WFT Ireland Members: Join us for the Virtual Digital Summit – Write. Produce. Connect. on Thursday 31 October – REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Get ready for an exciting opportunity! WFT Ireland is thrilled to announce our sponsorship of the debut global virtual summit, write.produce.connect. taking place on Thursday 31 October. This landmark event is dedicated to celebrating and connecting women and non-binary screen creators over 40, and it promises to be an inspiring and transformative experience.
Hosted by The Writers Lab and supported by WFT Ireland, Screen Ireland and WFTV UK, amongst other sponsors, this summit is more than just an event—it’s a movement. We’re bringing together industry leaders and trailblazers to provide invaluable insights, script-development intensives, and market incubation that will help you hone your craft, expand your community, and elevate your career.
Event Details:
- Date: Thursday, October 31
- Time: 10:20 am – 5:45 pm CET
- Location: Online via Zoom
Agenda:
9:20 AM – 9:25 AM
Opening Remarks
Elizabeth Kaiden, Nitza Wilon, Julia Berg
Opening and welcome from the producers of The Writers Lab, the only development program for women and nonbinary screenwriters aged 40+.
9:25 AM – 10:00 AM
Masterclass with Karen Cogan
Moderated by Anna Southgate
One-on-one with the writer whose credits include the acclaimed Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters and The Young Offenders.
Moderator: Award-winning writer, director, and script consultant Anna Southgate.
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Masterclass: UK & EU International Feature Co-Productions
Featuring Chelsea Morgan Hoffman (Element Pictures), Ameenah Ayub Allen, and Claudia Bluemhuber.
Moderator: Anna Higgs
Conversation with leading producers Chelsea Morgan Hoffman of Element Pictures (Normal People, The Listeners, September Says), Ameenah Ayub Allen (Ali & Ava, Rocks) and Claudia Bluemhuber (CEO of Silver Reel) about international co-productions – the creative and financials of getting the project made. Moderator: Producer, commissioner and columnist Anna Higgs (Meta, NOWNESS, Film4).
10:45 AM – 11:25 AM
In Conversation: Founders of Juno Studios
Fiona Lamptey, Bec Mortimer, Amber Taylor, Vinnie Shergill
Moderator: Anna Higgs
A 360-degree conversation with the founders of Juno Studios, a new, innovative end-to-end studio with a collaborative cross-platform approach. Speakers: Fiona Lamptey, Former Director of UK Film at Netflix; BAFTA-winning producer Bec Mortimer, responsible for setting up Netflix’s first international office in the UK and instrumental in supporting Netflix’s EMEA Expansion; Amber Taylor, Creative marketing leader responsible for building global entertainment campaigns at Netflix, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros.; Vinnie Shergill, BAFTA-winning producer, former Head of Creative Diversity at BBC Studios and former Director of Casting for Netflix. Moderator: Producer, commissioner and columnist Anna Higgs (Meta, NOWNESS, Film4).
11:25 – 11:40
Break
11:40 AM – 12:15 PM
The Substance Writer/Director Coralie Fargeat
Moderated by Carlota Martinez-Pereda
One on one with the writer and director of the audacious feminist body horror film which provocatively depicts aging in a patriarchal world. Moderator: Goya-winning writer/director and The Writers Lab Alumna Carlota Martinez-Pereda (Piggy).
12:20 PM – 1:00 PM
In Conversation: Olivia Hetreed
Moderator: Christina Pickworth
Join WFTV UK for a conversation with award-winning screenwriter Olivia Hetreed (Girl with a Pearl Earring, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Birds Like Us). Moderator: Christina Pickworth (Agent, Imagine Talent)
13:00 – 14:10
Break
14:10 – 14:45
Formosa Group: Creating Sound with Vision
Helen Alexander & Natasha Haycocks
A look at the process of the leading post-production audio group creating stories with sound and the importance of sound editing and mixing in bringing a screen world to life. Speakers: Helen Alexander (MD, Formosa Group UK) and award-winning sound mixer and editor Natasha Haycocks (Doctor Who, A Very British Scandal). Moderators: TWL Co-Founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon.
14:45 – 15:15
In Conversation: The Writers Lab
Elizabeth Kaiden, Nitza Wilon, Nicola Kropp
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
In Conversation: Charlie Covell
Moderated by Susan Soon He Stanton
A fireside chat with writer Charlie Covell (Kaos, The End of the F…king World), moderated by writer and producer Susan Soon He Stanton (HBO’s Succession, Amazon’s Dead Ringers).
4:00 PM – 4:40 PM
Masterclass: Kirsten Sheridan
Moderator: Dr. Susan Liddy
One-on-one with Irish screenwriter and director Kirsten Sheridan (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Say Nothing, Disco Pigs) on building a local and international career. Moderated by Dr. Susan Liddy, President of Women in Film and Television International and Chair of Women in Film and Television Ireland.
WFT members – please check your inbox for our newsletter and register your free spot for the virtual summit.
We hope you can join us in this celebration and advocacy for much-needed changes in our industry. Let’s connect, create, and inspire one another!
