30/06/2023 - During its first stop on the island of Nisyros, the training initiative features a jam-packed, two-week programme set to wrap on 6 July

The first session of this year’s Script 2 Film Workshops, run by the Mediterranean Film Institute, has commenced on the island of Nisyros. Having kicked off on 23 June, it will run until 6 July, and the training programme focused on script and project development has now revealed its comprehensive schedule.

One of the highlights of the event is the participation of renowned showrunner, screenwriter and producer Nico Moolenaar, known for his work as the showrunner and co-creator of the popular Netflix series Undercover (Belgium). The series' first season became the most-watched show in the Netherlands in 2019 upon its Netflix release and has since achieved international success. In October 2022, Moolenaar signed an exclusive overall deal with Netflix, marking the first of its kind in the Benelux territory.

The programme also features other engaging activities, such as a lecture by producer Simon de Santiago (Biutiful [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) titled “Analysing Your Project and Its Potential: Production Considerations”. Errika Zacharopoulou will present the Agora Film Market of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, while Isabelle Fauvel (Initiative Film) will conduct a master class called “From Tutor Shadow to Script Consultant” for the participating trainer trainees.

Additionally, there will be a master class on “Filmmaking as a Collaborative Artform” by Katriel Schory, a workshop on “Story Design and Audience Response: Writing for the Body” led by Christina Lazaridi, a master class titled “What Makes a Series Truly Serial: The Niels Bohr Lecture on Conceiving a Serial Concept” by Michel Sabbe, and a Q&A session with Nico Moolenaar titled “Undercover at Netflix: Taking You Behind the Screens of Working for a Major Streamer”.

In addition, three open-air screenings have been arranged during the workshop. Among them is Easy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrea Magnani
film profile] (Italy/Ukraine), written and directed by Andrea Magnani, a film that originated from the MFI Script 2 Film Workshops and has garnered numerous accolades worldwide. Furthermore, the screenings will include the documentary Nelly & Nadine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Magnus Gertten
film profile] (Sweden/Belgium/Norway), written and directed by Magnus Gertten and produced by Ove Rishøj Jensen, plus two episodes of the aforementioned series Undercover by Nico Moolenaar.

MFI’s Script 2 Film Workshops are supported by the Creative Europe - MEDIA programme, the Secretariat General for the Aegean and Island Policy, and the municipalities of Nisyros and Rhodes.