Film4 and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation Announce 2024 Playwrights’ Scheme Bursary Winners

22 November 2023

November 2023: Film4 and The Peggy Ramsay Foundation with the Maria Bjornson Memorial Fund today announce the six winners of the Peggy Ramsay/Film4 Awards which celebrate and support emerging British writing talent.

The 2024 initiative is awarding six bursaries to new theatre writers, each worth £10,000. Four bursaries are supported by The Peggy Ramsay Foundation (one is dedicated to the memory of literary agent Tom Erhardt) and two by Film4.

The recipients of the 2024 bursaries are:

BABIRYE BUKILWA (“Cake”)

Clean Break & Soho Theatre

SHAHID IQBAL KHAN (“10 Nights”)

Paines Plough

MARTHA LOADER (“Bindweed”)

New Wolsey Theatre

MAREK HORN (“Octopolis”)

Hampstead Theatre

FLORENCE ESPEUT-NICKLESS (“Destiny”)

Bristol Old Vic

MORNA YOUNG (“Aye, Elvis”)

Traverse Theatre

The successful writers will now embark upon one-year attachments with their respective venues (listed above), giving them the opportunity to meet a variety of industry professionals and to gain first-hand experience of a working theatre. Their principal task in the next 12 months is to write at least one full-length play. 

Sir Richard Eyre, Chairman of the Panel comments: “I’ve always thought that giving bursaries to writers for them to be attached for a year to theatres is an inventive act of philanthropy. I’ve been chairing this award since 2009 and I have been repeatedly impressed by the quality of the plays. This year has been no exception. I feel sure that these writers will continue to confirm our faith in their talent”

Neil Adleman, Chair of the Peggy Ramsay Foundation comments: “We are delighted to be able to continue to support this scheme which is unique in providing funds which support both writers and theatres for an extended period.”

Ben Coren, Head of Development at Film4 comments: “Discovering and nurturing new talent is one of our core values at Film4, so we’re very happy to help another round of emerging UK playwrights develop their careers.  I’m looking forward to seeing what the winners create in 2024 and beyond.”

Playwrights were nominated by UK theatre practitioners with the six winners selected by the Scheme’s Panel chaired by Sir Richard Eyre. This year’s panel also included: Jack Bradley (Sonia Friedman Productions), Ben Coren (Film4), Will Mortimer (The Bridge Theatre & The Peggy Ramsay Foundation), Dinah Wood (Faber & Faber), Nicholas Wright (Playwright) and Georgia Gatti (Neal Street Productions). The scheme is administered by Sue Higginson OBE.

ENDS

For further information and interview requests please contact:

Film4@organic-publicity.com

mpitchford@channel4.co.uk

Notes to Editors

About The Peggy Ramsay Foundation

Peggy Ramsay was one of the best-known play agents in the United Kingdom during the second half of the Twentieth Century.  When she died in 1991 her estate was left for charitable purposes to help writers and writing for the stage.  The Peggy Ramsay Foundation was established in pursuance of this objective.

For more information please visit www.peggyramsayfoundation.org

About Film4

Film4 is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division. Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most distinctive and innovative talent in UK and international filmmaking, both new and established.

Film4 has developed and co-financed many of the most successful UK films of recent years, Academy Award®-winners such as Florian Zeller’s The Father, Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite, Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lenny Abrahamson’s Room, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, Asif Kapadia’s box office record breaking documentary Amy, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave and Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, in addition to critically-acclaimed award-winners such as Sarah Gavron’s Rocks, Rose Glass’s Saint Maud, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Rungano Nyoni’s I Am Not a Witch, Chris Morris’s Four Lions, Shane Meadows’ This is England, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin and Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years.

Film4’s recent releases include Martin McDonagh’s BAFTA winning The Banshees of Inisherin, Oliver Hermanus’ Living, Florian Zeller’s The Son, Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men, Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or-winning Titane, Jonathan Butterell’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Rebecca Hall’s Passing, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, Will Sharpe’s The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Aml Ameen’s Boxing Day, Eva Husson’s Mothering Sunday, Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor, and Jim Archer’s Brian & Charles. Forthcoming titles include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Golden Lion prize-winning Poor Things, Jonathan Glazer’s Cannes Grand Prix winner The Zone of Interest, Steve McQueen’s Occupied City, Molly Manning Walker’s Un Certain Regard prize-winning How to Have Sex, and Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding.