Write Room Screenwriter Residency 2025 - call for submissions

Tuesday, 16 July 2024 4:00 pm 16:00
Monday, 21 October 2024 5:00 pm 17:00

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Amelia Addis and Ebed Pohl - Screenwriters in Residence 2024

call for submissions:

Application deadline: 5pm, Mon 21 October 2024

Residency Dates: 24 March – 15 June 2025 (12 weeks)

Write Room Wellington is a screenwriter residency programme offered in partnership with, POP Film and the Wellington City Council Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture & Creativity Strategy.

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 (Gardening with Soul, Savage, Went Up The Hill), along with the Write Room Producer Intern.

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. This opportunity is for a Wellington-based screenwriter hailing from film, television, web-series, theatre, radio, journalism or other literary backgrounds, with a feature film project at a stage that will benefit from focused development towards completion of a draft of the script. You do not need a completed script to apply.

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 6 years of the programme 4 projects have been identified and supported to a stage where they successfully accessed further development support from the NZ Film Commission.

what’s on offer

The screenwriter will be provided with:

· Private office space at Toi Pōneke Arts Centre in Wellington for 12 weeks between 24 March and 15 June 2025.

· Grant of $9,750

· Experienced creative support from the Write Room mentors.

· Industry Script read-through at the end of the residency.

The framework of the residency is defined by what the writer thinks will be helpful to them, but generally takes the following form:

· A feedback and planning session with the mentors at the commencement of the residency.

· Two to three work-in-progress discussions with mentors during the residency.

· An assessment of the draft at the conclusion of the residency, with advice on next steps to take.

· At the end of the residency the writer’s script is presented to an invited audience of industry and supporters via a read-through workshop to showcase the writer and work.

We expect the chosen writer will spend a minimum of 20 hours a week committed to writing during the residency. You will be required to deliver a draft of your script as part of the programme.

Hours for this opportunity are flexible and can be worked in and around other work commitments - it does not have to be full time..