London Screenwriters Festival set for October

London is set to show the rest of Europe how it’s done by hosting the biggest screenwriting event ever when The London Screenwriters’ Festival debuts in October.

With the UK film industry still recovering after the loss of the UK Film Council, the fest has been established to help those writers who are still struggling to transform their scripts into movies.

With seminars, workshops and the chance to pitch directly to agents and producers, the fest will also host a number of world famous guest speakers, including writer Dean Craig ( Death At A Funeral ), Oscar-nominated director Chris Jones and Tim Bevan, Chairman of the UKFC.

“With the emergence of new film technologies and the growing importance of online distribution, the number of film makers embarking on new projects has risen sharply over the last few years,” says Chris Jones.

“Filmmaking is increasingly being democratised. At the same time, the institutions that once supported the creative industries are collapsing around us. That’s why we created the London Screenwriting Festival.”

Adds Bevan: “Scriptwriters and producers (and those who work with them) need a festival like this to share experiences and make sure that British scripts and films can compete in the global market.”

The festival will take place at Regents College in Regents Park between 29-31 October 2010. You can grab a ticket for £299, though discounts are available.

Check out the fest’s official website for more information.

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.