An online festival event just for screenwriters is coming to your screens this April. An opportunity for industry professionals and aspiring writers alike to learn, converse and connect, the Dublin International Screenwriting Festival is set to take place 19 – 23 April.
A week of events, panel discussions and masterclasses focused on the art of screenwriting will be going ahead with the support of festival partners Screen Skills Ireland and Griffith College. Ireland’s only festival devoted entirely to the script has some great sounding events on the schedule, with big names on hand to provide their writing expertise. Opportunities to pitch to Irish production companies including Blinder Films, Samson Films and more will be of interest to anyone looking to make their way into the Irish film scene.
Ten screenwriters will have the opportunity to meet with Producers and Development Executives from well-known Irish production companies. Each selected writer will be invited to submit their bio and a writing sample before having 15 minutes with each producer/exec to either pitch an idea or simply introduce themselves, in the hope of developingnew partnerships, new projects and new opportunities for the selected screenwriters. Festival organisers aim to reproduce this event bimonthly as a way of helping great producers and great writers to get in a (virtual) room together. Applications for this event on Monday 19th April can be made with the festival here.
During the screenwriting festival, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the pros including Roddy Doyle, Stuart Carolan, Lisa McGee and Kate O’Riordan. Panel discussions on diversity in screenwriting, the place of writers in the video game market, and conversations with producers about what they’re looking for will all help shape the future of film writing in Ireland. Writer and script consultant Mary Kate O’Flanagan will guide beginners through their tricky Act Ones with a Masterclass, while Arracht writer Tomás Ó Súilleabháin and more will discuss opportunities for screenwriters working in Irish and the opportunities Irish film & TV has in taking advantage of this cultural well in an intriguing sounding conversation as Gaeilge.
The screenwriting festival is free for patrons to attend, but in lieu of spending money on a ticket, festival organisers have suggested paying those funds forward to organisations including Laura Lynn, Jigsaw, the Shauna Kavanagh Foundation or Fighting Words.
Check out the full programme of events for the 2021 Dublin International Screenwriting Festival below, with registration for events available here.
Monday April 19
2 – 4pm: Writers Meet Producers
6 – 7pm: Festival Launch
7 – 10pm: Screenwriting Masterclass with Mary Kate O’Flanagan
Tuesday, April 20
1 – 2pm: Diversity Panel
6.30 – 7.30pm: Producers’ Panel
7.30 – 8.30pm: Roddy Doyle
Wednesday, April 21
1 – 2pm Documentary Panel
6.30 – 7.30pm: Animation Panel
7.30 – 8.30pm: Lisa McGee
Thursday, April 22
1 -2pm: Funders & Commissioner Panel
6.30 – 7.30pm: Games Panel
7.30 – 8.30pm: Writer’s Panel
Friday, April 23
1 – 2pm: Ag Smoineamh As Gaeilge
6.30 – 7.30pm: Kate O’Riordan
7.30 – 8.30pm: Stuart Carolan