Screen News

 Fans of Peaky Blinders will have to wait until autumn for the eagerly anticipated fifth series, but the world premiere of the opening episode gets a special screening in Birmingham this week. Cillian, Helen and the creators will be joined by a selection of cast and crew for the red-carpet event. Among the new Irish cast members ready to make their mark in season five are Brian Gleeson, Emmett J Scanlan, Charlene McKenna and Daryl McCormack.

 Attention Irish writers and film-makers: Virgin Media Discovers is a new scheme inviting scripts for a proposed 10-minute short film with the theme, ‘Discover Different’. Entries will be judged by a panel including actor, Adrian Dunbar; director, Neasa Hardiman, and Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival ( VMDIFF) head honcho, Gráinne Humphreys. The winner receives €35,000 to fund the production of their 10-minute short, which will feature in next year’s film festival and on Virgin Media TV. “It’s not just the €35,000”, says Adrian Dunbar. “It’s the technical support that’s going to come with it, and also the fact that your piece will be broadcast. That’s a great incentive. This will mean a real leg up for anyone who wins this competition.” Closing date is Friday, July 26. See virginmedia.ie/discovers.

 Congrats to the Irish winners at the Royal Television Society Student TV awards, recently held at the BFI in London’s Southbank and presented by BBC DJs, Matt Edmondson and Mollie King. Directed by Brendan McCallion, Backwater was the overall winner of the Undergraduate Drama award for IADT . The film’s editor, Brendan Corcoran, and cameraman, Robin J. Kavanagh, also collected craft awards for the short drama, set in rural Ireland. Another craft winner, again from IADT , was writer Philip Emo, who penned the short drama, Speak To Her.