Krysty's gaze takes in new festival role

Between now and June 2017, when the film festival returns for its 71st edition, award-winning writerKrysty will receive access to Edinburgh’s four universities, where she will have the opportunity to develop project ideas with science and humanities researchers. She has been awarded a £7500 bursary to help engage with Edinburgh researchers throughout the year.

The new post has been developed and supported by global charitable health foundation Wellcome in partnership with the Beltane Public Engagement Network which provides links and facilitate access to research at Edinburgh’s universities. This will see Krysty helps build connections between the worlds of film and science.

Krysty said: “I’m unbelievably excited and very honoured to have been chosen as the festival’s Screenwriter in Residence.

“The access to scientific researchers and fellows at some of the finest universities in the world is not only a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it also offers the possibility to forge bonds across disciplines that are so often and wrongly put on opposite ends of a spectrum.

“I am sure the combination of art and science will provoke an interesting reaction and many unique ideas, I feel truly privileged to be involved.”

Krysty graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and went on to gain her masters in screenwriting at the National Film and Television school.

Her screenwriting credits include supernatural television drama Penny Dreadful and the award-winning short films All Men’s Dead, The End of an Era and Fink.

Krysty was named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow in 2014 and is currently in development with feature film The Voyeur’s Motel, which is being directed by Sam Mendes and produced by Steven Spielberg.

Her original screenplay Aether was listed in the top ten of the 2014 and was picked up by Film Nation Entertainment.

Holly Daniel, Head of Industry & Talent Development at EIFF said: “We are thrilled to have Krysty as our first Screenwriter in Residence.

“She is a very exciting talent, a ‘one to watch’ and her interest in all things science makes her the perfect writer to explore the knowledge, information and ideas that will be available to her in Edinburgh over the next year.”

Dr Heather Rea of the Beltane Public Engagement Network said: “We are delighted to be able to host Krysty in this role.

“It will give some of our researchers such a unique chance to learn how ideas get into films and share with Krysty their insights and depth of knowledge about their field of study.”