Select a region
The drummer from a genre-bending Sark band has won a screenwriting competition aiming to bring non-mainstream stories about women to the fore with her dystopian tale of young eco warrior.
The first Jenny Lecoat Screenwriting Award – named after the Jersey-born writer of Occupation drama ‘Another Mother’s Son’ in collaboration with a new local film festival – has been won by drummer Claire ‘Moxie’ Mockett of 'The Recks'.
Jenny said that it was her increasing frustration with the way women are seen on screen which prompted her to set a brief for the pan-island competition to innovate female stories.
Pictured: Jenny Lecoat is the writer behind major picture 'Another Mother's Son'.
Now, it has been announced which Channel Island writers whose different takes on female narratives have earned them a place on the podium in the first year of the screenwriting award, which forms part of the inaugural 13th Parish Festival of Independent Film and Music.
The organisers of the award say they received a number of scripts all of “a high calibre” and, as judge of the competition, Jenny was tasked with whittling down the entries to the winning few.
The cash prizes were sponsored by Soroptomist International Jersey – a global volunteer movement which advocates human rights and gender equality across more than 100 countries.
Moxie, who is currently on tour with the band, won the award’s top prize of £300 with her “environmental dystopia” entitled ‘Kid’.
Pictured: The Recks' drummer is the first winner of the Jenny Lecoat Screenwriting Award 2019.
Of Moxie’s script, the award’s namesake said: “This screenplay catapults you into an environmental dystopia of frightening conviction and imaginative detail, and manages to convey an epic yet character-led story within a very short time.
“In the year that Greta Thunberg has shown us the power and potential of female youth, the film’s child protagonist, beginning as victim then arcing into a courageous warrior, is particularly apposite. A worthy winner.”
Moxie said: “It’s an honour to be the first winner of a script competition in its very first year. This is an important time to draw attention to women’s experiences – so often neglected in mainstream media. I thank the Soroptimists for their support of the competition and 13th Parish for taking the initiative at a local level."
Taking the runner-up prizes of £100 each are Linda Duncan from Alderney with her script ‘Boots to Die For’ and Patrick Swan in Jersey for the screenplay ‘Sensational’.
Pictured: Writers from Alderney and Jersey were also recognised as part of the scriptwriting contest.
Of these entries, Jenny said: “’Boots to Die For’ combines a punchy story with strong visual images, combining themes of mysticism with modern social commentary, while leaving the reader space for their own interpretation. Patrick Swan’s ‘Sensational’ is a charming, funny tale of female friendship and adventure that effectively exploits the format with a confident sense of filmic storytelling.”
Committee member of 13th Parish Tony Langlois said that “one of the chief aims” of the festival “is to encourage local talent.”
He continued: “It would be just brilliant if the exposure we can give to local talent might lead to these scripts becoming short films.”
The winner and runners-up will be awarded their prizes by Jenny at a ceremony during the 13thParish Film Festival this weekend after a live reading of their work.
The new film and music festival also opens today at the Jersey Arts Centre and will be showcasing new films from all over the world – including Jersey – throughout the weekend.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.