BIGGEST LINE-UP YET AT THIRD ANNUAL SCREENWRITERS' FESTIVAL
A staggering line-up of film and television industry luminaries will attend this year's Screenwriters' Festival, 1 to 3 July 2008. Guest speakers include multi-award winning silver screen heavyweights MIKE LEIGH (Vera Drake/Happy Go Lucky), JULIAN FELLOWES (Gosford Park), CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON (Dangerous Liaisons/Atonement), RONALD HARWOOD (The Pianist/The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) and bestselling author TERRY PRATCHETT (Discworld).
The list does not end there. In a major coup, the Festival has also secured arguably the most influential creative forces in British broadcasting, Controller of BBC Fiction JANE TRANTER and Director of ITV Drama LAURA MACKIE, who will proffer their wisdom and vision for 21st Century drama to eager delegates from across the globe.
'Innovation is a Must', according to prolific TV writer BARBARA MACHIN (creator of the EMMY award winning Waking the Dead), who will discuss the need for constant originality when writing for television in this year's opening speech. Other major events include writer/director PETER KOSMINSKY (Britz), writer/producer KAY MELLOR (Band of Gold/Cracker), writer/producer TONY JORDAN (Eastenders/Life on Mars), script editor KATE LEYS (The Full Monty), novelist DEBORAH MOGGACH (adaptations include Love in a Cold Climate) and writer LUCY PREBBLE (Secret Diary of a Call Girl).
Festival director David Pearson comments: "The Screenwriting Festival is dedicated to the art, craft, education and business of writing for the screen. It attracts writers, producers, developers, financiers and executives from across the breadth of the screen and broadcasting industries for three invigorating days of keynote speeches, screenings, debates, case studies, seminars and workshops. We are delighted at its growth in just three years, and honoured to present such a powerful line-up of guests."
This year highlights include:
Author Terry Pratchett and director Vadim Jean reveal how they collaborated to adapt the hugely popular and successful Discworld novels for SkyOne
Mike Leigh offers a fascinating insight into his writing and directorial style. Known as the king of improvisation, is this really the case?
Christopher Hampton the Oscar winning writer of Dangerous Liaisons takes a look at his recent adaption of Atonement
Renowned screenwriter, Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly/The Pianist/Love in the Time of Cholera) will discuss how writers can succeed in film by changing their mental attitude to overcome obstacles
Lucy Prebble discusses adapting a hugely controversial internet blog into a drama series, in her very own 'Secret Diary of a Scriptwriter'
Nic Ransome of Hammer Films, interviews professors Richard Hand and Mike Wilson to dissect which scripts 'give us the willys' and which don't and why there is a renaissance of horror movies
Actor Riz Ahmed quizzes writer/director Peter Kosminsky on the character he portrayed in the BAFTA award-winning Britz
A Pitch in Time - the astoundingly popular competition returns; ten fresh delegates pitch their ideas to a live audience and panel of top industry personnel, following a pitching masterclass with experts in the field. Last year's winners have been getting busy in the business following their 2007 success. An event not to be sniffed at.
Notes to Editors
The Screenwriters Festival takes place 1-3 July 2008 at The Manor by the Lake, Cheltenham Film Studios, Arle Court, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham, Glos. GL51 6PN, UK
Festival Director David Pearson is available for interview
Guest speakers may be available for interview.
Screenwriters Festival 2008 sponsors: South West Screen, Cheltenham Council, SkyOne, 4Talent, Arturi Films, The Face Group, Wiggin, Moben Marquees, Central Presentations, Central Hotel, UK Trade Investment, Chateau de Sours, Gloucestershire County Council, BBC Films, The Learning Skills Council, Ealing Studios, Cheltenham Regency Hotel, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, The UK Film Council, Proud Lion, Thistle Hotel Cheltenham, Mosaique Design, Hammer Films, Lister Communications
The Chair of the Directors of SWF is Simon Relph, the distinguished British Producer, until recently Chair of BAFTA and founder CEO of British Screen. The Chair of the Advisory Board is leading UK producer Kevin Loader (History Boys, Venus, Brideshead Revisited). The distinguished SWF Advisory Board includes: Bill Nicholson (Gladiator), Olivia Hetreed (Girl With A Pearl Earring), US based Colin Brown (Editor In Chief Screen International) and Mark Horowitz of H2O Motion Pictures.
For further press information or Festival accreditation please contact Sophie Toumazis or Melody Odusanya at tpr media, tel: 020 8347 7020,
email: sophie@tpr-media.com or melody@tpr-media.com
