Mona Masri, Julie Budtz Sorensen, Sigurjón Kjartansson and Anne Wisloff are among 12 European screenwriters set to attend the new EU writing training scheme.

Launched officially in June, the European Writers Club (EWC) was set up by Thomas Gammeltoft with the intention to spark and ease cross-border collaboration between creators, writers, broadcasters and producers of European series. Set to unfold over an eight-month period in four European countries, the first part of the training programme - Boosting Ideas - will take place at the National Film School of Denmark in Copenhagen, October 23-28.

Twelve writing participants have been selected out of 120 submissions from all over Europe. “We are very pleased with the finale 12 who have been selected not only on their proven track record in writing some of the most successful tv shows of these recent years, but also for the sake of a group dynamic. What we are trying to implement with EWC is an arena, where experienced writers get to grow and improve their skills with the help of their fellow European colleagues,” said project manager Nawell Amour.

Mentors for the first training session in Copenhagen include screenwriter Laura Piani, showrunner Tony Grisoni, director Miguel Lopez and poet Bodhan Piasecki.

Facilitators are Le Groupe Ouest’s Antoine le Bos and Benedicte Mellac, and Linda Green from Leading Creative Talents and inspirational figures include Danish entrepreneur, chef and TV host Claus Meyer, Finnish opera tenor Topi Lehtipuu, and Niels Alsberg, CEO of Publikum.

Also part of the training programme are masterclasses with European creators. Following the first session ‘The Making of Borgen 4’ with seasoned writer Adam Price and actress Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, the next discussion will focus on the creation of memorable female characters, with Call my Agent showrunner Fanny Herrero, and Danish actress, writer and director Ditte Hansen (Ditte & Louise). The masterclasses are available to stream online free of charge on EWC.TV.

The full list of participants of the first EWC is the following:

  • Denmark’s Julie Budtz Sørensen (The Rain),
  • Estonia’s Lauri Lippmaa,
  • France’s Raphaelle Richet,
  • Germany’s Donna Sharpe (Trom),
  • Iceland’s Sigurjón Kjartansson (Katla, Trapped),
  • Ireland’s Susan Connolly,
  • The Netherlands’ Anne Barnhoorn,
  • Norway’s Anne Wisloff (Like Me),
  • Portugal’s Mario Cunha,
  • Slovakia’s Miro Sifra,
  • Spain’s Gema R. Neira (Cable Girls) and
  • Sweden’s Mona Masri (Snabba Cash).

The European Writers’ Club is co-funded by Creative Europe, and supported by industry partners including Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

For further information, check: www.europeanwriters.club