The third
session of the "Mosalsalat Screenwriters Lab", organized by the Royal
Film Commission – Jordan (RFC), was concluded last Friday 2nd of
June. The sessions were held from 29th May until 2nd June
at Azraq Lodge, in the Azraq Wetlands Reserve east of Jordan, with the
participation of five selected television projects by Arab screenwriters
working on developing scripts for their first TV series projects.
64 projects
from the Arab region were initially submitted and evaluated by the Creative Consultants,
a group of experts and professionals in the film and TV industry. Qualified
projects were selected through a lengthy process that included detailed
evaluations of each project and interviews with shortlisted writers.
Five
projects have been selected to participate in the Lab:
-
“A Woman’s Job” by Dina ElHawary and Rehab Bassam )Egypt(
-
“Dirty Hands” by Georges Hazim )Lebanon(
-
“Work in Progress” by Mira Nimri )Jordan(
-
“Stroubia” by Omar Layza )Lebanon(
-
“Above 30” by Sehar Salah )Egypt(
The
participating scriptwriters had the opportunity to meet with five Arab and
foreign experts, the “Creative Mentors”:
-
Tamer Habib, Egyptian writer with many successful projects
in cinema and television.
-
Daniel Habib, Lebanese producer and writer, who said:
“I advise emerging screenwriters to write a lot, regardless of the fate of
these writings and whether they will be produced or not. This is the best
training. I also advise them to watch and read as much creative content as
possible to recharge their imagination.”
-
Jan Trygve Røyneland, award-winning Norwegian
screenwriter, also commented saying: “In order to benefit from such labs, you
must be willing to listen, open up, and change your opinions and be open to
other cultures and being around other writers. The set up of this Lab is
special as it takes much of its particularity from the participants themselves,
so what we learn this year could easily evolve the next one.”
-
Menna Ekram, Egyptian writer and director, whose works
include the famous series “Heba Crow's Feet” and the supernatural thriller
“Zodiac”.
-
Giovanni Robbiano, Italian writer, director, producer,
trainer and lecturer, who has extensive experience in cinema and television in
Italy and Europe.
Intensive
one-on-one sessions brought together writers and mentors to enhance their
understanding of story and character development, with the aim of providing
them with the means to start or advance their screenwriting career.
Writer Mira
Nimri commented on her participation, saying: “The Lab provided me with an invaluable
opportunity to meet with highly professional experts from the Arab region and
the world, and to learn from their practical feedback to raise the quality of
the project.”
Another
participant, Omar Layza said: “The specificity of the Lab's location was very
useful for focusing on developing my ideas and project. The idea of carrying
out group activities was different; it stimulated our creativity and allowed us
to work on our projects with renewed energy.”
Commenting
on the Lab, the RFC’s Managing Director, Mohannad Al Bakri, said: “Every year, committed
writers join Mosalsalat Lab to receive the necessary support to guide and
strengthen their understanding of story concept, structure and character
development with the intention of producing a pilot script and supporting
materials, as well as expanding their portfolio, pursuing opportunities in the
evolving TV marketplace and obtaining a deeper understanding of the television
industry.”
The RFC had
launched Mosalsalat Lab in 2019, as it believed in the necessity of curating a
regional workshop specialized in writing for TV.
Applications
for the fourth edition of Mosalsalat Screenwriters Lab will open later in 2023.
About
the Royal Film Commission – Jordan
The Royal
Film Commission – Jordan (RFC) is a public institution, with administrative and
financial autonomy, established in 2003 with a mandate to promote for and
contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Jordanian
audio-visual industry. The RFC organizes training workshops, screenings and
provides production support services.
For any
further information, please call: +962797557116