Darklight is a programme that is designed to develop ten horror films from ten female Directors in a year long programme of intensive training and development.

The project comes from Warp X, Threshold Studios and was created to develop ten brand new ideas from ten female Directors to the outline stages. From here four projects were to be chosen to be taken forward to the treatment stage, and from here at least two of these treatments would be developed onto a script and to a feature film to be produced with Warp X.

News from Variety tells us that of the seventy six original applicants, four have now been chosen who will move their projects into production. It's not entirely clear if Warp X have chosen the final four that are definitely moving to film production, or if these are actually the four going to treatment stage. It does suggest that these are the final four.

Smita Bhide, Miranda Bowen, Corinna Faith and Juliet McKoen have all been chosen to develop films under the programme.

“Bhide's project details a young Indian woman's turbulent experiences of an arranged marriage. Bowen's "The Men's Room" portrays the darker side of a city firm. "This Little Piggy" by Faith is a twisted take on consumerism set on a psychotic farm. McKoen's "2d4" focuses on extreme sports.”

Sounds an interesting project, but is there a problem in horror alone that there's not enough female Directors? Is there more a problem that there's not enough good horror projects out there full stop, or perhaps just not enough female Directors in any genre?