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From July 2008, Cineuropa.org proposes an online scriptwriting course in English, French, Italian and Spanish. The training formula is based on a direct and personalised contact between the participants and the teacher. Participants will therefore be able to read the lessons at their leisure time and communicate privately with the teacher at any moment. Following the first trial lesson, which is available, free of charge, on the website, the course is structured in eight lessons over sixteen weeks. These lessons’ aim is to offer participants the essential theoretical and practical notions in scriptwriting, while highlighting the differences between cinema scriptwriting and other creative forms. The follow up with the tutor and the practical aspects provided by the exercises are at the core of the project. The course fees amount to 465 euros + VAT. For further information, please visit www.cineuropa.org

Organised from the 15th of April to the 31st of July, the NISI MASA contest takes place simultaneously in all its member countries in Europe .

For this 7th edition, the new theme is: Escape.

The contest is open to every youngster from 18 to 28, living in one of the organising countries. Each participant must write a short-film script of 20,000 characters maximum on the assigned theme, in one of the official languages of the contest.

In January~February 2009 the three new awarded scriptwriters plus 12 of the European finalists, will be invited by NISI MASA to take part in «European Short Pitch», a scriptwriting workshop organised at the Moulin d’Andé~Céci in France, followed by pitching sessions in front of European producers.
Then, the 3 European winners will be supported by NISI MASA in the production and distribution of their films.
From the script to the screen, NISI MASA is keen on contributing to the development and circulation of innovative short films from all over Europe.

All information about the contest can be found here:

http://www.nisimasa-scriptcontest.eu/

Application Deadline:
31. July 2008

Script&Pitch Workshops was founded in 2005 and is an advanced script-writing and development course for scriptwriters and story editors of films for both cinema and TV. It views European scriptwriting as something unique and special and therefore engage mostly European tutors, creating a healthy diversity between the individual styles of the single countries. The course lasts 10 months and it selects 20 participants from all over Europe (16 scriptwriters and 4 story editors) who will follow the whole scriptwriting process, offering education through the development of projects: From the generating of ideas and structuring of the material through a first and second draft up to a final pitch in front of invited producers and sales agents.

The tutors and organizers are experienced and well connected professionals, both in their countries and on a European level. It works from the assumption that every story needs its own individual approach, and that its form is determined by its content. Inspirational lessons from the course are shared through a yearly publication: Script&Pitch Insights, supporting our passion and aim to shed more light and dignity on the scriptwriting and story editing professions.

Course participation fee is 2.000 Euro.
This amount covers workshop training, on-line sessions, accommodation and subsistence. Participants must pay all travel costs.
For applicants from the new EU member states (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia) the fee is 1.500 Euro and 2 scholarships are reserved to participants coming from these states. Scholarships will be assigned by merit.

More details and informations can be read here: http://www.scriptpitchworkshops.com/

There is something very brave in Nisi Masa script contest. Collecting together dozens of scripts from the world of half professional scriptwriters and taking the responsibility to produce the best three is a big thing. There aren’t many other contests, which offer the same. Working with this year’s topic “circle” the result was quite surprising. Reading the scripts I had the feeling of some depressed wave in Europe. All three winners are dealing with the topic of death, darkness, or the end of the world. These roots can be found of course in the so called classic European Arthouse Cinema, but still. I would not say that entertaining movies are necessarilly good, but sometime we should have fun instead of get down.

Beside all of these criterias let me congratulate to the winners of Nisi Masa Short Film Script Contest 2007:

- At Midnight Everything Stops Here (France, Just Philippot)

- Little Girl (Belgium, Léo Medard)

- Three Nights to beginning (Finland, Jarkko Virtanen)

( Nisi Masa is a network of young european filmmakers, and cinema enthusiast. We are really proud to have it as one are most important partners. A bunch of Nisi Masa films can be watched on Daazo in its special category: NISI MASA)