Rob Sarkies, Vicky Pope and Briar Grace Smith mentors for the 2021 Write Room Screenwriter Residency
DEADLINE: 7 June 2021
WRITE ROOM Wellington Screenwriter’s Residency
Dates: 30 August – 21 November 2021 (12 weeks)
Write Room is a Wellington-based screenwriter residency programme held in partnership with Toi Pōneke Art Centre and Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga -The New Zealand Film Commission.
Write Room 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 with a feature film project at a stage that will benefit from focused development towards completion of a draft of the script. The selected writer will undertake a 12-week residency at Toi Pōneke Art Centre to complete a draft of their screenplay, with the support of experienced film mentors. At the end of the residency the writer’s work is presented to the industry via a read-through workshop.
The aim of this residency is to help a writer get their screenplay to the stage where it is ready to pitch to a producer. After the first 3 years of Write Room, two projects identified by the programme are now in development with NZ Film Commission support.
The screenwriter will be provided with a studio space at Toi Pōneke Art Centre, a stipend of $7500 for the 12 weeks, and experienced creative support from industry mentors.
This year’s Write Room selectors and mentors are Director Rob Sarkies (Scarfies, Out of the Blue, Consent), Writer/Director Briar Grace Smith (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Wai-Cousins, Waru, The Strength of Water ) and Producer Vicky Pope (Savage, Gardening with Soul, Two Little Boys).