Naughty is Nice: Sex Education and Cheerleaders Top 2010 Brit List

The annual ranking of the best unproduced UK film scripts, this year’s list was just revealed this week. Eighty industry insiders were polled on their favorites; films such as Nowhere Boy followed by Jane Eyre were tops was tops in 2008, while 2009’s List saw Good Luck Anthony Belcher grab the top spot which has yet to go into production, but films #3 (Now Is Good), #4 (Salmon Fishing In The Yemen) and #6 (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) are currently in different stages of prod.

Top of this year’s poll was Sex Education, written by Jamie Minoprio and Jonathan M Stern, who contributed to the writing of I Want Candy and both St Trinian’s films, which may be a clue to the tone of the film. Said to concern a schoolboy’s plot to take revenge on one of his teachers by seducing his wife, the script is being developed by BBC Films and Ruby Films.

Ben Schiffer’s Cheerleaders came second in the poll and also concerns teaching – here, an American teacher in a London school tries to start a cheerleading team. It’s in development at Cloud Eight Films.

Four films were tied in third place with seven votes each. Shadow Dancer by Tom Bradby is adapted from his own novel. Set against the background of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the story concerns a woman forced by MI5 to inform on her family’s involvement with the IRA, or lose her children. Writer Bradby should be able to draw on his experience as a political editor and Ireland Correspondent at ITV News to create a realistic backdrop to the drama. James Marsh (Man on Wire) is attached to direct Rebecca Hall and Guy Pearce for Unanimous Pictures (formerly Halcyon Pictures).

Song For Marion is the new project from Paul Andrew Williams, and will hopefully be more London to Brighton than The Cottage (his latest release Cherry Tree Lane recently came out on UK DVD and is a partial return to form). According to the synopsis on Steel Mill Pictures’ website, the story follows Arthur, aged 78, whose wife Marion joins a local community choir. Marion passes away, leading Arthur to set aside his grief and join the choir himself. If it can channel some of the charm of the wonderful documentary Young@Heart, I’ll be keen to see this one!

Eran Creevy wrote and directed the little-seen but well-regarded Shifty in 2008, and his new project Welcome to the Punch makes the Brit List. Creevy has compared the project, a British-set crime thriller, to “Heat” and “Infernal Affairs”.

Honour by Shan Khan is said to be a thriller about the subject of ‘honour killings’ – a hot topic in the UK (the term relates to the murder of someone by their family members for bring shame upon the family). Dan Films is developing this one.

Here’s the complete list and for some in-depth analysis checkout ThePlaylist’s dissection.:

11 VOTES

SEX EDUCATION by Jonathan Stern and Jamie Minoprio (Casarotto)
Producers: Ruby Films/BBC Films

8 VOTES

CHEERLEADERS by Ben Schiffer (ITG)
Producers: Cloud Eight Films

7 VOTES

HONOUR by Shan Khan (The Agency)
Producers: Dan Films/Parti Productions

SHADOW DANCER by Tom Bradby (Lucas Alexander Whitley (law) Agency)
Producers: Unanimous Pictures/Element Pictures/Wildbunch Production

SONG FOR MARION by Paul Andrew Williams (United Agents)
Producers: Steel Mill Productions

WELCOME TO THE PUNCH by Eran Creevy (ITG)
Producers: Between the Eyes

6 VOTES

BREATHE (aka BACK 2 JACK) by Claire Wilson (Casarotto)
Producers: Element Pictures

ENGAGED by James Condon (unrepresented)
Producers: Silvertown Films

THE ANIMATORS by Clive Dawson (ITG)
Producers: Qwerty Films

5 VOTES

A LONG WAY DOWN by Jack Thorne (Casarotto)
Producers: Finola Dwyer Productions/Wildgaze Films

GRANNY MADE ME AN ANARCHIST by Ronan Bennett (Tavistock Wood) and Duncan Campbell (United Agents)
Producers: Origin Pictures/Easter Partisan/Film 4

4 VOTES

30 EGGS by Eoin O’Connor (Berlin Associates)
Producers: Treasure Entertainment

BLACKROCK (aka BAD DAY IN BLACKROCK) by Malcolm Campbell (Curtis Brown)
Producers: Element Pictures

FINISHING SCHOOL by Daisy Donovan (ITG)
Producers: Origin Pictures

LAST WILL by Geoff Thompson (Debi Allen Associates)
Producers: Steel Mill Productions

LETTERS FROM AMERICA by Gaia and Hania Elkington (United Agents)

LOVEFEST by Michael Cowen (United Agents)
Producers: Cloud Eight Films/Pathé

THE BRIDE STRIPPED BARE by Andrew Bovell (HLA)
Producers: Forward Films

VALERIO by Kelly Marcel (Casarotto)
Producers: 4DH Films

3 VOTES

3 MINUTE HEROES by Paven Virk (Alan Brodie Representation)
Producers: Mike Elliot

A LITTLE CHAOS by Alison Deegan (The Agency)
Producers: Potboiler

BROKEN by Mark O’Rowe (Curtis Brown)
Producers: Cuba Pictures

DEVOTCHKA by Gary Young (Sara Putt Associates) and Geoff Bussetil (ITG)
Producers: Peapie Films

ELFIE HOPKINS AND THE GAMMONS by Riyad Barmania (Alan Brodie Representation) and Ryan Andrews (ITG)
Producers: Size 9

FUMBLING by Stephen Prentice (The Rod Hall Agency)
Producers: DJ Films

GIRL’S NIGHT OUT by Trevor De Silva (The Rod Hall Agency)
Producers: Ecosse Films

JAMAICA INN by Patrick Harbinson (ITG) and Michael Thomas (Casarotto)
Producers: Hilary Heath/BBC Films

KARENFAN by Geoff Bussetil (ITG)
Producers: Peapie Films

MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH by Philip Gawthorne (Curtis Brown)

ON CHESIL BEACH by Ian McEwan (The Agency)
Producers: Neal Street

PASSPORTS by Paloma Baeza (The Agency)
Producers: Focus Films

SUITE FRANCAISE by Saul Dibb (Casarotto)
Producers: Qwerty Films/TF1

THE LOVERS by Bridget O’Connor (Michelle Kass Associates)
Producers: Thomas Thomas Films

THIS LITTLE PIGGY by Corinna Faith (Curtis Brown)
Producers: Warp Films

WILLIAM AND HAROLD by John Hodge (United Agents)
Producers: Cloud Eight Films/Pathé