The Athena Film Festival at Barnard, in partnership with the Stephens College Master of Fine Arts in Television and Screenwriting and WIST (Women in the Script Trade, formerly IRIS), will once again host a television and screenwriting lab in Los Angeles.
Set to take place Monday, June 3 to Wednesday, June 5, 2019, the three-day program targets emerging self-identified women writers in both television and film. One day will focus on the features, one will be an industry day, and one will focus on TV.
The program, now in its second year, also includes mentoring sessions in which the participants are paired with established writers; a mock television writers room; opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback; meetings with executives; and networking events with Athena Film Festival community members.
Submissions are open through April 8.
More details can be found below. You can apply and find more information on Athena Film Festival’s website. Women and Hollywood Founder and Publisher Melissa Silverstein is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the fest.
Rules & Terms
- Emerging writers who identify as women.
- Writers cannot yet have a feature-length narrative film or TV pilot or teleplay produced or in pre-production.
- Projects with more than one writer may be considered upon assessment (both have to identify as women).
- Projects with a strong female character in a leadership role at the center of the story from all genres
- If applying for the film lab, projects must be feature-length narrative scripts in English of no more than 120 pages.
- Projects (pilots or spec scripts) must be narrative scripts in English of no more than 60 pages.
- If chosen as a finalist, you will be asked to submit a one-page personal statement.
- Writers can submit to both labs, but two separate applications and fees will need to be submitted.
- Submission period: March 11 – April 8
- Submission fee: $45 -$55
- 20 finalists from each category will be chosen and notified by April 15.
- 16 to 20 total winners will be chosen by April 29: 8 to 10 for film; 8 to 10 for TV.
- TWO slots in the TV lab will be held for Stephens College MFA program affiliates.
- ONE slot in the Screenwriting lab will be held for a Sloan Fellowship, given to a writer who submits STEM-themed scripts
