Writer scoops award for epic post-apocalyptic tale

14 July 2016

Screenwriting graduate Declan Donohoe receives Jack Rosenthal award for 2016

A University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) graduate with a passion for screenwriting has received a prestigious academic award which honours a famous writer.

Declan Donohoe collected the 2016 Jack Rosenthal Award for his full-length script entitled Canon.

The BA (Hons) Screenwriting with Film, Television and Radio graduate, who hails from Northern Ireland, scripted an epic tale set in an impending and post-apocalyptic landscape.

The 26-year-old said: “I feel very grateful to win this award. It’s a great thing to have on my CV and it’s also one of the reasons why I came to UCLan. The links and partnerships the University has with such big names, including ITV, makes it a lot more appealing to come here than anywhere else in the country.”

He added: “I really have to thanks my peers and my lecturers for this award as they really helped with the collaborative process.”

"The links and partnerships the University has with such big names, including ITV, makes it a lot more appealing to come here than anywhere else in the country."

Screenwriting Lecturer Bill McCoid praised Declan’s script. He said: “It is full of interesting and complex characters with naturalistic dialogue that effectively establishes character and the world of the story. Ambitious storytelling which fully explores major themes to offer an insightful view into the human psyche. An unconventional use of structure, successfully adds intrigue to the narrative, resulting in a series of increasingly dramatic revelations.”

The highly coveted writing award is presented annually to a screenwriting graduate who has been judged to have written the best feature length script during their final year. Jack Rosenthal was a legendary multi BAFTA winning writer and his family, including his famous wife Maureen Lipman, kindly allow UCLan to bestow Jack’s name upon this prize.

Declan, who is set to travel around New Zealand before returning to the UK to study for his master's, was among nearly 4,000 students who graduated in front of family and friends at Preston’s Guild Hall last week.