheshire.
“The story is something that had been whirling around in my mind for some time before I finally committed it to the page,” she added.
“I was heavily influenced by social-realist films and their uses of location to impact the story and their moral ambiguities and conflicts.
“Furthermore, as a female writer, I wanted to encapsulate a true female story that doesn’t conform to stereotypes or tropes.
“I hope I can gain the support of my local community to help a local project come to fruition.”
Linda pursued a Film Degree at University of Kent after leaving Malbank.
Since leaving University last summer, Linda has been chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer and sent her first script to Irish director Keith Farrell, who had recently made the multiple award-winning short film, Rabbit Punch.
Keith loved the script and brought producer David Arrowsmith on board.
Together Linda, Keith and David have set about taking Girl Alone from the page to the screen.
“Girl Alone is an incredibly well written script, I could not believe it when I discovered that it was Linda’s first foray into writing screenplays,” said Keith.
“The script shows a level of skill and style that makes me believe Linda will have a great career as a writer and is destined to go all the way from Nantwich to Hollywood.”
Although they have managed to raise some financing for the project, Linda and the team are looking to crowdfund the extra needed to make the film a reality.
They have already raised more than £2,000 in the first week.
Girl Alone producer David Arrowsmith said: “In the era of #metoo, it was refreshing to read a script where the central female character does not play to type.
“Instead she subverts your expectations and does not fall into the all too familiar victim trope we see so often on screen.
“I hope that we will have an opportunity in the not too distant future to screen Girl Alone in Nantwich.”
To learn more about Linda and to support Girl Alone, visit the film’s campaign page at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/girl-alone-drama-thriller/
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