SUBMISSIONS are CLOSED
TWL US 2021 will be held October 9-12 in person, pandemic permitting. Submission of both features and pilots (one-hour and/or one-half hour) will be accepted for consideration. Submissions are now CLOSED.
About the Program
THE WRITERS LAB US
The Writers Lab is the only program in the world devoted exclusively to script development for women-identifying writers over 40. The Lab is presented by co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, with New York Women in Film & television, and in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, with in-kind support from The Black List, Falco Ink, Film Fatales, Filmarket Hub, Final Draft, and Roadmap Writers.
We will select 12 feature writers and 4 pilot writers to participate. Writers selected for the Lab will work one-on-one and in group sessions with acclaimed screen industry leaders to develop their scripts and their craft and to build tools and strategies to achieve success.
With a team of partners, we will present a 4-day lab in October, pandemic permitting, during which Mentors and Writers will engage in rigorous script development through one-on-one meetings, panel discussions, peer workshops, mock writers rooms and more. We will pivot to a virtual program, as we did last year, if an in-person lab is deemed a health risk.
Our Partners
The Writers Lab is produced by co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, with New York Women in Film & Television.
The Lab is presented in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, with in-kind support from The Black List, Falco Ink, Film Fatales, Filmarket Hub, Roadmap Writers, Stony Brook Manhattan Center for Creative Writing & Film, and Untamed Stories. A special thank you to Final Draft for their product contribution.
TWL is made possible through the generosity of
Meryl Streep
Nicole Kidman
Oprah Winfrey
The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation
Kate Hall & Gary Lynch
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? We’ve got answers.
Previous Years
The Writers Lab was born in 2014 when Kyle Ann Stokes, Elizabeth Kaiden, and Nitza Wilon reached out to NYWIFT with the germ of an idea. When Meryl Streep offered her support in 2015, TWL was launched. Since then, we have presented six yearly labs in New York and Connecticut. Our 8th lab will be in October 2021, in-person, health guidelines permitting.