EUROPAN SCRIPT MEETING — A meeting platform for project representatives and screenwriting professionals | RIGA IFF
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EUROPAN SCRIPT MEETING — A meeting platform for project representatives and screenwriting professionals

European Script Meeting (ESM) seeks to facilitate creative partnership of professional screenwriters, film producers and directors through individual meetings to discuss collaboration on new screenplays.
On October 23 – 24, 2018, for the 4th time the meeting will bring together 10 selected screenwriters and 9 project representatives from all over Europe. ESM’s aim is to encourage new international partnerships among screenwriters and creative film crews who are looking for writing professionals – screenwriters, co-writers, editors, consultants, doctors, analysts, mentors etc.
The structure of the event is organized as individual one-on-one meetings but is not limited to it. To have a productive setting for shaping new ideas within their initial conception, networking, crossover meetings and participant brainstorming is encouraged regardless of the set event structure.

Schedule

Selected projects

An Iraqi Friend

Finland / United Kingdom
ERT 90 min, fic, script finished
Moimedia Oy (Ltd), FI / Euroart (Patricia Clarke), UK
www.moimedia.com

A woman in her early 40’s is about to marry an Iraqi without telling it to her parents. A day before the planned wedding Alma’s husband-to-be disappears into thin air.

Representative
Writer, producer Risto Rumpunen, FI

Between Two Wars

Ukraine / Latvia
ERT 90 min, doc, in production
Tabor LLC, UA / Avantis, LV
www.taborproduction.com

Story of a big Syrian-Kurdish family, spread by the world because of war. They try to find their place and save their connection, fighting this huge B/W war machine.

Representatives
Director, scriptwriter Alina Gorlova,UA
Producer, scriptwriter, Maksym Nakonechnyi, UA
Co-producer Ilona Bičevska, LV

Drama Club

Latvia
ERT 10 x 15 min, fic, script development
Film Angels Studio, LV
www.angels.lv

By taking part in school`s new Drama club high school students confront and overcome their personal issues.

Representatives
Scriptwriter Artis Dobrovoļskis, LV
Producer Jānis Kalējs, LV

Malediction

United Kingdom
ERT 90 min, fic, script development
London Production Studios, UK
www.facebook.com/londonproductionstudios/

Edosa escapes from people-traffickers and Sante, a remainder resident of a deserted Italian village, helps hide. But how safe is Edosa in this cursed village?

Representatives
Producer Natasha Markou, UK
Writer Ian Long, UK

Mirdja

Finland / TBA Russia
ERT 6-10 x 50 min, fic, script development
Greenlit Productions Oy, FI
www.greenlitproductions.net

Young artist Mirdja moves to Paris to dissociate herself from norms that suppress women in early 1900s, only to find new obstacles on her journey to discover her true self.

Representatives
Scriptwriter, director Maria Ruotsala, FI
Producer Merja Ritola, FI

My Little Piglet

Republic of Macedonia
ERT 100 min, fic, script development
Cutaway, MK
www.cutaway.mk

A “one-night-stand” of an emotionally and sexually neglected wife of a Government functionary, with a tabloid journalist, brings out the whole absurd and fake reality that we live in Macedonia.

Representatives
Director, producer Sasha Stanishic, MK
Writer Dean Damjanovski, MK

Pearl Tears

Armenia / France
ERT 100 min, fic, 1st draft of the script
anEva Production, AM / Agat Films & Cie / Ex Nihilo, FR
www.aneva.am

After a flirt with a young man, Mariam (16) discovers she is pregnant. In total denial of this pregnancy soiled by guilt, she clings to the idea of her virginity.

Representative
Scriptwriter, director Levon Minasian, AM

Quarry Without Hammer

Estonia
ERT 90 min, fic, in development
Alasti Kino, EE
www.alastikino.ee

Two siblings reunite at their mother’s funeral, where they will have to discover if there is anything left that makes them a family.

Representative
Writer, director Carlos Eduardo Lesmes Lopez, EE

Surprise Party

Finland
ERT 80 min, fic, in development
Producers TBA

Rekina hates surprises but she is forced to attend to her 50th surprise party where all the well hidden truths come into light.

Representative
Scriptwriter Eriikka Etholen-Paju, FI

The Pit

Latvia / Poland
ERT 90 min, fic, script completed
Marana Productions, LV / Picture House Production, LV / Kosmos Production, PL
www.marana.lv

After Emilija – a neighbor’s daughter – throws some contemptuous remarks about his father, Markuss teaches the girl a cruel lesson thereby condemning himself in the eyes of the surrounding folk.

Representatives
Director, screenwriter Dace Pūce, LV
Screenwriter Monta Gāgane, LV
Screenwriter Pēteris Rozītis, LV

The Star

Serbia / Czech Republic
ERT 90 min, fic, script development
Metamorphoses, CZ

A film about a pornography actress and her young son – the two worlds that want to find each other.

Representative
Writer, director Pavel Ruzyak, CZ

Winter Apples

Finland
ERT 110 min, fic, 1st draft of the script
Greenlit Productions / Essi Haukkamaa, FI
www.greenlitproductions.net

Annika, an obedient top musician, tries to rewind her life after a breakdown by reliving teenage rebellion with her childhood imaginary friend.

Representative
Screenwriter Heli Tamminen, FI

Moderated by:

Larisa Gūtmanis
Writer, story editor, Canada

Screenwriter with over twenty years of experience in the film and television industry in the areas of production, distribution, and marketing. Larisa has worked at Alliance Atlantis in Toronto, HBO Films in New York, and is presently the Co-Producer for the OMDC’s International Financing Forum, the co-financing / co-production market in association with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). A graduate of the feature film screenwriting program at the Canadian Film Centre and the Praxis Story Editing Program, she also works as a story editor and screenplay evaluator for several film production companies and teaches screenwriting at the University of Toronto, the National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture, as well as media studies at Ryerson University. She is currently working on several projects including a TV series.

Attending Screenwriters

Ursula Wolschlager
Producer, writer, CEO of Witcraft, Austria

Ursula has over two decades of experience in film – from screenplays to production, with e.g. Michael Glawogger, Barbara Albert, Kirill Serebrennikov, Nathalie Borgers, Christian Frosch, Bakhtiar Khodoynazarov. Screenplays she developed received script awards in Milan, Ghent, Graz and Sabam. She has also been awarded the Carl Mayer New Talent Prize. Since founding the production company Witcraft (witcraft.at) she has developed & co-produced e.g. ‘The Fatherless’, ‘We Used to be Cool’ (Marie Kreutzer), ‘Ma Folie’ (Andrina Mracnikar), ‘Gangster girls’ (Tina Leisch), ‘Mademoiselle Paradis’ (Barbara Albert), ‘Anna Fxxxing Molnar’ (Sabine Derflinger, co-written with Nina Proll). Ursula has developed training initiatives Women Producers’ Programme (ProPro) and Diverse Geschinchen (Diverse Stories).

Agnieszka Kruk
Screenwriter, founder of StoryLab.pro, Poland

Script-neuron collider, that is – scriptwriter, educator, creator and organizer of the biggest Polish festival for scriptwriters, Script Fiesta (2012-2017). Author of training programmes for scriptwriters and script consultants. Traslator of Linda Aroson’s ‘21st Century Screenplay: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing Tomorrow’s Films’. Certified script coach. As consultant works with scriptwriters, novelists and filmmakers, helps producers establish writers’ rooms. Expert evaluating documentary and feature projects for the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. Founder and head lecturer at StoryLab.pro, a creative space in Warsaw focused on professional education, script development and creating networking opportunites for scriptwriters and filmmakers.

Martins Slisans
Screenwriter, Latvia

Martins works as screenwriter and script consultant since 2010. He is writer of WW1 drama ‘Blizzard of Souls’ (novel adaptation, due in 2019). Projects in development include ‘The Attack’ (a thriller based on real-life events), ‘Christopher and the Order of Shadows’ (a sci-fi adventure, novel adaptation), ‘Christmas Tree Mystery’ (a fairy tale, co-story). His first screenplay ‘The Apartments’ was awarded The Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast Award for the Best Eastern and Central European Script. He also works as a MEDIA expert.

Leana Jalukse
Screenwriter, Estonia

Leana Jalukse is an Estonian screenwriter and script consultant. She holds a BA in Broadcast Media and an MA in Film Arts, majoring in screenwriting, and has been active in the film industry since 1997. ‘Mother’ (Kadri Kousaar), her debut as a writer on a full-length feature film, premiered internationally in competition at Tribeca, USA, won Best Feature in Kitzbühel, Austria, Best Estonian Feature at Tallinn Black Nights, Estonia, and was selected Estonia’s national entry for the Oscars. Her second film, ‘Fire Lily’ (Maria Avdjusko), premiered in May 2018, and a short film, ‘Laika’, is due to be shot in August 2018.

Artur Wyrzykowski
Script analyst, Poland

Artur has studied directing in Warsaw Film School (for two years), production managing in Lodz Film School (for a year) and scriptwriting in Lodz Film School (finished!). He has taken part in several workshops and courses as a producer, writer and script consultant, such as: Eastweek, Maia Workshops, Ekran+, Films For Kids Pro, Canal+ Series Lab, Midpoint Training The Trainers. He watches over 200 films a year, runs a blog (nieskonczone.pl) dedicated to analysing Polish film scripts and works as a script analyst for film producers and writers.

Justīne Kļava
Playwright, scriptwriter, dramatist, Latvia

Justīne gratuated Latvian Academy of Culture in 2015 and since then has been working in such theaters as Daile Theather, Daugavpils Theather, Valmiera Drama Theatre, Dirty Deal Teatro, Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre, Great Guild/LNSO. She’s an author of several original plays and stage adaptations for classical novels. Winner of Spēlmaņu Nakts award for best play or stage adaptation in 2016 and 2017. Winner of short movie competition Starmetis in 2014. Since 2017 teacher of dramatic writing in company Darbnīcas, supported by Latvian Writers` Union.

Margit Keerdo-Dawson
Script consultant, Estonia

Margit has been working in film industry since 1998. She studied cinematography and directing at Tallinn University, and screenwriting at the Northern Film School in the UK. As a screenwriter she has written short films, feature films and TV dramas. She has 15 years of experience as a script consultant and has worked on short films, feature films and documentaries. Since 2013, she also works as a screenwriting lecturer at the Baltic Film, Media, Art and Communication School of Tallinn University (BFM).

Ivo Briedis
Screenwriter, Latvia

Ivo is a screenwriter, playwright, performer and director. He works for screen, radio, stage and site-specific performances, collaborating with state owned organisations and independent groups in Latvia, Germany, Finland, Denmark and other European countries. His filmmaking biography consists of both documentary and fiction films, including animation. Ivo is also a lecturer on scriptwriting and dramaturgy in Latvian Academy of Culture.

Matīss Gricmanis
Scriptwriter, Latvia

Screenwriter and playwright working in Riga and Vilnius. Matīss is mainly interested in historical stories (‘The Mover’, ‘Jelgava94’, both due in 2018) and documentaries (‘Under the upturned moon’ - a documentary detective, 2018) and is experienced in researching and structuring complicated narratives. He has collaborated with most of the main Latvian production companies (Mistrus Media, Tasse film, Juris Podnieks Studio, Locomotive, etc.). Visiting lecturer at the Latvian National Film School and The Academy of Culture.

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