14 October 2010

'Nursery Crimes' up for horror award

'Little Bo Peep has slaughtered her sheep' and doesn't know where to hide them.' So begins the gore-filled take on a much-loved nursery rhyme which has seen a University of Dundee graduate nominated for a top horror film award.

‘Nursery Crimes’ is the work of artist and animator Laura Whyte, who graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University, with a Masters in Media Arts & Imaging earlier this year.

Laura (25) is a huge fan of the horror genre, and her short animation was one of the highlights of this year’s Dundee Masters Show. The film will now be shown at the British Horror Film Festival at Bournemouth’s Pier Theatre on Saturday, 30 October 30th. It was also been nominated for an award in the 'Best Short Film' category.

The British Horror Film Festival showcases the best in UK and international independent horror films. This is the first award Laura has been nominated for, although Nursery Crimes will be shown at a number of other film festivals later this year.

Glasgow-born Laura, who is currently teaching 2D animation at Dundee College, explained the genesis of the film.

'The idea has actually been around for a while - it's something a friend and I first wrote when we were about 15,' she said. 'When it came to my Masters project I thought it was something I could revisit and refine and I’m really pleased with the outcome.

'I'm a big horror fan - I especially love Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films. I’ve never been nominated for an award before, and I haven’t had a film shown at a festival yet, so this is a big deal for me. I hope to make it down to Bournemouth because I’m delighted to have been nominated.

'In total, there were about 12 people who worked on Nursery Crimes. I wrote, designed and co-directed the film, but I had a lot of help from people and I’d really like to say thanks to all of them.'

The cuteness of the film’s characters belies the gore that is to come as Laura takes viewers on a three-and-a-half minute journey, laced with dark humour, through a hellish alternative nursery rhyme world.

Stuart Brennan, one of the organisers of the British Horror Film Festival, congratulated Laura on her nominations, saying, 'This year we have received a phenomenal amount of entries, so to be nominated is just fantastic. The film will be screened along with the awards ceremony at The Pier Theatre, Bournemouth on Saturday, and we have some truly amazing films showing'

A trailer of the film can be seen at Laura’s website - www.voodoobeans.org.

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Grant Hill
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University of Dundee
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