http://cfccreates.com/what_we_do/cfc_film/short_dramatic_film_program/2012_cfc_shorts/frost.php FROST tells the story of Naya, a young arctic hunter who longs for her father's recognition as a capable disciple. When a season of scarcity threatens their family, she embarks on a perilous search for food beyond the perimeter of their ancestral hunting grounds.
Things have been quiet on the publicity front while Tyler works on his stories with the help of a Literature Wales bursary. So it was nice for us at his publicity team to get a phone call the other day to confirm finalization of a deal that has long been in the works: Tyler's short story, 'The Herd,' has been optioned for adaptation into a feature film, by director Jeremy Ball. Jeremy comes from a visual effects background: he's worked on Zhang Yimou's Flowers of War, Jackie Chan's Forbidden Kingdom, and the Twilight Saga: Eclipse, among others. Recently his short film, 'Frost,' debuted at TIFF and picked up the Grand Jury Award for Best Canadian Short at the Edmonton International Film Festival. 'Frost' is set in a post-apocalyptic Arctic landscape and explores Inuit culture; those familiar with 'The Herd' can see why this is the perfect match: Tyler's story is set in Northern Canada, and offers a new take on the zombie genre, by blending it with the Wendigo myth. The original story was published in the Exile Editions anthology, Dead North.
This Saturday (Oct. 17th), Tyler will be travelling down to Cardiff for what marks his first appearance at the Penarth Book Festival. This year it features a great line-up, and an eclectic mix of events. The one Tyler has been asked to do verges on the outrageous, boasting the title: 'Do Women Write Better Short Stories Than Men?' He'll be debating that hot topic with Seren editor Penny Thomas, Wales Book of the Year winner Francesca Rhydderch, and short story authors Joao Morris and Carole Burns. They're on at 11 a.m. in The Gallery at All Saints Church, so come along to what promises to be a lively event. Tickets can be pre-booked here.
Here at Tyler's publicity team we naturally assumed he'd be a bit rusty in the short form, having been out of the game for a few months, what with paternity leave, summer lazing, and his generally lackodaisacal approach to the craft. When he switched into 'writing mode' last week, upon the commencement of his Literature Wales bursary, we weren't holding our breath for immediate results. So we were pleasantly surprised, a few days later, when word filtered through that Tyler has been longlisted for this year's London Short Story Prize, sponsored by Spread the Word. Of course, the accolade isn't for a story he had instantly written, but for an entry he'd made over the summer. It seems Tyler hadn't been quite as slack as we assumed. The contest has a unique spin: longlisted authors are allowed to announce that they're in the running, but they have to keep the titles to themselves. Thus, we'll leave you to puzzle over which story might be Tyler's. The list is here, and the shortlist announcement is coming in a few weeks time - so fingers crossed Tyler's mystery piece makes the cut.
