Weeks after she was appointed as the head of the UK Film Council'sPremiere Fund, Sally Caplan has already made a handful of sizable investments.

The Fund, itemerged in Cannes, is backing Severance, the latest horror picture from Chris Smith (Creep), backed by Qwerty Films and sold byHanway.

Caplan is alsoinvesting in Driving Lesson, writer Jeremy Brock's directorial debut. A semi-autobiographicalstory based on Brock's experiences as a teenager working as a carer forlegendary British stage actress, Dame Peggy Ashcroft and stars Julie Waltersand Rupert Grint. TV rights have already been bought by Granada TV.

Earlier thisweek, Caplan confirmed she had committed £2.3m of lottery money - one of theCouncil's biggest-ever investments - to the £20m Stormbreaker, picked up by The Weinstein Company forthe US.

Meanwhile, theCouncil has invested £350,000 of lottery money into Michael Bassett's low-budget Wilderness, the latest film from Ecosse Productionswhich is on sales outfit AV's Cannes slate.

Caplan has also pumped£800,000 into Mischief Night, thelatest feature from Penny Woolcock. The film is in pre-production withprincipal photography starting mid-June.Mischief Night is a UKFilm Council, FilmFour and Screen Yorkshire presentation of a Companyproduction. The film is produced byAbi Bach and Willow Grylls.

The UK Film Council's NewCinema Fund has also been active, investing £500,000 into Ken Loach's TheWind That Shakes The Barley whilealso backing documentary, Deep Water, a Pathe Pictures and FilmFour presentation of an Apt Films and StirFried Films co-production.