We hosted a weekend long residency with the writers who were finalists in the Women X Film Festival Script Competition, inviting them to not only celebrate their recognition but also deepen their connection to their scripts and expand their skillsets, while meeting other writers too!

We expanded our workshops to introduce looking at theme, a common error we found in many scripts during the competition process, as well as introduce new activities to strengthen characters and the way they communicate in scripts.

The writers were also invited to share what barriers they wanted to break down in their stories, and in smaller feedback groups we discussed these and identified ways of moving forward collaboratively.

Pitching was a big edition to the residency, after a masterclass from Caris with the eye of what producers and festivals look for, the writers then developed their elevator pitches and presented during a quick fire pitching round in front of industry members and their peers!

What we learnt…

That the personal connection to your script whether it’s through your own experiences, or your passion on why you want to make it, is important when seeking support and producer interest.

That putting 27 writers together for a weekend results in lots of new exciting connections and planned collaborations. (!!!)

It’s okay to have multiple projects going on in your head, put making sure each one has it’s own voice and identity is important for completing a story.

…..and we learnt we want to do more residencies!