Submissions Open for Athena Film Festival Writers Lab
Friends-
As many of you know, in addition to Women and Hollywood, I am also the Artistic Director of the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College. We run a robust Creative Development program and I wanted to share information on our writers lab which is now open for submissions. As a reader of this newsletter, there is a discount code below.
This lab is for emerging writers telling stories about women’s leadership.
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Submissions for the Athena Film Festival Writers Lab are now open, and we are excited to share updates we are making to our lab. The lab is a workshop for emerging writers which provides storytellers with creative guidance, writing training, industry access, and a supportive network.
In order to be considered, applicants must submit a project that features a girl, girls, woman or women characters in a leadership role or position at the center of the story.
We have updated our lab model to give writers the opportunity to further enhance their understanding of writing fundamentals including more feedback, and for the first time a rewrite will be a part of the process.
The (Updated) Athena Film Festival Writers Lab will have three parts. All parts are virtual.
Phase One - September 17-18, 2024
Over the course of two days, participants will learn the fundamentals of writing: craft, character, plot, structure, etc. They will also learn how to give and receive feedback on their projects. The writers will also have one-on-one sessions with AFF Writers Lab Directors focused on direct feedback on their projects.
Phase Two - Rewrite Period
Following the lab, writers will have until December 1, 2024 to revise their scripts. The lab directors, in conjunction with the Athena team, will invite a group of selected writers back to participate in part three of the lab. Not all participants from part one will be accepted into part three.
Phase Three - April 2025
Over the course of two days, the participants will learn from experienced mentors, writers, and industry members. Writers will participate in one-on-one sessions with mentors, who will help provide feedback on their newly revised scripts. There will be a pitch workshop where the writers will learn how to craft and present a pitch. The writers will also participate in a mock writers room, where they will learn how writers rooms operate.
KEY INFORMATION
Applications are open from June 3 to July 8 at 11:59 PM PST
Phase 1 of the Athena Film Festival Virtual Writers Lab will be held September 17 & 18.
This lab is for emerging writers working on a project (screenplay or episodic) that features a girl, girls, woman or women characters in a leadership role or position at the center of the story.
The Athena Film Festival encourages applications from people of all races, religions, national origins, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and ages, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities. We strongly encourage you to apply if you are from a marginalized or underrepresented group, particularly in the film industry.
The cost to submit for the lab is $65. (There is no charge for the lab) To redeem the discount code use: CPAFFWL24 when applying.
For full program info and to submit please visit https://filmfreeway.com/AFFWritersLab