The Writer’s Lab Selects 12 Writers for 11th Annual Lab
The Writers Lab is still the only program in the world dedicated exclusively to elevating the work of women and nonbinary screenwriters over forty.
The Writers Lab today announced that support from steadfast champions Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman will enable 12 writers across 12 projects to attend its 11th annual Lab.
- This year, Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas’ production company, MountainA, has come forward with support for the organization to develop an Industry Advocacy Program, a new scheme to build a pipeline for Lab participants, bring projects to the attention of industry representatives and executives, and open pathways to employment and production.
- Partner organization Roadmap Writers, a screenwriting education and training platform organization that offers real-world tools and a path to professional success, has signed on to promote the 12 winners and additional top scorers this year.
- Other partner organizations include collaborators The Writers Guild of America East, New York Women in Film & Television, The Black List, Film Fatales, the Alliance of Women Directors, and Firecracker Department, the Female Eye Film Festival and Untamed Stories.
- Accepting scripts from writers across the globe, The Writers Lab is now operational in the U.S., the U.K., Europe and Canada. TWL is still the only program in the world dedicated exclusively to elevating the work of women and nonbinary screenwriters over forty.
- In an industry built on metrics and relationships that consistently ignore 25% of the population—women over 40—The Writers Lab opens doors for writers in the prime of their skills and insights.
- TWL has an impressive success rate, proving the value of experience, expertise and script development to generate quality content.
- TWL has set up over 400 meetings for writers with leading industry members.
- Three TWL projects have been produced and released, with another 38 currently in pre-production.
- Of the program’s 201 alumnae, 49 have been signed by representation and 34 hired to write—numbers that far exceed the industry average.
- The 12 selected women screenwriters over 40 (listed below) will gather in early November.
- The Writers Lab retreat will be held in New York City for the first time, providing participants greater access to more industry professionals.
- Over five (5) days, the lab will focus on tools and strategies to navigate the ever-shifting landscape of professional opportunities and to build sustainable careers.
- As always, writers will work with accomplished women creatives as mentors to elevate their craft.
"The industry’s contraction has been tough on all writers, but we continue to advocate fiercely for women and nonbinary writers over 40, who bring sophisticated skills, distinctive POVs and exciting new stories for audiences in this turbulent world," said co-founder Nitza Wilon.
Susannah Bohlke, Help Yourself (Half-Hr, Comedy)
Roni Brown-Byrd, 40 Acres (Half-Hr, Comedy)
Cylin Busby, Extremophile (Feature, Horror)
Lisa Cole, She Presents Well (One-Hr, Drama)
Zsofia Darida, Aryana (Feature, Drama)
Sara Hallowell, Lady M (One-Hr, Drama)
Marty Johnson, Public Way to Water (Half-Hr, Comedy)
Jaime Kawamoto, Pickled (One-Hr, Dramedy)
Tamika Lamison, Superman Doesn’t Steal (Feature, Historical Drama)
Deb McCurdy, The Waters and the Wild (Feature, Dramedy)
MK McGhee, The Re-Education of Jane Brown (Feature, Horror)
Veronica Reyes-How, American Doctor (One-Hr, Drama)
The Writers Lab will offer an expanded roster of influential, experienced filmmakers to mentor participants in development sessions, panels, and story-breaking workshops. Mentors on deck for 2025 include:
Anne Carey (Nightbitch, Dead Ringers)
Susan Cartsonis (What Women Want, The Duff)
Anya Epstein (The Affair, In Treatment)
Amy Fox (The Connors, Equity)
Pamela Gray (Megan Leavey, A Walk on the Moon)
Jenny Halper (Unicorns, American Honey)
Rita Hsiao (Mulan, The Monkey King)
Meg Lefauve (Inside Out, 1 & 2, My Father’s Dragon)
Amenya Makuku (FilmNation, Madeline’s Madeline)
Mary Jane Skalski (Hello I Must Be Going, The Visitor)
Shelby Stone (The Chi, Bessie)
Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Memoirs of a Geisha)
Pat Verducci (Disney/Pixar, True Crime)
Tracey Scott Wilson (The Americans, Respect)
Jamie Zelermyer (Focus Features, Boys Don’t Cry)
ABOUT MOUNTAINA
MountainA was founded in 2020 by Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas to produce internationally-minded, filmmaker-driven television series and films, with a focus on working with both emerging and established directors. Natalie is an Academy Award-winning actor, as well as a director and producer. Sophie’s past producing credits include the Academy Award-winning film Call Me by Your Name, The Witch, and Murina. Currently under a first-look deal with Apple TV+ for TV projects, MountainA’s credits include the critically acclaimed Todd Haynes feature May December and the HBO original docuseries Angel City. Together, Portman and Mas also recently produced the Apple TV+ limited series Lady in the Lake, written and directed by Alma Har’el. Upcoming projects from MountainA include the animated feature Arco from French director Ugo Bienvenu, an official selection at Cannes 2025 and Cristal (Best Film) winner at Annecy 2025, an art world satire, The Gallerist, written and directed by Cathy Yan, and the rom-com Good Sex, written and directed by Lena Dunham.
ABOUT THE WRITERS LAB
Cofounded by Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, The Writers Lab is dedicated to developing and promoting narrative scripted content written by diverse women over the age of 40. With industry veterans, the Lab elevates the work of women screenwriters in their prime through mentorship, advocacy and exposure. Alumni have been staffed in writers rooms, signed with managers and agents, landed deals and moved their scripts into production. In addition to the flagship Int’l Lab, TWL now produces Labs for women writers over 40 in Canada, the UK and Europe.
The Writers Lab is grateful to supporters Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas, the Cornelia T Bailey Foundation, The Lynch Hall Charitable Fund, The Lisa Cleff Kurtz & Michael Kurtz Foundation and the Meg & Alex Weidner Family Foundation, and is presented in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television, in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, and with allies Falco Ink, Film Fatales, Roadmap Writers, The Black List, and the Alliance of Women Directors. The UK & Europe labs are produced with partner Untamed Stories, and the Canada labs are produced with partners Firecracker Department and the Female Eye Film Festival. The Writers Lab is a nonprofit 501c3 public charity.
For more information visit twlstories.org
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