Workshop: My First Script
12-16/11 | Croatian Film Directors’ Guild
CLOSED FOR PUBLIC
The workshop is conceived as active individual engagement in a screenwriting project, mentored by two expert script doctors. Based on the entries from all over the world submitted to our open call for participation, our selection committee has chosen six screenwriting projects by filmmakers, authors, or co-authors of short, documentary, or animated films, currently working on their first draft for a feature film screenplay.
Script Doctors:
Antonio Nuić
He is a writer and director. He graduated in film and TV directing from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, where he has been working as a professor since 2013. He directed one of the stories in a feature-length anthology film Sex, Booze and Short Fuse (2004), after which he went on to write and direct All for Free (2005), Donkey (2009), Life Is a Trumpet (2015) and Mali (2018). He is Artistic Advisor at Zagreb Film Festival, as well as a head of the Croatian Film Directors’ Guild.
Ognjen Sviličić
He is a writer and director. He obtained his degree in film directing from the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art, where he now teaches scriptwriting. Author of several feature films: Wish I Were a Shark (1999), Sorry for Kung Fu (2003) and Armin (2007) (all premiered in the Forum program at Berlinale), and These Are the Rules (2014), which premiered at Venice (Orizzonti). His scripts include What Iva Recorded (directed by Tomislav Radić), The Melon Route and Metastases (both by Branko Schmidt), Slovenian Girl (by Damjan Kozole), etc. He wrote a novel, The Head of the Big Fish. His latest film The Voice had it’s international premiere at Busan International Film Festival.
Serbia
The Burst, Maja Šuša
Synopsis
Mia and her boyfriend Igor go for a weekend visit to his family living in a small town. They spend a hot summer day at their friend Vuk’s place, but the idyllic excursion is spoilt by constant family squabbling. By the end of the day, a reckless jump into the lake will cost Igor his life. Three months later, haunted by guilt, Mia returns to Igor’s hometown to face everything that is bothering her.
Project status
In development.
Croatia
The Graduates, Hrvoje Mabić
Synopsis
Milčo is a high school student getting ready for the Drama Academy entrance exam in acting. To save his father from debt, he starts creating false political web pages for. While he is dealing in petty fraud, he can’t even imagine that he is part of a group of Macedonian teenagers who will change the course of history. The Graduates is a coming-of-age story in which complex personal dramas are tightly tied to US presidential elections.
Project status
In development. The project received support for scrip development from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC).
Great Britain
Man Accidentally Kills, Sean Robert Dunn
Synopsis
After the mysterious death of a child on a building site, Scott, the site’s Project Manager, falls victim to a vigilante-style attack by those who blame him and the organization he works for as somehow being responsible for the child’s death. This attack disrupts Scott and his expectant wife’s sense of assuredness and previous assumption of future prosperity and safety.
Project status
In development with the BBC and British Film Institute (BFI).
Croatia
Palma de Varboska, Daria Keršić
Synopsis
The islet Škojic where a single palm tree grows is located at Vrboska on the island of Hvar. Usually nothing happens there, but now it suddenly becomes the location of fierce conflict. Thirty-year-old Lara, having fled to Ireland for personal reasons, is forced to return to her hometown. The mayor has decided to cut down the palm tree to which Lara’s grandfather is currently tied. Lara has one week to resolve the situation and return to Ireland if she wants to keep her job and avoid trouble with her ex-boyfriend and family.
Project status
In development. The script was developed with the support of the Branko Bauer scriptwriting program of the Croatian Film Directors’ Guild.
Greece
Souvenir, Thanos Psichogios
Synopsis
The holiday season has just ended on a small greek island. When a widower is murdered in a remote farming settlement, the police arrest two teenage girls, Fanny and Katia, who were seen running away from the victim’s house. From the moment of the crime to the convictions of the two girls, the film reveals their motives while also portraying those on the bottom of society.
Project status
In development. Supported by the Greek Film Center through the script development fund. The project received the Pack&Pitch award at Talents Sarajevo in 2018 and was selected by the TIFF Pitch Stop Workshop and the 2019 CINEMED Development Grant (Montpellier).
Czech Republic
The Star, Pavel Ruzyak
Synopsis
Lucy is a former porn star who leads a normal life with her 13-year-old son Peter. One day, she loses her job and starts having financial difficulties. Very soon, she falls back into the old business. When Peter finds out about it, he runs away from home to his father. He is also bullied at school and his father slowly leads him to the path of hatred and violence.
Project status
In advanced development. Selected to script development workshop Eastweek at Trieste FF (2018), script workshops at Figari FF (2018), development and pitching workshop at Riga IFF (2018) and film development workshop CIAK in Greece/Italy (2019).
