Find out more about the nine selected indies taking part in new scripted drama initiative International Horizons: Scripted.
Aimed at boosting production of scripted drama in the three nations, International Horizons: Scripted will provide companies with the skills, knowledge and networks necessary to thrive in international markets.
The nine successful delegates who have been selected to take part in International Horizons: Scripted are:
- Anna Callan, Fine Point Films, Northern Ireland
- Paul Kennedy, Village Films, Northern Ireland
- Dermot Lavery, DoubleBand Films, Northern Ireland
- Deanne Cunningham, Synchronicity Films, Scotland
- Arabella Page Croft, Black Camel, Scotland
- Paul Murray, Boy 313, Scotland
- Ed Talfan, Severn Screen, Wales
- Rachel Evans, Boom Cymru, Wales
- Gethin Scourfield, Triongl, Wales
This advanced industry programme, developed with the support of BFI awarding National Lottery Funding, Creative Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland, will take place across sixth months. Along with one-to-one support and networking opportunities in each nation, participants will receive unrivalled access to industry experts.
Confirmed contributors to the programme to date include:
- Georgia Brown, Consultant and former Head of Amazon Studios, Europe
- Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Drama at Channel 5 and Paramount+
- Jon Farrar, SVP, Group Editorial & Content, BritBox
- Rebecca O’Connor, Director of Production, Sky Studios
- Simon Cox, EVP Content & Acquisitions, Banijay Rights
- Laura Andrews, Commercial Director, UK Drama at ITV Studios
- Nick Lee, Commercial Director – Drama & Comedy at BBC Studios
- James Copp Co-Head of Content at Night Train Media
- Rebecca Dundon, SVP of Scripted Content at Fremantle
- Lee Stone, Partner at Lee & Thompson’s Film Group
- Pete Saville, MD & Music Supervisor at Carbon Logic
- Robin Hilton, Media and Entertainment Partner at Sheridans
Developed and delivered by TRC and creative lead Caroline Levy, the course will include funded attendance to Content London in December and will culminate with an international market visit in 2025, expanding the delegates networks both within the UK and internationally.
This programme is funded by the BFI awarding National Lottery Funding, Creative Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland.
Anna Callan
Creative Producer, Scripted Development| Fine Point Films
Originally from the Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland, Anna has worked internationally across a range of genres in the screen industries ranging from HETV to Film and Comedy.
Anna has produced projects across the factual and fiction genres, including feature documentaries “Girls Who Run The World” and “The Unrest Collective” which are currently in funded development. Anna has also produced a wide slate of short films, including five funded short films including; BFI funded short film “Shee” which shot in Nairobi and completed post production in Northern Ireland and premiered at Belfast Film Festival 2023, short creative documentary “Run With Her” funded by The Scottish Documentary Institute and Northern Ireland Screen which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2021 and a BBC Two Minute Masterpiece “Best Served Cold”, which premiered on BBC iPlayer. Anna is also currently producing a short narrative project “Long Shadows” which received funding from Northern Ireland Screen and is currently finishing post production. Anna was a participant in the Ignite Scheme Talent Development Scheme 2021/22 with two projects and is a member of BAFTA Connect.
From 2021 – 2024 she was Personal Assistant to Director Paul Feig. And was Executive Assistant to Producers Stephen Jones and Laura Fischer on Netflix feature film “The School for Good and Evil” and Personal Assistant to Alexander Skarsgard on feature film “The Northman”. As well as working as a Personal Assistant and Anna has extensive experience as an Assistant Director with her most recent AD credits including Third Assistant Director on “The Morrigan” (Feature Film), “Housejackers” (Feature Film), “Wreck” S2 (TV) and “Pickle Storm” S1 (TV). Anna also worked as an Assistant Director on “Game of Thrones”, “Bloodlands” and “Dublin Murders”. Anna is interested in working on female led projects, focusing on finding new narratives and underrepresented voices.
Paul Kennedy
Producer | Village Films
Paul is the founder and director of Village Films, an indie based in Belfast.
In 2022, he was nominated for the Breakthrough Producer Award at the British Independent Film Awards. Paul is passionate about championing emerging filmmaking talent from Northern Ireland, and his films have been showcased at many prestigious film festivals including Toronto International Film Festival and TriBeCa Film Festival. His films have been distributed on major platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and Hulu.
Currently, Paul is focused on the ongoing growth of Village Films by developing an exciting slate of feature films and high-end television series.
Dermot Lavery
Producer | DoubleBand Films
Dermot Lavery is an award-winning director, producer and executive producer with DoubleBand Films, the Belfast-based independent production company he cofounded over 30 years ago.
Dermot most recently produced the CINI4/ Screen Ireland funded folk-horror film “Fréwaka” which will go into distribution in 2025 with IFC/Shudder and which premiered at the Locarno and London FilmsFestivals in 2024. He is also responsible for a wide range of highly acclaimed documentaries for broadcasters such as the BBC, RTE, and Channel 4, many of which have enjoyed international distribution including on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+.
DoubleBand currently has a wide slate of dramas and documentaries in development or the early stages of production, the most up-to-date being a major factual series for Channel 4 on the Royal family.
DoubleBand’s credits include the critically acclaimed and award-winning feature documentary “Road”, narrated by Liam Neeson and “Lost Lives”, a landmark film on the Troubles in Northern Ireland featuring an ensemble cast of Irish actors, including Kenneth Branagh, Brendan Gleeson, and Ciaran Hinds.
Dermot has previously served as the Northern Ireland representative on the Council of UK industry trade body PACT and has been a board member of Northern Ireland Screen.
Deanne Cunningham
Head of Development | Synchronicity Films
Deanne Cunningham is Head of Development at Synchronicity Films, an award-winning Scottish indie.
She is responsible for their slate of high-end scripted projects for Film and TV. With 15 years of experience in the industry, she has produced hit dramas such as “Endeavour” and “Cold Feet”. She has also script edited several award-winning shows, including “Humans” (Ch4/AMC), “Utopia” (Ch4) and “The Tunnel” (Sky Atlantic/Canal+). She has also produced several independent short films with backing from Creative Scotland and the BFI. She is a former BBC Production Trainee and lives in Glasgow, where she likes climbing munros and swimming in lochs whenever possible!
Arabella Page Croft
Producer | Black Camel
Arabella is a leading Scottish producer, executive producer and director. She runs Black Camel Pictures with her producer partner Kieran Parker. The company is currently in pre-production with “Gifted”, a 10 x 30′ new kids action adventure series for CBBC and ARD in Germany. They are in post production with “An t-Eilean / The Island” (4 x 50’), the first HETV family crime drama for BBC ALBA. She executive produces both shows.
Arabella executive produced “Annika” for UKTV & PBS Masterpiece, starring Nicola Walker. The series aired on UKTV’s Alibi in August 2021 to rave reviews and record viewership on the channel. The show was acquired by BBC One and iPlayer. Arabella also executive produces the award-winning children’s animation series “The Brilliant World of Tom Gates” by Liz Pichon, which premiered on Sky Kids and has now run to three series.
Feature film credits include “Falling for Figaro” starring Dani Macdonald & Joanna Lumley, “Sunshine on Leith” starring Jane Horrocks and Peter Mullan, “Legacy” starring Idris Elba and action horror trilogy “Outpost” (I,II,III) starring Ray Stevenson.
Arabella executive produces and directs “Float” (6 x 10′), an award-winning YA queer series for BBC Scotland & BBC iPlayer.
Paul Murray
Producer | Boy 313
Paul Murray is a BAFTA Scotland, RTS and Banff Rocky award-winning producer with over 25 years of UK and International television experience. He has worked in scripted and non-scripted production in many of the biggest production companies in the UK – including Endemol, Objective, IWC and True North.
As creator of C4’s long running and multi award-winning series “Location, Location, Location”, as well as the BBC’s “Antiques Road Trip” and its Celebrity spin-offs, he has created many of the longest lasting and most successful network series produced from Scotland. In addition to his network production credits, he has lectured about format production and development in China, the University of Westminster and various Scottish Institutions. He is co-owner of scripted production entity Boy 313 with director Paul McGuigan, and is currently working on their debut drama based on the award winning novel “Squeaky Clean”.
Ed Talfan
Creative Director and CEO | Severn Screen
Ed is Creative Director and CEO at Wales based Severn Screen. Ed’s producer credits include “Mr Burton” (2025), starring Toby Jones and Lesley Manville; Gareth Evans’ “Havoc” (2025), starring Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker; “The Pembrokeshire Murders” (2021) starring Luke Evans; and “Apostle” (2018), starring Michael Sheen, Dan Stevens and Lucy Boynton. Ed also produced Episode 5 of Season One of Gareth Evans’ “Gangs Of London” (2020).
Alongside the team at Severn Screen, Ed is currently developing a slate of drama projects with writers from across Wales and beyond.
Ed’s Executive Producer credits include BBC dramas “Hidden” (2018-22) and “Steeltown Murders” (2023); and Richard Billingham’s BFI-backed debut feature “Ray & Liz“ (2019). Prior to setting up, Severn Screen, Ed co-created and produced three series of award-winning drama “Hinterland” (2013-2016).
Ed is an alumnus of UWC Atlantic and Edinburgh College of Art, and a trustee of Hijinx Theatre.
Rachel Evans
Executive Producer | Boom Cymru
Rachel is an Executive Producer at Welsh Indie Boom Cymru and responsible for scripted and non-scripted productions in Welsh and English for numerous broadcasters. Recent scripted credits include “Men Up” and “How This Blind Girl…” for BBC1 and iPlayer, and “Creisis” for S4C.
She trained as a journalist and is passionate about factual storytelling in all its forms. She sits on the Factual Fast Track Board which aims to accelerate career development for producers in Wales and the West, and is an external examiner on the undergraduate course in Media and Communication at Swansea University.
Gethin Scourfield
Co-Creative Director | Triongl
Gethin is Co-creative Director at Triongl, a leading Welsh production company. Recent productions include “Y Golau/The Light in The Hall” a back to back (dual language) production which screened on S4C, Channel 4 and Sundance Now and was Channel 4’s best performing drama of 2023.
He has worked in the television and film industry since the early 80s, co-founding successful Welsh production companies Criw Byw and Boda before joining the BBC as an Executive Producer in 2001. After leaving the BBC he worked as a freelance producer and director.
Credits include international hit detective drama “Y Gwyll/Hinterland” (BBC4/S4C/All3Media International) and “The Miniaturist” (BBC1/ WGBH). Gethin was acting commissioning editor for drama at S4C from May 2017 to May 2018, where he was Executive Producer on “Un Bore Mercher/Keeping Faith” (S4C/BBC), “Bang!” (S4C/BBC) and “Craith/Hidden” (S4C/BBC4).