Ella Gilbert 2023 Write Room Scriptwriter in Residence
Toi Pōneke Arts Centre is delighted to announce Ella Gilbert as the Write Room Scriptwriter in Residence for 2023. Ella will be in residence from 7th Feb - 30 April.
Ella Gilbert (Rongowhakaata, Ngati Kaipoho, Ngati Kahungunu) has been selected for her project The Desert Road.
Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Ella works as a writer, actor, acting coach, film and theatre maker. A graduate of Toi Whakaari, Ella further trained with Araitepō, a Matauranga Maori high performance leadership program. Her debut short film Mary Mary was selected for the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand Festival in 2023. Her previous films, made on Super8mm with collective ‘Don’t Shoot Films’ have screened and successfully competed in London, Portugal, Mumbai and Aotearoa. Ella’s recent actor coaching credits include award winning shows Mystic (CBBC), Black Hands (WB), Power Rangers (Netflix) and Kid Sister (TVNZ). In 2022 she starred in the core cast of Irish/NZ co-pro The Gone. She was the lead role in the iconic NZ play Skin Tight, for which she took home ‘Outstanding Performer 2022’ at the Wellington Theatre awards.
The Desert Road is Ella’s first feature. “This story is inspired by the true and pivotal events in my friend’s life growing up on an army camp in Waiouru in the early 2000’s. After witnessing her mother having an affair in her dad’s absence, she set her teenage self the impossible task of keeping her family together, no matter the cost. I'm delighted to embrace this residency in my home town. To write a feature film alongside these mentors is truly a treat. I cannot wait to be in my own little studio, digging deep with this story and these characters. I feel like it's going to be a special one.”
Mentor and selector Vicky Pope said “We were so impressed with the calibre of this year’s submissions from both emerging and experienced filmmakers-this continues to grow year on year. Ella’s screenplay shone as a distinctive, emotionally rich and cinematic piece of writing. It’s a real privilege to be able to support her to evolve her script this year, thanks to the team at Toi Pōneke Arts Centre and Wellington City Council.”
Write Room Wellington is a screenwriter residency programme offered in partnership with Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, the Wellington City Council Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture and Creativity Strategy, and Wellington’s UNESCO City of Film Programme. Each year a Wellington screenwriter is selected to undertake a 12-week residency to develop a draft of their feature film screenplay with the support of experienced industry mentors. This year’s mentors are Robert Sarkies (Scarfies, Out of the Blue, Consent: The Louise Nicolas Story) and Vicky Pope (Savage, Gardening with Soul).
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. The aim of the programme is to support a writer to develop their screenplay to a level where it can be pitched to a producer and secure further development funding and a pathway towards production. Over the first 4 years of the programme 4 projects have been identified and supported to a stage where they successfully accessed further development support.
For more information on other Toi Pōneke Residencies click here