On Wednesday the Film Council's Development Fund announced a first raft of investments in single projects totalling UKP265,100 and they say they will be announcing more investments within the near future.

Last week the fund announced its first round of slate development funding for film companies working on a range of projects and will be announcing a second round of slate deals later this summer. The fund is in discussions with other filmmakers to provide funding for further single film projects.

The films are:

Kisses After Dark
This comedy based on a true story is written by Terence Davies and produced by Norma Heyman.

Julia
This thriller is the first English language project from award-winning writer/director Erick Zonca. The film is produced by Noé Productions (Frederique Dumas, Marc Baschet and Mathieu Bompoint); a French company that recently produced Danis Tanovic's debut feature No Mans Land, winner of the Best screenplay Award at Cannes 2001.

Canteen Culture
Written by Chips Hardy based on the novel by Ike Eze-Anyika, directed by Philip John and produced by Simon Markham of Loud Mouse Productions, this is a comedy thriller about six Met officers who find themselves in possession of a million pounds in cash and a suitcase full of cocaine. They decide to split the money and dump the 'coke', but things inevitably start to go wrong as paranoia and greed set in.

Written and to be directed by James Wood The Monday Club is a comedy about men failing to deal with life, love and relationships. The film is produced by John Battsek at Passion Pictures (Oscar-winner, Best Documentary One Day in September).

The Dope Priest
Based on his novel Nicholas Blincoe has written the screenplay of this dark comedy thriller, set against a backdrop of rising violence in the MiddleEast. Produced by Huda Abuzeid and executive produced by Antonia Bird the film tells how one man's quest for easy cash and good hashish unravels in the face of love and political intrigue.

Carol
The development fund is providing final stage funding for this elegant, powerful story of passionate love, which evokes the glamour and sophistication of New York in the 1950s. The film is written by award-winning playwright Phyllis Nagy adapted from the cult novel of the same title written by Patricia Highsmith and is produced by Dorothy Berwin. The funding is aimed at moving the film towards pre-production.

Family Entertainment
A romantic comedy that follows the story of young, unemployed Gordon, a 21-year-old pub trivia genius who is forced to take a more responsible outlook on life when his girlfriend falls pregnant. Thefilm is written by Christopher Payne and Matt Wilkinson, directed by Christopher Payne and produced by Gavin Emerson.

Gods of War
Gods of War is a war movie set in Roman Britain written by Dominic Morgan and Matthew Harvey of Fat Melon Films. It tells the story of Julius Agricola, a young idealistic Roman soldier who takes part in one of the bloodiest wars ever fought on British soil.

The Hangman's Apprentice
The Hangman's Apprentice is a revenge thriller set in 1920's Britain writtenby the same pair. It tells the cautionary tale of a hangman who unwittinglyemploys an apprentice who wants to kill him. Matthew Harvey and Dominic Morgan have been writing together since they met at university and are projects with Natural Nylon, The Producers and New York-based Manifesto