BBC Writersroom Script Room DRAMA 2020
INFO: We are especially looking for distinctive voices - and scripts that express those voices. We do not look for more of the same – we look for the writer’s ability to pull an audience into a world and hold them in it. It’s not necessarily about finding precincts or situations that have ‘never been done before’ but having an original take on stories that have the potential to have wide breadth of appeal.
We want to see characters who are well rounded, consistent and who drive the action rather than are carried by it. Also, a sense of storytelling ability - handling of pace, climax, mood for example.
We look for what the script tells us about the writer as we see all scripts as a calling card to showcase a writer’s ability and talent.
We want to see the best possible draft you can achieve. We are not looking for early/first/rough drafts of scripts. Only submit to the Script Room when your script is ready, even if it means waiting for a later Script Room submission window.
We are looking to unearth the treasures, the page-turners, the new perspectives, the engaging dialogue and the surprising character creations.
We want to find that special something which makes us want to read more from the person behind the project.
Before considering making a submission, you will need to read the following information carefully. Submissions which do not meet the criteria or are in breach of the terms and conditions will be subject to disqualification without discussion.
WHAT TO SUBMIT
One drama script of at least 30 full pages in length for TV, Film, Radio, Stage or Online* with your personal details removed.
Your script should be saved as a single PDF document of no more than 10MB in size, with your name removed from the document.
If you are writing your script using Final Draft and do not know how to remove your name and contact details from your script, please refer to Final Draft's own trouble shooter.
If you are using Microsoft word processing and do not know how to save your file as a PDF, please refer to Office Support
(All software will come with its own user guidelines. We cannot offer technical support for third party software).
Please remember to remove your name and contact details from every page of your script. All scripts will be read “blind” i.e. without a name attached, until after the full-read stage.
*If you are submitting a sample script for Children’s TV or Online, you are welcome to submit 2 x 15 minute episodes as a single PDF document.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Once you have clicked on the link for the opportunity, you will be asked to confirm your eligibility before entering.
(*Please note* If you do not meet the listed criteria, you cannot enter the opportunity. If you still proceed with your application, your submission will be flagged as ineligible and you are unlikely to hear that this is the case until after the deadline has passed.)
You will then need to fill in a simple application form along with uploading your script. As part of this, you will need to fill in the following details:
TITLE of the script being submitted.
LOGLINE: one sentence that clearly and succinctly tells us who and what the story is about. For more information about loglines please see our blog.
ADDITIONAL WRITERS: State here whether it is a joint application and provide the name of the other writer involved if applicable. Writers can submit individually or as part of a writing team of up to a maximum of 2 people. If entering as duo, both entrants must meet the entry requirements. You cannot submit as a duo and an individual within the same window.
MEDIUM / GENRE: select the relevant options from the drop down lists.
BIO: A brief biography, up to one paragraph, of your writing to date.
You can also include a link to a personal website and agent details but these are not required for the submission.
OUTCOME OF THE SCRIPT ROOM
At the end of the process, a group of writers (usually between 10 and 15) will be selected to join the BBC Drama Room writer development group for 2020/21.
Our Script Room open calls are not competitions but a means by which the BBC seeks out the best writing talent in either Drama or Comedy. We look for writers with the strongest potential to be developed and produced for BBC broadcast. You could be new to writing or new to the BBC but equally, you may be a playwright looking to write for TV, or you’ve written for radio and would like to try your hand at writing for CBBC. We understand that carving a career as a writer takes time and that each writer’s development needs will be different.
We will also consider whether scripts have real potential to be developed further towards production. If we believe a script could be developed further by a BBC department, we will send it to them with the writer's knowledge. Original scripts written on spec' are produced extremely rarely, and writers should not send them in with the expectation that they will be produced. However, original spec' scripts are the means by which writers get noticed, so you should always write your script with the same level of commitment as if it were for production.
DEADLINE: January 6, 2020
https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities/script-room
ISA Fast Track Fellowship — FEATURE FILM
INFO: This is the 11th season of the ISA Fast Track Fellowship. With each passing year we continue to find fresh and original voices to pair up with eight veteran industry mentors for an intense, career-launching week in Los Angeles. After the week is over, our Fellows are invited onto the ISA Development Slate for support from the Development Team for a minimum of one year!
When the program launched, we had no idea what impact it would have on our Fellows' careers. Many of our Fellows have signed with top agents, managers and/or had their scripts optioned or purchased. There is no faster path to breaking in than getting on the Fast Track!
The ISA Fast Track Fellowship gives two undiscovered screenwriters a direct line to meet with and be mentored by eight top executives in Los Angeles. We'll fly you to L.A. and provide you the experience of a lifetime by connecting you to top industry contacts. The two Fast Track Fellows will immediately be invited onto the ISA Development Slate and work directly with the ISA Development Team for an entire year in an effort to Fast Track their careers.
OVER 60 SCRIPTS ON THE ISA DEVELOPMENT SLATE HAVE BEEN PRODUCED OR OPTIONED!
Many more are out to top producers and many of these emerging screenwriters have received representation as a result of getting onto the Slate.
TWO FAST TRACK FELLOWS WILL RECEIVE:
Mentorship Week in Los Angeles featuring 8 meetings with studio and development executives and literary agents
Airfare and hotel included
Year-long script development and guidance
Acceptance onto the ISA Development Slate
Script Diagnosis Read and Notes Session from Jessica Blank Coaching
A 12-Month ISAConnect Membership
The Craft Course in Screenwriting
Fellowship announcements to various media outlets
TOP 50 WILL RECEIVE:
With the ISA Fast Track, you win the experience of a lifetime, a launching pad to a career with connections that normally take decades to create. When we fly you to Los Angeles, you'll build relationships that can lead to a paying career doing what you love! The ISA is here to give writers a shortcut to resources, support and experience that will aid in long-term career success. We encourage emerging screenwriters of all levels and backgrounds to apply.
DEADLINES / FEES:
Regular Deadline: January 9, 2020 / $59
Final Deadline: February 12, 2020 / $79
https://www.networkisa.org/contest/view/fasttrack
Call for Applications: Immersive residency for African female filmmakers
UNESCO
INFO: UNESCO is offering a 2-week filmmaking residency (29 March to 12 April 2020) for 10 young African women filmmakers from selected countries in Africa. This film and artist-in-residence workshop will allow for the transnational exchange and sharing of artistic experiences between young African and Japanese filmmakers in a productive creative environment. It will provide artistic guidance and put in place a genuine platform for experimental creation and artistic renewal, and foster collaborations between Africa and Japanese artists, provide international exposure to the work of young women artists, and open new opportunities for artistic creation, production and dissemination.
Within the duration of workshop, the participants will complete their short films from shooting to editing. They will collaborate and interact with other participants, discuss technical and artistic issues, sharing with the group the different stages of the editing.
Participants will also be invited to present their in-residency work during the Nara Internatoinal Film Festival (18-22 September 2020), in order to increase networking opportunities, establish solid international ties, and reach out to new audiences.
Ms Naomi Kawase, internationally acclaimed film director and founder of the Nara International Film Festival, will ensure the overall artistic direction of the residency with the support from her team from the Nara film festival. Ms Fatou Kande Senghor, film director and producer from Senegal, will also be coaching and mentoring the participants.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Applicants are emerging women filmmakers, with some film or audio-visual experience, a good command of English and aged 21-35 from the following countries:
Burkina Faso
Kenya
Nigeria
Senegal
South Africa
Two applicants will be selected in each country by a joint national/UNESCO committee.
WHEN, WHERE AND WHAT?
The Film and artist-in-residence will take place between 29 March and 12 April 2020. Participants will live and work in the beautiful village of Tawara (Nara, Japan), where Naomi Kawase filmed The Mourning Forest, Grand Prix at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
The Nara team will provide artistic, technical and logistical assistance. Filming equipment will be put at the disposal of participants.
The residency participants will be invited again to screen and present the work completed at the Nara International Film Festival from 18-22 September 2020. They will participate in public discussions, masterclasses and networking sessions with Japanese film industry professionals.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Motivation. Why you are interested in participating in this filmmaking residency in Nara, Japan?
Relevance. How do you think this filmmaking residency could help develop your capacities in filming?
Sustainability. How can you use this residency to promote further the role of women in the film sector?
The UNESCO/Nara residency is funded by the Government of Japan and organized in partnership with the Nara International Film Festival Organizing Committe, with the support of the Japan Foundation.
DEADLINE: January 10, 2020
https://en.unesco.org/creativity/news/call-applications-immersive-residency-african-female
1 POTATO SHORT SCRIPT COMPETITION
Sun Valley Film Festival
INFO: The Sun Valley Film Festival developed the 1 Potato Initiative to support emerging filmmakers and incentivize filmmaking in the state of Idaho. We’re inviting the winner of the screenplay competition to use the 5k to bring their story to life by filming on location in Idaho.
Whether you have a short script that’s been sitting on your shelf, or you want to write something with the competition in mind, SVFF and the 6th annual 1 Potato Initiative want to hear your story, and help the finalists take their idea from page to screen.
The winning script will receive $5,000 in funds towards shooting their film on location in Idaho, as well as having SVFF support from development to finished product. As a partner on the film, SVFF will connect the winner with seasoned filmmaker participants, arrange special networking opportunities with Industry experts, and help build a presence for the film as it begins its festival journey.
The winning 1 Potato short script will be announced at the 1 Potato Initiative reception during the 2020 Sun Valley Film Festival in March.
Scripts will be judged on the strength of the story, originality/creativity, clarity, and feasibility of financial/location parameters.
The winning script must be filmed in Idaho. Do not submit your script unless you are able to commit to filming in Idaho.
BENEFITS FOR SELECTED FILMMAKER[S] INCLUDE:
$5,000 prize towards film budget
lodging and all-access credentials during SVFF
rare networking opportunities with Industry established filmmakers
inclusion in exclusive SVFF events
highlighted world premiere at SVFF 2021
SVFF brokered deals, guidance and opportunities
GENERAL RULES:
The Sun Valley Film Festival reserves the right to determine eligibility of any project submitted.
Must be 15 pages or less.
Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
Without exception, the winning script MUST BE FILMED IN IDAHO; do not submit your project unless you are able to commit to filming in Idaho.
The Sun Valley Film Festival and Producers will be involved in the hiring of all cast and crew.
While additional fundraising in encouraged, the script must be feasible to film on a limited budget.
The Sun Valley Film Festival will receive a Made In Association With credit, as well as end credit scroll logo placement.
Finalists will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire upon completing the program.
Finalized film must have its world premiere at the Sun Valley Film Festival.
SUBMISSION FEE: $10
DEADLINE: January 11, 2020
https://onepotatofilminitiative.submittable.com/submit/147665/svffs-1-potato-short-script-competition?aid=smmw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=submishmash&utm_campaign=svff-1-potato-2019&utm_content=svff-1-potato-2019&utm_term=Submittable
Black Women in Comedy Film Festival
INFO: Black Women in Comedy Festival is celebrating its 2nd Year. The Festival celebrates women in Comedy from the African diaspora. We seek comedic films centered in the Black female experience from the US and across the world.
The Festival also showcases live comedy with standup acts, sketch comedy, Improv and Musical Comedy.
This two day Festival brings together #blackgirlmagic in it's truest comedic form.
Awards & Prizes
Best Screenplay
Best Actor
Best Director
Best Film
Rules & Terms
BWICF aims at sharing the comedic experiences of the women of the African diaspora. We celebrate allies showcasing us and aggressively seek to showcase many layers of our comedy. We are not monolithic.
This Festival welcomes those who want to celebrate in our sisterhood, our funny and layers of comedic art.
DEADLINE:
https://filmfreeway.com/BlackWomeninComedyFilmFestival
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Please See Me
INFO: We seek previously unpublished, creative, and high-quality work in the form of poetry, creative nonfiction/essays, fiction/short stories/flash fiction, and digital media (photography, drawings, podcasts, and short films). Patients, students, family members, caregivers, nurses, physicians, healthcare consumers, artists, mental health providers, physical therapists, writers, clergy—all of us will be patients one day and all are welcome to submit work. We are especially looking for content that connects us, make us feel something, or helps us see illness, wellness, health, or the healthcare environment differently.
Theme Guidelines
The theme for our March 2020 issue is Hope. What, or who, gives you hope? A caregiver? A patient? A child? A colleague? What did you hope for and receive, or not receive? What are you hoping for as it relates to health and wellness–for yourself or for others? Have you lost hope? Have you found hope? Did a new treatment or wellness plan give you hope for a cure? A better way of life? Tell us about all of it. All submissions should directly or indirectly touch on this theme in some way. Be creative! It’s a new year and there is much to be hopeful about!
All Submissions can be made through Submittable.
Mental Health Awareness Writing Contest
In this issue we are also hosting a Writing Contest with a $250 award in all 3 written genres for stories and narratives that raise awareness on issues related to mental health, such as homelessness, missed or delayed diagnosis, or loss (of family, husband/wife, jobs), with extra credit given to those who can tie both into our theme of Hope. Contest Submission should be made through Submittable.
Genre Guidelines
Poetry
Please submit a maximum of three poems at a time.
Fiction
Please submit short stories up to 4,000 words in length. Flash fiction, up to 1,000 words, is welcome and encouraged.
We will look at excepts of longer works on a case-by-case basis; please query us with a description of your project before submitting.
Creative Nonfiction
Please submit nonfiction pieces up to 4,000 words in length.
We will look at excepts of longer works on a case-by-case basis; please query us with a description of your project before submitting.
Films
Please submit links to your short films for review, and up to five minutes in length.
Other Media
We welcome submissions of photography, podcasts, and other media. All digital media will should be hosted by the creator, and shared by a link. Photography and still images can be attached to submission.
For All Submissions
Get creative! Anything that touches on our theme is be considered fair game. If you are not sure your work fits, please query us through Submittable.
DEADLINE: January 15, 2020
http://pleaseseeme.com/submissions/
Summer 2020 FILM/VIDEO ARTS FELLOWSHIP (June 1– September 30, 2020)
MacDowell Colony
INFO: About 300 artists in seven disciplines are awarded fellowships each year and the sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence. There are no residency fees. Travel grants as well as need-based stipends are available to open the residency experience to the broadest possible community of artists. Artists with professional standing in their fields, as well as emerging artists, are eligible to apply. MacDowell encourages artists from all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts.
Fellowships extend to animators, documentary makers, experimental filmmakers, feature filmmakers, and screenwriters.
SUBMISSION FEE: $30
DEADLINE: January 15, 2020
https://macdowell.slideroom.com/#/Login
ARTIST RESIDENCY
Helene Wurlitzer Foundation
INFO: The Foundation offers three months of rent-free and utility-paid housing to people who specialize in the creative arts. Our eleven guest houses, or casitas, are fully furnished and provide residents with a peaceful setting in which to pursue their creative endeavors.
The Foundation accepts applications from painters, poets, sculptors, writers, playwrights, screenwriters, composers, photographers, and filmmakers of national and international origin.
Applications are reviewed by a selection committee consisting of professionals who specialize in the artistic discipline of the applicant. Numerous jurors serve on committees for each: visual arts, music composers, writers, poets, playwrights, and filmmakers. Jurors, who know nothing about the artist's demographics, score in five categories based purely on the merit of the applicant's creative work samples.
Artists in residence have no imposed expectations, quotas, or requirements during their stay on the HWF campus. The HWF’s residency program provides artists with the time and space to create, which in turn enriches the artistic community and culture locally and abroad.
SESSIONS:
Session 1: Jan - Apr
Session 2: June - Aug
Session 3: Sept - Dec
DEADLINE: January 18, 2020
https://wurlitzerfoundation.org/apply
YOUTH FILM CONCEPT
AT&T
INFO: The AT&T Film Awards recognizes aspiring creators who are shaping the future of entertainment through innovative and immersive filmmaking while sharing their unique stories. We are supporting and rewarding excellence in filmmaking with $60,000 in cash and prizes, featured screenings during SHAPE at the Warner Bros. Studios in June 2020, and the opportunity to network with industry executives.
Awarded to the top film concepts by youth filmmakers age 13-18. Five winners will be selected to receive an all-expenses-paid trip for themselves and a chaperone to the opening weekend of the Tribeca Film Festival with nonprofit Fresh Films, where youth will receive hands-on filmmaking training and mentoring, learn about AR/VR content, and will work together with Fresh Films to create a short piece of mobile-filmed content about the experience.
Five Grand Prize Winners
Five winners will receive a prize package with AT&T and Fresh Films to attend the first weekend of the Tribeca Film Festival. On this all-expenses-paid trip, winners will receive exposure to AR and VR content and will receive training from Fresh Films as they work together to create content about their Tribeca experience through the lens of the importance of opportunities related to AR and VR content.
Submission Requirements
(1) An idea for a short film in 500 words or less on one of the three below themes:
A video to inspire your peers to protect the environment. This can be done as a PSA to provide practical tips or a video to highlight the importance of protecting the environment.
A video to highlight the importance of positivity and kindness in a world where many young people face bullying (or may have bullied others). Some themes you might consider are: How mobile phones can be used to spread positivity and kindness and the importance of stepping in to help others when they are facing bullying.
A video to remind your peers why it is important not to drive distracted. Some themes you might consider are: How everyone in a car has a responsibility to make sure a driver isn’t distracted and nothing on a cell phone is more important than safe driving
(2) A short essay (up to 300 words) explaining how AR and/or VR would enhance your idea. Hint: AR and VR stands for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. In this essay, you may want to address how your concept would be enhanced if you were able to film in 360 degrees, or how Augmented Reality effects might be used to reinforce your film's message.
(3) A 60 second or less video of yourself sharing why you’re interested in developing your film skills and sharing any specific interest you have in AR and VR.
DEADLINE: January 24, 2020
https://attfilmawards.submittable.com/submit/150479/youth-film-concept?aid=att-youth-smmw&utm_medium=email&utm_source=submishmash&utm_campaign=att-film-7&utm_content=att-film-awards-f19&utm_term=Submittable
ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship (2020): Screenwriting Fellowship
INFO: The chosen Fellowship recipients will receive ongoing professional support and a special trip to Los Angeles for meetings, mentorship and personal introductions to key entertainment studio executives, producers, literary managers and agents. To apply, simply submit your feature film script or original television script, along with an optional cover letter that expresses your vision and background as an emerging writer.
Apply now and join a thriving community of talented screenwriters with meaningful connections to industry mentors.
ENTRY FEE: $69
DEADLINES:
Regular - January 31, 2020
Final - February 29, 2020
https://screencraft.org/fellowship/
Wild to Inspire Short Film Contest
National Geographic
INFO: National Geographic has invested in bold people and transformative ideas across the globe, with the aim of bettering our understanding of the natural world. As National Geographic Explorer Dr. Jane Goodall once said: “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
For this year’s National Geographic Wild to Inspire Short Film Contest, we’re asking you to create a short film that celebrates the 50-year anniversary of Earth Day. Launched in 1970, the first Earth Day spurred critical environmental conversations around some of these big problems, leading to efforts to save endangered species, regulate pesticides and harmful chemicals, and reduce single-use plastic. These efforts have become even more critical today.
50 years after the first Earth Day, how will you use the power of film to inspire viewers to work towards a planet in balance in the 21st century?
The Finalists
Up to 3 finalists will be flown to the 2020 Sun Valley Film Festival for a special screening of their films.
The Grand Prize
One grand prize winner – selected by a panel of experts after the screenings at the Sun Valley Film Festival – will receive a National Geographic expedition.
Requirements
Films must be under 3 minutes long and celebrate Earth Day. Films will be judged on the following criteria:
Thirty percent (30%) for connection to the theme
Twenty percent (20%) for quality of storyline and script
Twenty percent (20%) for creativity and/or content originality
Twenty percent (20%) for production quality (e.g., lighting, shot composition, focus, sounds)
Ten percent (10%) for editing
Only legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry are eligible to enter.
We encourage submissions from indigenous filmmakers, filmmakers of color, filmmakers with disabilities, LGBTQQIA filmmakers, female-identified filmmakers, and filmmakers from other intersectional and marginalized groups. If you identify as one or more of the above and would like to let us know, please include a note along with your film description.
DEADLINE: February 4, 2020
https://wildtoinspire.submittable.com/submit/152941/wild-to-inspire-short-film-contest?aid=nat-geo-TW1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=natgeo-3&utm_content=nat-geo-2019&utm_term=Submittable
REEL SISTERS OF THE DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL & LECTURE SERIES
INFO: The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is a two-day annual film festival founded by African Voices magazine and LIU's Media Arts Dept., Brooklyn Campus. Reel Sisters has expanded to include a six week season with a kick off in Harlem and awards ceremony. Established in 1997, Reel Sisters (www.reelsisters.org) is dedicated to providing opportunities for women of color to advance their careers in the film industry. Reel Sisters accepts films written, directed, or produced by women/non-binary filmmakers of color. Reel Sisters is the first Academy Qualifying Film Festival devoted to women of color across the globe.
Reel Sisters 23 Anniversary event will take place from Oct. 24-25, 2020 in NYC. Reel Sisters is a competitive festival and films are selected by an independent jury. Please submit films early as deadlines are final. The festival provides quality customer service and does not offer fee waivers. The fee helps pay for a small fraction of the administrative costs for running a professional film festival.
Reel Sisters accepts all genres and formats with a special interest in submissions from animated and web series producers. Send us films that will make our audience “cry, dance, laugh, sing and explore." Reel Sisters is an Academy Qualifying Film Festival for Short Narratives. The festival curates events throughout the year so all entries will be considered for Reel Sisters Tea & Cinema series. Join our worldwide community of film professionals in celebrating stories produced, directed and written by women of color!
REEL SISTERS HIGHLIGHTS
• Listed in Film Daily's Top 10 Women Centered Film Festivals (2018)
https://filmdaily.co/news/female-focused-film-festivals/
• Profiled in Bushwick Daily, Shadow & Act, Film Daily, the Washington Post and Black Enterprise for presenting outstanding films by women of color from across the globe!
• Reel Sisters is a top tier film festival that provides a chance for women to gain distribution, network and access to opportunities in the film industry.
Awards & Prizes
Reel Sisters screens original films by women across the globe each year — the festival has screened over 5,000 films since its inception. Awards for Best Director, Best Documentary, Best Screenplay, Best Experimental, Best Animation, Best Feature, Best Short, Best Narrative, Best Web Series, Best Original Soundtrack and the Reel Sisters Spirit Award are selected by an independent jury composed of filmmakers, community leaders and artists. In 2016, Reel Sisters presented the Reel Sisters/Centric Awards, which includes a distribution deal with Centric/BET Networks. The cash awards depend on our funding level. It was a pleasure to bring back our scholarship awards to the film festival and with your support we can continue this tradition.
CASH AWARDS FOR 2020
DEADLINES:
https://filmfreeway.com/ReelSistersoftheDiasporaFilmFestival
