Click here to read the full article.
The Writers Lab announced writers selected for two Lab Intensives this Fall, in New York City and the inaugural Los Angeles cohort.
Supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, The Writers Lab is the only script incubation
program dedicated to elevating the work of women and nonbinary screenwriters over the age of 40.
The Los Angeles cohort will gather at Women In Film and American Film Institute in October, with the New York cohort at Writers Guild of America East and Lincoln Center in November. Over three days, each program will focus on tools and strategies to build sustainable careers. Each intensive will be followed by a 5-day writing residency, enabling even more writers to develop and build industry connections.
The Los Angeles participants are:
Maja Costa
“Terra Roxa” (Feature Historical Thriller)
Jennifer Derwingson-Peacock
“Fear Us Women” (One-Hour War Drama)
Aurora Ferlin
“13 Prisons” (One-Hour Drama/Mystery)
Jessica Maison
“Pirate Sea” (One-Hour Sci-Fi Adventure)
Liz McClintock
“Santa Susana” (Half-Hour Political Dramedy)
Sarah Page
“Vanilla” (One-Hour Comedy Thriller)
Elise Shin
“Perpetual Dreaming” (One-Hour Sci-Fi Thriller)
Don Angelica Silva
“Bright Belt” (Feature Historical Drama)
The New York participants are:
Wendy Bednarz
“Glacial Summer” (Feature Coming-of-Age Drama)
Michelle Bonnard
“Superhuman” (Feature Drama)
Rebecca Brown
“A Forgotten Sky” (One-Hour Historical)
Kate Chrisman
“Foreign Correspondent” (One-Hour Political Thriller)
Georgia Fu
“Approximate Joy” (Feature Crime Dramedy)
Courtney Graham
“Nobody’s Horses” (One-Hour Historical Drama)
Meghan Lennox
“Gay for Amy” (Feature Coming-of-Age Comedy)
Charise Studesville
“The Waves” (Feature Dramedy)
2026 mentors include 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,” “My Father’s Dragon”), Amenya Makuku (FilmNation, “Madeline’s Madeline”), Mary Jane Skalski (“Hello I Must Be Going,” “The Visitor”), Amber Sealey (“No Man of God,” “Out of My Mind”), Robin Swicord (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Memoirs of a Geisha”), Pat Verducci (Disney/Pixar, “True Crime”) and Jamie Zelermyer (Focus Features, “Boys Don’t Cry”).
This year’s industry script jurors include Kyra Sedgwick (“Carolina Caroline,” “The Closer”), Clea Lewis (“Best Medicine”) and representatives from Blossom Films, Tribeca Studios and The Writers Guild of America East.
New partners this year include Alliance of Women Directors, Women in Film LA, American Film Institute and Film at Lincoln Center. Other partners include The Writers Guild of America East, New York Women in Film & Television, Roadmap Writers, The Black List and Film Fatales.
The third Lab Intensive will be offered in Canada in January 2027. TWL is in the process of developing an Intensive in Australia for 2027.
