The Writers Lab, the development and marketplace programme for women and nonbinary screenwriters over 40 is open for submissions from 12 April 2023.
Untamed Stories' Julia Berg will again partner with the co-founders of The Writers Lab US, Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, to launch a combined UK and European Lab in 2023. The US programme, produced with New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), is supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, and last year’s UK Lab was supported by Dirty Films, the multi-vertical independent production company headed by Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton, Coco Francini and Georgie Pym.
Advisors/Guests will include Susan Soon He Stanton (Succession), Camille Cottin (Call My Agent!), Abi Morgan (The Split), Stephanie Yamson (I May Destroy You), Stella Savino (Call Me By Your Name), Akua Gyamfi (Founder of The British Blacklist), Pamela Adlon (Better Things) and Didar Domehri (11 Flowers).
Gráinne Bennett, Skills Development Executive – Creativity & Creative Collaboration at Screen Ireland states, “Screen Ireland strives to give full voice to diverse creative talent and we are proud to support The Writers Lab and its mission to inspire talented women and nonbinary screenwriters 40+.
The inclusion of the UK and Ireland for a combined European lab will further expand development opportunities for this important demographic to access a wider network of peers, learn from industry leading mentors and gain greater exposure for their screen stories.”
The Writers Lab UK and Europe 2023 is supported by partners Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Screen Scotland, Northern Ireland Screen, The Austrian Film Institute, ORF, FISAplus – Film Industry Support Austria and Drehbuchforum Wien (Screenwriters Forum Vienna). The Lab is in association with German Films, The Netherlands Film Fund, and Reclaim The Frame, whose director Melanie Iredale will also be a guest speaker.
Previous UK mentor Claire Wilson (The Power), stated “Writers Lab UK - women screenwriters is a great initiative designed to nurture female led stories. I loved being part of a project with a focus on encouraging emerging voices to reach their potential.”
The Writers Lab, the only programme devoted exclusively to script development for women and nonbinary screenwriters over 40, brings the co-founders of its pioneering Lab to writers based in the UK and Europe as an inaugural combined lab with its fourth virtual programme starting in September 2023 and running until March 2024, with virtual sessions focused on development and marketplace attachments.
Submissions of English language Feature and Pilot (1-hour and ½-hour) scripts will be accepted for consideration. Up to 15 writers will be selected to participate in an opportunity for unique and emerging voices reflecting the diversity of the populations across the whole of the UK and Europe.
Learn more and apply from 12 April until 10 May 2023.
Writers selected for the Lab will work one-on-one and in group sessions with acclaimed screen industry leaders to develop their scripts and their craft, and to build tools and strategies to achieve success. TWL UK Mentors have included: Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here), Jante Friese (Dark), Tanya Qureshi (I May Destroy You), Valeria Golino (The Morning Show), Angela Kang (The Walking Dead) and Ruth Wilson (The Affair).
More information
About The Writers Lab UK and Europe
Created by TWL co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon with Julia Berg and Ruth Spencer of Untamed Stories, The Writers Lab UK & Europe is dedicated to developing narrative scripted content by diverse women over the age of 40 in the UK and across Europe. We are industry veterans who elevate the work of women screenwriters in their prime through mentorship, advocacy and exposure.
For more information visit thewriterslab.nyc.
Follow at @The_Writers_Lab
About Untamed Stories
Founded by Julia Berg, now partnered with Ruth Spencer. Untamed Stories is a film/TV development hub for rising voices that nurtures projects by under-represented talent and ensures an exciting pathway to the industry. The company founders are in development on the adaptation of A CHILD´S BOOK OF TRUE CRIME and on two TV series with Channel 4.
For more information visit www.untamedstories.com.
Follow @UntamedStories (twitter) / @UntamedStoriesJR (Facebook/instagram)
Media contacts
Amber Muotto + 44 7961550715
Image: The Writers Lab advisors. Photo Credits: Ruth Crafer (Abi Morgan), Mia Benedetta (Stella Savino), Kama Sai (Akua Gyamfi) & Géraldine Aresteanu (Didar Domehri)