Elevating
Women Screenwriters
Over 40

The Writers Lab

Our mission is to ignite the power of women and nonbinary screenwriters over 40 and activate the media industry to broaden the range of storytelling across visual platforms.

The Writers Lab offers labs, retreats, ongoing mentoring, industry exposure, and craft programming. Founded in 2015, TWL is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit.

Application Season

UK & Europe Lab | Submission are OPEN and will close APRIL 30.
Accepting full-length features and pilots in English in FIVE regions:
Austria, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 

Apply through APRIL 30
FAQs

Int’l Flagship Lab | Submissions are CLOSED.
Regular deadline April 1. Late Deadline April 8.
For full-length features and pilots in English from
women and nonbinary writers over 40 across the globe.

Applications closed
FAQs
  • The Writers Lab provides practical tools and spirited encouragement for the work of screenwriters whose point of view, fruit of their age and gender, has been consistently undervalued in the marketplace.
    Meryl Streep
    Actor
  • The more women’s stories we see, the more women are empowered.
    Nicole Kidman
    Actor

Our supporters

The Writers Lab is made possible through the generosity of individuals and organizations committed to the art of screenwriting.

Meryl Streep

Nicole Kidman

Oprah Winfrey

Natalie Portman

The Cornelia T Bailey Foundation

Dirty Films

Lynch Hall Charitable Foundation

The Meg & Alex Weidner Family Foundation

The Lisa Cleff Kurtz & Michael Kurtz Foundation

Who’s getting hired?

In 2024 approximately 20% of screenwriters hired on the 250 top-grossing films in the US were women, significantly below equal representation.

And women over 40, who make up 25% of the world’s population? They wrote on only 10% of all movies made last year in the US.

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