Screenwriters' Festival

by Caroline_Norbury on 05-Oct-09 17:23

The 4th International Screenwriters’ Festival was launched in Cheltenham on Friday.  Quite a day for storytelling in the South West, as it coincided with Ben Stephenson’s (BBC Head of Drama Commissioning) talk to writers and producers in Bristol.  Two local writing institutions – Bob Baker and Maurice Gran were joined in Cheltenham by LA newcomer Doug Chamberlin.  Bob Baker is probably best known for his screenplays for that intrepid duo, Wallace & Grommit, but he was more excited about his new Australian network-backed series, K-9.  Yes K-9! Bob, it turns out is the inventor of K-9 and has written a children’s adventure series which we all hope to see one day here in the UK.  Maurice Gran, one half of the Marks and Gran that gave us Birds of a Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart, is a Cheltenham resident and Doug Chamberlin is probably best known for his writing on Toy Story 2.  Doug has re-located from sunny California to the South West of England as part of his new adventure in Europe.

Listening to each talk about their work, two things were clearly apparent. The first was that all three were incredibly entertaining – their communication talents were obviously not confined to the page.  The second was how important it is for writers to get out and commune with each other and how limited the opportunities are for doing this.  This year’s festival looks stunning – there are speakers such as Focus Feature’s head James Schamus  (The Ice Storm; Brokeback Mountain); Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty; Slumdog Millionaire); Catherine Johnson (Mamma Mia!);  producer Nik Powell (Company of Wolves; The Crying Game; Mona Lisa) and Tony Grisoni (The Red Riding Trilogy).   If you haven’t bought your ticket yet then click here to find out more, definitely worth a visit if you’re interested in stories and storytelling.

Tagged:Screenwriters' Festival, Caroline Norbury

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