Six top Norwegian and Swedish actors, authors and journalists have been selected for the pilot writing programme, running since September 15, until December 2, 2022.

The shortage of writing talent in the booming streaming and TV drama space is an issue that many private and public actors in the sector are trying to tackle, including Nordisk Film & TV Fond, with its recently launched Nordic Script initiative (for more information: CLICK HERE).

Now Netflix has launched its own tailor-made writing training initiative, which is breaking new ground, as it taps into storytellers with no - or little - previous experience in series or feature film screenwriting.

The exclusive writing pilot programme Alma X Netflix Writing Academy is a collaboration between the US streaming giant and Alma Education https://www.almaeducation.se/, one of Sweden’s top higher vocational education programmes in scriptwriting, based in Selma Lagerlöf’s Värmland region.

The programme consists of a three-part 13-weeks writing programme under the aegis of Alma’s team of screenwriting tutors and the mentorship of Netflix executives, during which the selected talents - handpicked by Netflix Content executives, are invited to develop an initial idea for a series into a first-draft pilot script.

Netflix’s Director Nordic Original Series Jenny Stjernströmer Björk, said the purpose of the programme is “to inspire and educate already established creative voices, to step into the world of writing for television and streaming”.

”We want to bring new voices and stories to our streaming audience and expand the pool of available series creators,” she told nordicfilmandtvnews.com. “The Nordic region possesses a wealth of great storytellers in all manners of writing. With the Alma X Netflix Writing Academy, we want to empower the original creators and give them the tools to adapt their storytelling for TV.”

Sara Broos, Head of Education at Alma Education who works closely with the Nordic audiovisual sector, says it’s the first time she organises a training programme with a major platform or broadcaster, tailor-made for writers with little or no experience in series writing. “I think it’s a great idea to invite talents that come from novel writing, playwriting, journalism and familiarise them with the rules and standards of writing for the screen, and also open up a creative space where new collaborations and ideas can come to life. One aim is also to build a sense of community in an atmosphere of open, constructive feedback,” she said.

Among the Netflix mentors attached to the training sessions are Stjernströmer Björk and her colleagues Georgie Mathew, Håkon Briseid, Claire O’Brien, Caroline Kjær, Vinnie Shergill, Annika Sucksdorff. Tutors include writers Aron Levander (Snabba Cash 2, The Truth Will Out), Willem Behrman (Caliphate), Petra Revenue (Blue Eyes), writer/director Iram Haq (What Will People Say), writing consultant Tatjana Samopjan among others.

The first part of the writing training workshop under the aegis of top US writer and producer Jeffrey Bell (The X Files, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D) was held in September at Alma Education’s headquarters in Sweden. The next in-person workshop will be held this month in Lucca, and the third part will be online.

Commenting on the initial stage of the workshop, Swedish/Iranian actress/playwright/director Shima Niavarani said: “We are experiencing a wonderful shift of paradigm whereby we get to watch different content from all over the world, and the audience is hungry for more. On one hand, there is a lot of stuff out there [on screens] and it’s hard to navigate. But on the other hand, the audience have developed an intelligent perception of storytelling, so they are now receptive to watching foreign language, or for instance complex female characters from diverse backgrounds. This allows us, in the film and TV community, to give voices to those who might not have a chance to be represented on screens. I’m therefore grateful that Netflix has the courage to tell some people they believe in them and are willing to guide them in the TV format and digital world.”

The full list of participants at the Alma X Netflix Writing Academy is the following:

  • Christoffer Carlsson, Swedish author, trained in criminology, recipient of several awards including 2013 Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year from the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy for his debut novel ‘The Invisible Man from Salem’.
  • Eskil Engdal, Norwegian author and reporter at Dagens Næringsliv, who has covered conflicts in the Middle East and Africa and most recently, the outbreak of war in Ukraine. He has won the International Reporter’s Journalism Award (2012) and the "Golden Pen" (2013). His first novel ‘Catching Thunder-the True Story of the World’s Longest Sea Chase’ was published in 11 countries.
  • Henrik Langeland, leading Norwegian author and literary researcher, credited for ‘Wonderboy’, ‘The Passion of Francis Meyer’, ‘The Prince and The World Champions’.
  • Shima Niavarani, Iranian/Swedish actress, singer, playwright and director. Among the various productions in which she has appeared are the series The Simple Heist, Allt Faller, the films The 101 Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared and A Piece of My Heart.
  • Kristina Sandberg, Swedish fiction author behind a trilogy about housewife Maj. The third novel in the series ‘Life and Any Cost’ won the prestigious August Prize 2014.
  • Odd-Magnus Williamson, Norwegian actor (Ragnarok, Beforeigners, Kon-Tiki), co-writer of the series Aber Bergen and writer of the feature film Nothing to Laugh About by Petter Næss.