The Writers Lab Supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman Announces 2018 Cohort

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and The Writers Lab are pleased to announce the screenwriters selected to participate in the fourth year of The Writers Lab writing retreat. The program is the only lab in the world devoted to providing script development for women writers over the age of 40.

The Writers Lab 2018, supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, is produced by IRIS and New York Women in Film & Television, in collaboration with theWriters Guild of America, East, with support from The Black List, Film Fatales, Relativity Ventures, Stony Brook Southampton+Manhattan & Tribeca Film Institute

The 12 participants for The Writers Lab 2018 are:

• Billie Bates, Spirit Halloween
• Catherine Craig, Suspended Belief
• Nadia Fares, Diplomatic Corps
• Avra Fox-Lerner, Lady Kate
• Lynn Esta Goldman, On the Wing
• Pippa Hinchley, One White Crow
• Teisha Hickman, Sundays and Mondays
• Ann Hawker, An Austrian Holiday
• Shelagh McLeod, Nexus
• Cornelia Ravenal, On the Blade
• Gail Segal, Lila Rose
• Shelley Thompson, Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor

The mentors attached to the Lab, slated for September 26-29, 2018, include: Susan Cartsonis (What Women Want, The Duff), Lisa Cortés (Precious, Shadowboxer), Amy Fox (Equity), Pat Verducci (Consultant, Disney/Pixar), Mary Jane Skalski (Win Win, The Station Agent ), Pamela Gray (A Walk on the Moon, Star Trek: The Next Generation), and Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married, The Mummy).

The Writers Lab will take place at the Wiawaka Center for Women in upstate New York. The 12 writers and the mentors will meet for intensive one-on-one discussions to develop and refine their scripts. In addition, everyone will come together for panel discussions to explore universal themes and concepts.

For more information, please visit www.thewriterslab.nyc.

About IRIS

IRIS CHAMPIONS the female voice in fictional narrative film. Founded by Elizabeth Kaiden, Kyle Ann Stokes, and Nitza Wilon, IRIS co-produces The Writers Lab for female storytellers, targeting the development stage of filmmaking to address gender imbalance in stories being told. IRIS also runs the Screenwriting Lab for Emerging Women Writers at the Athena Film Festival, and is committed to supporting, promoting, and expanding opportunities for screenplays by women.

About New York Women in Film & Television:

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) advocates for equality in the moving image industry and supports women in every stage of their careers. As the preeminent entertainment industry association for women in New York, NYWIFT energizes women by illuminating their achievements, presenting training and professional development programs, awarding scholarships and grants, and providing access to a supportive community of peers. Membership includes nearly 2,500 women and men working in all areas of the industry. NYWIFT is part of a network of 50 women in film organizations worldwide, representing more than 15,000 members

For further information about New York Women in Film & Television, please visit www.nywift.org.

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