Today TIFF announced the 12 selected participants in this year's TIFF Writers' Studio. THE LINEUP features six women and six men, highlighting Canada's best emerging writers and underscoring TIFF's commitment to gender parity across the breadth of its talent-development programmes. The women in this year's intake will be supported in part by the organization's trailblazing Share Her Journey campaign, which CHAMPIONS women both in front of and behind the camera.
The 2018-19 TIFF Writers' Studio participants are: Danilo Baracho, Yung Chang, Martin Edralin, Sarah Goodman, Carinne Leduc, Jennifer Liao, Frieda Luk, Kaveh Nabatian, Celeste Parr, Kazik Radwanski, Lina Rodriguez, and Jorge Thielen-Armand.
Launched in 2012, the Industry programme provides a space for mid-career screenwriters to consolidate their skills, exchange ideas, and discuss their challenges in a collaborative and artistic environment. This year's candidates will develop their chosen screenplay with expert support from international script consultants.
"We're delighted to welcome this exceptionally talented group to TIFF Writers' Studio," said Kathleen Drumm, TIFF Industry Director. "Now in its sixth cycle, the programme has proved successful in preparing Canada's best and brightest talent for the global film industry. Candidates will be inspired to take their careers to the next level by developing their creative processes in a series of candid sessions with distinguished local and international writing mentors."
TIFF Studio has helped cultivate exciting new cinematic voices. Notable alumni include filmmakers Pat Mills (Don't Talk to Irene); Molly McGlynn (Mary Goes Round); Joyce Wong (Wexford Plaza); and Ashley McKenzie (Werewolf). Following their involvement in TIFF Studio, these filmmakers have gone on to success. Pat Mills was named one of MovieMaker Magazine's 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2018. His film Don't Talk to Irene won the Comedy Vanguard Jury and Audience Awards at the Austin Film Festival, and was picked up for distribution in the US by Gravitas Ventures. Molly McGlynn won top prizes at the Annapolis Film Festival and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for Mary Goes Round in 2018. Joyce Wong won the Jury Award at the Austin Asian American Film Festival in 2017, the Jury Award for best screenplay at the Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival, and the award for best narrative feature at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. The same year, Ashley McKenzie's Werewolf won Best Canadian Film at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. In 2016 she won Best First Film by a Canadian Director and was nominated for the Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.
TIFF Writers' Studio will run on a monthly basis from June 15 through January 2019 at TIFF Bell Lightbox.
The sessions will focus on script development, pitching, and creating memorable characters. Participants will receive an Industry Pass for the Toronto International Film Festival in September and for the Canada's Top Ten Film Festival in January. TIFF Writers' Studio is produced by TIFF International Programmer Jane Schoettle and supported by Share Her Journey.
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