Submissions have opened for AiF’s GatewayLA, a program which gives screenwriters the chance to have their script not only seen by top industry professionals, but also awards them with a cash prize of $10,000 and a return Qantas flight to Los Angeles, plus other professional development prizes.
The judges this year are Bonni Lee, Senior Vice President of Production at Village Roadshow Pictures, Jairo Alvarado, Manager at Circle of Confusion, Aïda Mashaka Croal, current writer and Supervising Producer on Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Ben Lusthaus, a Creative Executive at Amy Pascal’s company Pascal Pictures, Paddy Murphy, Development Executive at Tobey Maguire’s Material, and Chris Dickie, the current Director of Development at Endemol Shine Studios.
A testament to the success of the incentive, last year’s winning script Cargo is already in production, only 18 months after receiving the award. Writer Yolanda Ramke is co-directing alongside Ben Howling with Emmy and BAFTA award winning actor Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock, Fargo) in the lead role.
Yolanda has since reflected on the importance of GatewayLA in the success of project thus far:
“The GatewayLA script prize couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for me. I had a first draft under my belt, but like most emerging writers, I was juggling day jobs with late night writing sessions and struggling to make further progress. Not only did winning this award provide a significant confidence boost, but on a financial level it allowed me to dedicate the time I needed to complete the second draft of CARGO. It also generated some wonderful buzz around the project both at home and abroad. I was also fortunate enough to secure my first paid writing commission off the back of this accolade, and as a result now have a second screenplay in development.
“GatewayLA is a groundbreaking initiative and an invaluable leg-up for up-and-coming screenwriters in Australia. I’m honoured to have been the inaugural recipient, and I’m genuinely excited for this year’s winner and the opportunities this prize will afford them.”
Finalists will receive two months of complimentary hosting on The Black List, free evaluation of the scripts, phone meetings with the program judges and a copy of the latest version of Final Draft, the industry standard in screenwriting software. The winner receives all this as well as $10,000 in cash and one Qantas ticket to Los Angeles.
Submissions will close on 17th October at 5pm (PST). Head to http://www.australiansinfilm.org/ for further details on how to enter.
