Young screenwriter's film scoops prestigious award

Laura, of Tattershall, wrote a short film last year as part of a collaborative project with Lincoln University and the 1215 project at Lincoln Castle.

The film, The Empty Throne, about the origins of the Magna Carta, was named winner of the Educational Multimedia Award at the Learning on Screen Awards 2016. It was directed by Philip Stevens.

The judging panel praised the film for its ‘beautiful production design, innovative staging and for bringing ideas of kingship and democracy to life’.

Laura, 28, said: “The film was really interesting to work on and something a bit different for me.

“Personally I think the awards generally are really interesting as they’re such a rare avenue to reward work created by and for people enthused by education.

“This year there was a really strong focus on history - the historian James Holland gave the keynote speech - which tied in really well to our Magna Carta project.”

She added: “It was fantastic to work on the project, as I have always been fascinated by history, and the fact that the story of the Magna Carta was so important locally, with Lincoln playing such a big part, made it even more special. As a local writer, it was so nice to be able to work on a project with such local interest.”

Laura has worked on scripts for TV shows such as Eastenders and Holby City, and for the past eight years has worked with touring theatre company Chapterhouse, adapting well-known classics for the theatre.

Laura said: “I have always loved writing and scriptwriting is what I really wanted to do.”

She is currently adapting two more classic stories for the stage - Peter Pan and The Railway Children - for the new Chapterhouse performance season.

* The Learning on Screen Awards, run by the British Universities Film and Video Council, are the UK’s only celebration of film and media production in education, recognising the work of individuals and organisations producing educational media.

This year’s winners were announced at an awards ceremony on April 28 at the British Film Institute Southbank in London.