The Drama Series Co-Writing Residency between Israel and France is a program initiated by the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image animée), France and the GMFF (Gesher Multicultural Film Fund), Israel, in cooperation with the Israeli Scriptwriters Guild, The Israeli Producers Association and the French Embassy in Israel. Series Mania is one of the main partners of the project.
The call for projects is now closed and the selected participants will be notified at the beginning of November, 2023.
Call for applications
The Drama Series Co-Writing Residency between Israel and France launches its fifth call for applications!
Up to 5 projects will be selected to take part in the residency. Each project will be carried by a team composed by at least two screenwriters, one from Israel and one from France. The selected screenwriters will participate in three residency workshops: a first workshop in December 2023 in Israel, a second online follow up in January 2024, and a final workshop in March 2024 at Series Mania festival in Lille, France. During all this period, the selected teams will co-write the full bible of a fiction series and be trained by experienced mentors.
At the end of this process, the projects will be presented to potential international financial partners (producers, broadcasters, platforms…) during a dedicated pitching event that will take place during the Series Mania Forum (March 19-21, 2024, in Lille, France)
WHO CAN APPLY?
Teams of scriptwriters, directors and creatives from Israel and France.
Applications must be made by a team composed by at least two co-writers (one from Israel and one from France) with a common project.
- IMPORTANT: screenwriters who want to apply for the residency but don’t yet have a partner or a project, can seek a partner through the dedicated Facebook group opened by the CNC, GMFF and Series Mania. The group will be monitored by the Script Writers Guild of Israel and enable the seeking and structuring of teams.
Also, two webinars will be organised in order to facilitate the pairing between the writers :
- The 1st webinar has occured on June 13th and has presented the residency and to answered some questions.
- The 2nd one will be an online pitching sessions of 3 min per series projects where all writers with no projects can find a fellow writer to partner with.
Each team must have at least one experienced writer on board. To qualify as experienced, a screenwriter must have either:
- written at least two episodes in a drama series (30/60 minutes) that has been produced and broadcast, or
- written a series that was produced and aired on the internet, with the sum of the episodes exceeding 70 minutes.
OUTCOME
Cowrite the full bible of a fictional drama series.
DURATION
One in-person workshop in December in Israel, an intensive online follow-up in January, a final in-person workshop in March at Series Mania in Lille, France.
COST
The residency is free of charges for the selected participants. The residency covers air travel between Israel and France, accommodation, and hospitality as per the program.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
September 12 2023 at 5 pm CET (CET)
In order to apply you must accept the Rules and Regulations (clickable button that links to the PDF Rules & Regulations) detailing the eligibility criteria and fill the online submission form in english
WORKING LANGUAGE
English
Schedule
- 22/05/2023 – 12/09/2023: Time period for projects submission.
- 13/06/2023 and 06/07/2023: Webinar “Meet the residency” & “Pitch yourself”
- 18/10/2023: Results announcement
- 31/10/2023 at 10:00 am CET: Launch of the residency and meeting with partners, discussion with guests
- 04/12/2023 – 07/12/2023: 1st in-person workshop in Israel
- 09/01/2024 – 11/01/2024: Online workshop
- February 2024: Private Work for Writers
- 15/03/2024 – 21/03/2024: Final in-person workshop in Lille followed by the pitching event at Series Mania Forum
All members of each selected team must be available and participate in the two workshops in person and the virtual follow-up.
MENTORING
The residency will include two mentors, one French, one Israeli and will be hosting professional guests to enhance the creative path the writers are taking.
The mentors will be available all through the process.
