TEN years strong
US Labs
The Writers Lab US, our flagship lab, began in 2015 to challenge sexism and ageism in the film industry. The Lab was founded to amplify the long unheard voices of women and nonbinary writers over 40, support gifted storytellers, build community, and diversify content in world cinema. Focusing on script development, the foundation of fictional narrative filmmaking, the Lab cultivates the work of women writers, supporting the successful realization of their scripts.
The only program of its kind in the world, TWL US is produced by co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, with New York Women in Film & Television, in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, with in-kind support from The Black List, Falco Ink, Film Fatales, Filmarket Hub, Final Draft, and Roadmap Writers.
Each year, the Lab selects talented writers with compelling stories to work one-on-one and in group sessions with acclaimed screen industry leaders to develop their feature and pilot scripts, as well as their craft and the tools and strategies to achieve success. During the 4-day lab, mentors and writers engage in rigorous script development through one-on-one meetings, panel discussions, peer workshops, mock writers’ rooms and more.
US Lab
2024
Saugerties, NY
November 12 – 15
Congratulations to our Fourteen 2024 Participants
Charmaine Colina, Booked (Half-Hour Comedy)
Yvonne Condes, Hacienda del Sol (One-Hour Drama)
Johanna Factor, Metamorphosis (One-Hour Sci Fi)
Angelle Gullett, Cumberland Gap (One-Hour Horror)
Claire Ince, Night Catch (Feature Thriller)
Eliza Kennedy & Nicole Newnham,
Control Your Wife, Mr. Wilson (Feature Historical Drama)
Tiffany Lo & Ethel Lung, Mom Died (One-Hour Comedy)
Thato Mwosa, Rati (Feature Drama)
Heidi Nyburg, Fab Girls (One-Hour Historical Drama)
Molly Rydzel, Skin Contact (Half-Hour Comedy)
Cathriona Slammon, Eater (One-Hour Drama)
Cheri Steinkellner, Betwixtmas (Feature Comedy)
Congratulations to our 2024 Semifinalists
scroll left and right in each column for full entry
Amy Adler, Rag Dolls
Merridith Allen, Stuntwoman
Genevieve Anderson, Mona Lina
Stacy Bannerman, Title IX
Mary Pat Bentel, The Cockroach
Julia Bergeron, Across Enemy Lines
Litza Bixler, Blood, Water, Dust
Adi Blotman, Looking Down
Leslie Borchert, Exodus
Sudeshna Bose, Girl Song …
Adrienne Briggs, Dominion
Renee Brown, Gold Digger Lake
Yolanda Buggs, Lovejoy
Ayn Carrillo-Gailey, They All Loved Her Once
Erica Cassidy, I Am Dali
Judy Chaikin, Rhythm Girls
Jaclyn Chan, Killer Aunties
Jackee Chang, Insatiable
Maha Chehlaoui, Say Something
Shana Darabie, Supervillainous
Sonya Bebe Desai, S.O.L.E.
Shay Elliot, Empire Town
Charlotte Essex, Contraband
Tamar Feinkind, The M.S. Saint Louis
Alison Flierl, Hit Mom
Cecile Garcia, The Muse Collective
Gina Garcia, Humaning (fka Ataraxia)
Ellen Gavin, Womanfire
Jackie Geary, Boobless
Lisa Gonzales, Surviving Eden
Audra Gorman, The Deceivers
Joy Gregory, Bury the Lede
Sarah Grochala, Vindication
Sierra Hall, Superfreak
Sierra Hall, Valley of the Shadow
Rebekah Harrison, Summer Heat
Colette Jeffs, Enforcer
Kerinne Jenkins, Twist
Savina Kanagasabay, Perpetuity
Jaime Kawamoto, Feet
Rebecca Kohler, The Seahorse
Joanna Lamb Looby, Revamp
Jeannette Lara, M.S.I.
Tiffany Lo & Ethel Lung, Mom Died
Jamie Lorente, Drowned Girl
Brooke Lyons, The Bright
Jennifer Maisel, Olympia
Melanie Maras, 3 Breakups & A Baby
Lucy Mastrullo, On Air
Deborah Pearson, Madame Speakers
Lucie Pohl & Lena Kammermeier, Unicorn Apocalypse
Lex Powell, Procreation, Inc.
Laura Ranney, On Thin Ice
Heather Robb, Leak
Julie Rockett, Phyllis
Cara Rosenbloom, American Morning
Jennifer Ross, Hell's Belles
Jennifer Ross, More, More, More
Vee Saieh, Soul Searching
Elise Salomon, Caoineadh
Tara Samuel, The Ecstasy Of Carolyn Brown
Terrie Samundra, Raakshas
Elizabeth L. Silver, Dirty Wars
Kathryn Smith, Blackburn - "Dead Work"
Paige Smith Orloff, Chemistry
Devi Snively, The Temp
Vicki So, The Devil's Revolver
Charity Stashwick, Goal
Charise Studesville, Jacky-N-Jilly
Kate Torgovnick, Nose
Hope Villanueva, The Night Movers
Rachel Vine, Polyday
Amy Waddell, Montparnasse
Melanie van Betten Jeffcoat, Giles v Harris
Erica Warnock, The Choice
Liz Werner, The Red Forest
Coley Wright, Where The Bad Girls Go
Congratulations to our 2024 Quarterfinalists
scroll left and right in each column for full entry
Heather María Ács, Radiant Flux
Melissa Alfredson, House of David
Tara Altebrando, Haunted Roadtrip
Laurie Arent, The Mrs.
Julia Arnold, Red Notice
Heidi Atherton, Ride
Brandy Austin, Country Pride
Shiv B, The Nightshift
Tatiana Bacchus St. Phard, Christmas Crossing
Nikki Bailey, Parts
Carmiel Banasky, Wild Life
Claire Barclay, The Queen's Savages
Lezli-An Barrett, Strange Remains
Caroline Beecham, Hitler's Gift
Theresa Bennett, The Ex Factor
Michelle Bergamo, Lake Girls
Tatiana Blackington James, Apprentice to Venus
Mary Blythe, Sixty-Nine
B. Bodnar, Severed Souls - "Uline Ice Company"
Joanna Bowers, Letters From China
Hannah Bowles, Love is a Bitch
Emily Brauer Rogers, Bloomer Girls
Rachel Brethauer, No One's Little Girl
Yolanda Buggs, Suburbia Falls
Misha Calvert, Ruthless
Laura Canty-Samuel, That Dirty B!
Andrea Carpenter, Ahead of Her Time
Natalie Cash, The Society
Debbie Castanha, The Debt
Kristina Castillo, Jane
Alice Charles, Water House
Hannah Cheesman, Succor
Mirella Christou, Push It!
Claudia Cifuentes, Bariloche
Tonya Coats, Genes
Angela Cohen, No Good Calls Come in the Middle of the Night
Leslie Ann Coles, Soiled Dove
Dana Cowden, Seekers
Chris Cragin-Day, Heresy
Kate Craven, Nightingales
Mary Cross, Sluts
Maren Curtis, Manifesto
Sylvia Dahmen, The Governess
Lawrence Daly, Camouflage and Lipstick
Maryam Myika Day, Become American
Isabel del Rosal, Fractured Light
Elaine Del Valle, Girl Friday
Valerie Esguerra, Remember Love
Johanna Factor, The Girl in the Tree
Robin Farmer, Malcolm and Me
Tamar Feinkind, Acids
Liz Femi, Butter Baby
Charlene Fisk, Five
Maria Forslin, The Switch
Barbara Gaillard, Scion - "Alchemy"
Jackie Geary, There She Is
Page Getz, Stardrift Road
Erica Gimpel, Rise
Jennifer Goldson, Mr & Mrs Clark
Sarah Granger, White Hat
Vera Graziadei, Malva
Tamika Guishard, Brainwash
Eevin Hartsough, Adult Orphan Club
Rouzie Hassanova, Tulpar
Jacqueline Hazell, Long Lifers
Jennifer Henderson, BeeWitched!
Virginia Hendry & Amanda Ellis, Love to Watch You Bleed
Alison Hickli, Emilie - "Affectation"
Erin Hickman, Phoebe Turns 50
Erin Hickman, Where There's A Will
Christine Hooper, The Healing Room
Jill Hoppe, The Masterworks
Tricia Horvath, Stripper Moms
Darlene Johnson, Obelia
Lira Kellerman, Adams Colliding
Kristine Kennedy, Ant Trapezoid
Melissa Kester, Fortunes
Rose King, Contrails
Debra Kirschner, Mallwalkers
Julie Kline, Snuggles
Keshia Kola, Harmless Women
Eva Konstantopoulos, Drift
Leslie Korein, Immortally Forty
Maegan Langer, Salt City Sylph
Eunice Lau & Honey Ahmad, A-Town Boyz
Samantha Lavin, 7 on 10
Sarah Lawrence, Peace So Sweet
Michelle Lee, Gonggi
Christine Lim, The Promise
Jennie Livingston, Prenzlauer Berg
Romy Loor, The Enemy Rose
Elizabeth Lunday, Rite of Spring
Jeanne Lusignan, Bird of Paradise
Elisa Manzini, The End-All
Susan Marks, All that Glitters
Marisa Marquez, Thirst
Meg Mateo, You Could've Been a Nurse
Meghan Maugeri, Lady Shakespeare
Julie Mayhew, The Long Sprint
Liz Maynes-Aminzade, The Grapevine
Monica McCarthy & Sarah Randall Hunt, Ruth's Place
Maureen McEly, Golden Hour
Lisa McMullin, I Scream
Kristen McNaule, Alphabet City
Kristen McNaule, The Incredible LIPS
Catrese Medley, Hope's Chance
Wendy Melchior, Grand Baby Mama
Jane Miller, Pops
Jacqueline Moody & Sarah Kruchowski, Baguette Girls
Debbie Moon, The Accompanist
Lucy Moore, The Rabbit Hole
Leticia Morin Lathrop, All You Can Eat
Jill Morley, Alphabet City
Lisa Nagy Isaacson, Vintrospection
Kathy Nash, POTUS Interrupted
Anjali Nayar, The Dark One
Sandra O’Connell, Luna
Jackie Okwera, The Lost
Lisa Ostberg & Jonna Bolin Cullberg, Swindle
Catharine Parke, Her Giant Self
Akiva Penaloza, Strange As AngelsLeena Pendharkar, A Quiet Town
Nadine Pequeneza, Rare Earth
Valerie Peterson, Reconciling Jimmy
Susan Polk, Amen & Ameen
Michele Prettyman, Lucy and the Fabulous Freemans
Ellen M. Puff, West with the Night
Sara Register, Decay
Zoe Reiniger, Violets
Sara Romeo-White, Seven South
Lynn Rosen, Ratbird
Daphne Rozenblatt, Mrs. Washington Roebling
Samina Sami, Crooked Lines
Fiona Samuel, The Case
Fiona Samuel, O Jerusalem
Julie Sandwell, Pristine Beach
Prem Santana, Local Rite
Nan Schmid, The Language Of Wolves
Sarah Schulman, Lonely Hunter
H Schuster, Mia Mamma e Sophia Loren
Trinity Shi, The Hungry Ghost
Felicia Shively, The Locket
Marina Shron, The Image Maker
Leah Simmons, Germination
Kimberley Ann Sparks, Pilgrims
Jennifer Steets, Offspring
Kay Stephens, Camp Ladies Go Nuts
Natasha Stoynoff, Time Squared
Rebecca Tansley, Persistence
Sarah Tantillo, What You Actually Want
Meemee Taylor, The Vessel
Leslie Thomas, Eat Me
Alexandra Tolk, Madwomen
Mia Trachinger, Ripe
Sarah Tuft, Bozo the Slut
Kel Vance, Within An Echo
Leila Vatan, Untitled Iranian Revolution
Katherine Vaz, The Dawn We Borrow
Suju Vijayan & Wendy English, Badwill
Sarah Walker, American Girl
Rangeley Wallace, A Dangerous, Glamorous Job
Rangeley Wallace, Everybody Knows
Therese Walsh, The Moon Sisters
Angie Wang, My Mommy Marilyn
Susannah Ward, The Unsacred Feminine
Katie Weekley, 100 Strangers
Donna Bonilla Wheeler, Clash
Ise White, Spy in the House of Love
Tori A White, The Quiet Life
Anita Williams, Couture
Nadine Wilson, Still Standing
Renée Wilson & Myra Paci, Gemma
Jonquil Wiltermuth, Minnesota Nice
Jennifer Wilton, Contained
Industry Insights
Since its founding in 2015, TWL has reviewed over 10,000 feature and pilot scripts written by women over the age of 40.
TWL gave me the boost of confidence I had no idea I needed. Some things are unquantifiable.”
Peres Owino
TWL US 2015
Their support meant everything, and it has opened doors for me with other projects and helped me expand my community.
Pamela Harris
TWL US 2017
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