Western Norway Film Commission

In Balestrand and Bergen, for the first time, from 26. April -5. May the 4. éQuinoxe Germany Screenwriters workshop will take place. Ten screenwriters from around the world and their producers meet one week long for a creative exchange with nine advisors, - international screenwriters, directors and producers. The advisors receive, this is one of the key principles with éQuinoxe, no financial remuneration for their expertise for the one week.

After an exhaustive preselection ten screenwriters will participate this week in the Screenwriters Workshop: Germans Philip Haucke with "Same, Same, But Different" and Sylke Rene Meyer mit "Loving Stillness and the Hours of the Night"; Swiss screenwriter Stefan Jäger with "Fire"; from Greece Emmanouil Oikonomou with "Border Line"; two screenwriters from Ireland, James Phelan with "Banshee" and Abigail Spallen with "The Courtship Gift"; three writers from Norway, Bobbie Peers with "Underneath", Trygve Allister Diesen with "Prize" and Cathinka Nicolaysen with "Nico Finco"; and from Australia Sophie Edelstein with "Somebody People".

éQuinoxe Screenwriters Workshops are renowned for their high calibre advisors from Europe and abroad. From Germany this year Susanne Schneider ("Es kommt der Tag") is participating in Norway. From the USA James V. Hart ("Hook", "Contact", "Bram Stoker's Dracula"), and the Oscar-winner Lisa Fruchtman (Editor "Apocalypse Now", as well as "The Right Stuff", "Godfather Part III, "My Best Friend´s Wedding", "A Love Song for Bobby Long", "Children of a Lesser God"), and Lorenzo Semple Jr. ("Three Days of the Condor", "Papillon", "Pretty Poison", "Batman") participating. From Switzerland Simon Aeby ("Three Degrees Below Zero", Der Henker") and from Australia Claire Dobbin ("Rabbit Proof Fence", "Mallboy", "Japanese Story") and from Spain Ana Sanz Magallón, (Script Advisor "Bajo Las Estrelas") will also be in Balestrand as advisors. With Norway as "Land in Focus" there will be two Norwegians as advisors participating including Ulf Breistrand ("You haven´t got a chance - Take It!!, "Last Notes") and Monica Boracco Borring ("Trigger").

The selected screenwriters meet in individual sessions with the advisors during the workshop in an atmosphere which supports concentration and creativity in discussions regarding the dramaturigcal potential and the international storytelling of each script. Susanne Schneider, screenwriter, director and board member of éQuinoxe Germany has participated as advisor and selected writer at workshops, "One spends one week with intensive creative exchange, concentrated work, inspired discussions and for one week it is only about giving the screenwriters the best possible input with the intention of making the best possible script out of their story. It is a lot of work. It is exhausting. It is awesome."

Additional to the script one-on-one sessions, the screenwriters receive consultation in a special session on writers´rights, as well as screenings of films from writers recently produced, who have attended the workshops.

As financial partners for the workshop are the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Film Commission Norway, the Western Norway Film Centre, the Western Norway Film Commission, the City of Bergen, Film fund FUZZ and Filmkraft Rogaland, as well as Bundesbeauftragte für Kultur und Medien/BKM and Screen Australia. Sponsors of the programme include The Wright Foundation, the Berlin law firm Heller & Partner, the press and public relations agency JUST PUBLICITY, and ARRI Film & TV.

éQuinoxe Germany was founded in 2001 by industry professionals (Ellen Winn-Wendl, Susan Schulte and Susanne Schneider), specifically to increase public awareness for the unequivocal necessity to improve cinema script development, to establish links between German-speaking and EU filmmakers, to present this talent to an international forum via workshops, in short, to achieve an international dialogue among cinema filmmakers.

As recent examples of the successful work of the éQuinoxe Screenwriters Workshops are the films: "For My Father", Director: Dror Zahavi, Writer: Ido Dror, "For A Moment, Freedom", Director Arash T. Riahi, and "Helen", Director: Sandra Nettelbeck, all being released 2009 in Germany and elsewhere.

At the forthcoming workshop "Focus Norway" in Balestrand three Norwegian screenwriters together with their producers will participate. The foreign guests will receive information about the legal, financial and location aspects of co-producing with Norwegian producers and an introduction into the film culture. During the week Norwegian films will be screened as well as a film from one of the advisors. On Tuesday, 28. April beginning at 21:15, the short film "SNIFFER" from Bobbie Peers and the film " A love song for Bobby Long" edited by Lisa Fruchtman will be screened in Friburg Kino in Balestrand for the participants and local community. "The filmmakers will be present to answer any questions. The screenings are open to the public." Ellen Winn Wendl, Chairman of éQuinoxe Germany e.V. "We want the community to also be able to experience a bit of our Focus Norway workshop."

May 3-5 at the end of the workshop in Balestrand there will be two Master Classes in Bergen. The Theme From Page to Picture includes "Deconstructing Dracula" by James V. Hart and "What´s the Story?" from Film editor Lisa Fruchtman.

The next éQuinoxe Germany Screenwriters Workshop will take place from October 8-17, 2009, in Bavaria, Germany.

Submission Deadline for the 5. éQuinoxe Germany Screenwriters Workshop is May 29th 2009.