Write Room Screenwriter Residency 2026 - call for applications

Wednesday, 13 August 2025 10:00 am 10:00
Monday, 20 October 2025 5:00 pm 17:00

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Photo of Esteban Jaramillo. Esteban has short dark brown hair and is wearing black sunglasses and a black shirt with colourful Aztec pattern. — Esteban Jaramillo - Screenwriter in Residence 2025

call for applications:

**FOR FILM & TELEVISION SCREENWRITERS **

Application deadline: 5pm, Mon 20 October 2025

Programme Dates: 26 January – 15 August 2026

Write Room Wellington is a screenwriter residency programme offered in partnership with Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, POP Film and the Wellington City Council Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture & Creativity Strategy.

Each year a Wellington screenwriter is selected to complete a draft of their feature film screenplay or TV pilot and bible over a seven month period with the support of experienced mentors.

This year’s mentors are Robert Sarkies (Scarfies, Out of the Blue, Pike River) and Vicky Pope (Pike River, Savage, Went Up The Hill), along with the Write Room Producer Intern.

Write Room Wellington recognises the challenges for New Zealand screenwriters to create space in their lives to write and find a place to do their work. This opportunity is for a Wellington-based screenwriter hailing from film, television, web-series, theatre, radio, journalism or other literary backgrounds, with a feature film or TV series at a stage that will benefit from focused development towards completion of a draft of the feature film script or pilot TV episode and bible. You do not need a completed script to apply.

The aim of the programme is to support a writer to develop their work to a level where it can be pitched to a producer and secure further development funding and a pathway towards production. Over the first 7 years of the programme 4 projects have been identified and supported to a stage where they successfully accessed further development support from the NZ Film Commission.

Write Room is committed to supporting diversity in NZ Film and Television. If you identify with an under-represented community in the industry we strongly encourage you to submit.