The first of the new BBC2/Film Council-backed films to go into production will be Sweeney, shooting in a Cumbria prison. It follows an opera company's performance of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in a maximum security prison.

Directed by documentary film-maker Francesca Joseph, who co-wrote it with Paul Abbott, it will star Jessica Stevenson and Samantha Spiro.

The film is based on improvised dialogue worked up through three weeks of workshops and is being shot at Haverigg Prison - where some prisoners will be used as extras.

Sondheim Film First

It is the first time that the Sondheim opera will have been performed outside a theatre, the composer granting permission after a personal approach by Ms Joseph.

Sweeney producer Ruth Caleb said: "Francesca Joseph has devised a film of real ambition.

Not only is it about the redemptive qualities of music, it also provides a way of looking at people on the edge of society with compassion."

Sweeney is likely to be shown on BBC Two in 2002.

The new scheme for film-makers is intended for those who have demonstrated talent and originality - but have not yet made a theatrically-released feature film.

Though the film-makers will be free to deal with any contemporary subject matter they choose, the BBC has said that the scheme is not intended to be a forum for experimental film-making.

Risky Resonances

"We're looking for new directors who want to take risks, and for strong stories with universal resonance," said Ms Root.

"It's about new talent across both television and film."

Under the scheme films will be jointly developed from scratch by BBC Films and the Film Council.

The scheme's founders promise that film-makers will be free to approach the development process in a less conventional manner than usual.