Mosalsalat Screenwriters Lab: An Incubator for
Talents in the Region
Amman, 21st of May 2022
The second edition of the Mosalsalat Screenwriters Lab’s, organized
by the Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC), wrapped up yesterday.
The Lab was held from 16th until 20th of May in Azraq Lodge (Azraq)
with five selected TV projects by Arab screenwriters working on
developing the scripts for their narrative series projects.
40 projects were initially submitted from the Arab region and were
reviewed by a reading committee of professionals in the fields of
film and TV.
Five projects were selected: “Lid Jye” by Muhammad Khabour (Jordan);
“Jahiliya” by Munir Atalla (Jordan); “Mythos” by Diana Abu Saleh
(Syria); “From The Mountain” by Faisal Attrache (Syria); “Am I
Home?” by Roua Al-Azzawi (Iraq).
The participating screenwriters had the opportunity to benefit from
the experience of four Arab and foreign Creative Advisors: Daniel
Habib from Lebanon, a writer and producer who worked as the lead
writer for the second season of the critically-acclaimed series
"Beirut, I Love You"; Magdy Amin from Egypt, who had his debut
writing experience as part of the team of the well-known series
“Grand Hotel” in addition to several other series namely “Just Like
Yesterday”, “Crystal Clear”, “Why Not?” and “Half Crazies”; the
American TV writer, producer and novelist Peter Blauner, who has
been a staff writer and co-executive producer for several network TV
shows, including “Law & Order: SVU” and “Blue Bloods; and last but
not least, Shelby Stone from the United States, an Emmy and Golden
Globe award-winning film, television and documentary producer.
The screenwriters and the advisors had one-on-one mentoring sessions
to strengthen the understanding of story concept, structure and
character development with the intention of equipping participating
fellows with the tools necessary to launch and enhance their careers
as series screenwriters.
Commenting on the Lab, the RFC’s Managing Director, Mohannad Al
Bakri, said: “The projects are characterized by creativity, suspense
and diversity; there are dramatic plots either set as modern
stories, or fantasies or historical, which reflect a rich repertoire
of storytelling in our Arab region in an innovative and globally
attractive manner.
The Lab offered an inspiring environment for brainstorming and
creative thinking, but provided also the participants with practical
tools to develop their skills and make their stories more engaging
to a wider audience.”
He added: “We are happy that Jordan, and specifically the Azraq
area, was a station for such a creative process and we hope that
Mosalsalat will contribute to the development of the Arab television
scene and what we see on the screen.”
The RFC had launched Mosalsalat Lab for the first time in 2019, as
it believed in the necessity of curating a regional workshop
specialized in writing for TV.
Applications for the third edition of Mosalsalat Screenwriters Lab
will open in July 2022.
For more information, please check the RFC’s social media platforms
and the website:
www.film.jo |