“Women Screenwriters on the Horizon”: A Program Supporting Aspiring Polish Screenwriters Kicks Off

Netflix, together with the New Horizons Association, launched the “Women Screenwriters on the Horizon” program - an initiative for aspiring Polish scriptwriters supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, which aims to increase their chances of developing their careers in the film industry and thus contribute to equal access to the audiovisual sector in Poland.

During the first series of meetings at the Netflix Warsaw office, 18 participants, selected from over 300 applications, gained knowledge about the rules of the film industry under the supervision of the best mentors and began working on ideas for their first full-length feature films.

The special guest at the introductory meeting of the program participants was Harlan Coben, a world-famous bestselling author of crime novels, whose stories have been adapted into 10 Netflix original series so far - including three from Poland. During the masterclass he shared his advice on creative writing, composing stories and building characters, as well as insights from his long-standing cooperation with Netflix which became a true home for the adaptation of his stories. 

The participants began working on their ideas under the supervision of experienced script consultants - Anna Ciennik, Aleksandra Świerk and Aleksandra Jankowska. During consultations and group work, the participants discussed their ideas and shared feedback with each other, but also recalled their experiences from trying to "break through" in the film industry.

As part of the intensive week of classes, the participants met with with director and screenwriter Klara Kochańska-Bajon – co-author of the Netflix series “Matki pingwinów” (Mothers of Penguins), who talked about the specifics of working with producers and streaming services; writer Sylwia Chutnik, who shared her own experience in the topics of self-discipline, motivation, procrastination and creative writing as part of the masterclass; and Łukasz Kłuskiewicz – director of films and content acquisition at Netflix, who talked about the contemporary realities and requirements of the film market in Poland. 

The next sessions of the program will take place in April and June, and participants will have the opportunity to participate in consultations and masterclasses with, among others, Carla Simón (Spanish director and screenwriter, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale), Weronika Tofilska (one of the directors of the critically acclaimed and award-winning Netflix series "Baby Reindeer") and Marcin Pieńkowski, director of the BNP Paribas New Horizons International Film Festival, during which the program's finale will take place.