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the City of Athens & the Athens Film Office present

The annual workshop for professional screenwriters with global ambitions

October 1-4, 2024

Testimonials

The Athens Film Office OWL Screenwriting Workshop brought together ten talented, international writers, with great projects, to beautiful Athens to develop their scripts with and learn from ten impressively accomplished mentors. We all had a great, productive time.
Meredith VuchnichScreenwriter
The OWL workshop offers a unique opportunity to revise your screenplay, thanks to diverse feedback from a team of highly skilled tutors who are keen to understand your vision and help you articulate it in the best way possible. It was a blast for me, and it will be for you too.
Giulio RizzoScreenwriter
The Owl is more than just another workshop. Great mentors, inspiring program, supportive colleagues, perfect organisation and all taking place in one of the most beautiful and meaningful places in the world. What more could you ask for?
Wiktor PiątkowskiScreenwriter
Your welcome was so all encompassing and the experience was wonderful for both participants and mentors. I’m so excited by the possibilities and opportunities I see in Greece and am looking forward to returning soon to discuss everything with all of you.
Anne ThomopoulosMentor
Congratulations on your success with this just the 2nd year of the program. I do hope the participants came away with as much good information and notes as they imagined- And am always happy to hear their/your feedback, constructive and positive.
Marc LorberMentor
It was truly an inspiring week full of surprises and insight, epiphanies, and opportunities to meet some incredible people. It was a pleasure to get to know you all in your wonderful city and learn about all the terrific assets it has to offer to filmmakers. The hospitality of the lab was beyond expectations, and your excellent team made it a working environment that sparked a great deal of creative energy.
Kamal John IskanderScreenwriter
Working with incredible screenwriters and industry experts from around the globe. Intense. Rewarding. Unforgettable. Thank you AFO. You are trailblazers
Athena XenidouScreenwriter
It was such a valuable experience and I feel like I won't absorb it all until I go back over my notes in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to it!
Danielle WolffTV Screenwriter
Great mentors, very interesting panels and lovely people. The mix of producers, agents and writers was great and very inspiring. It helped me to develop my script not only from an artistic point of view, but also taking into account the needs of the industry. The workshop also provided a good insight into the US system and the Greek film industry.
Julia KellerTV Screenwriter
The Owl was the perfect hub to meet industry professionals, learn the craft and strategize a career path that can only lead to great things.
Nuno SolerFilm Screenwriter
It was an absolute privilege to spend time and learn from mentors who are leaders in their fields and participants who are so talented in a city with some of the oldest stories in the world. A truly enriching and unforgettable experience!
Stelana KlirisTV Screenwriter
I just wanted to thank you both personally for The Owl workshop last week - it was the most amazing experience, and so well run, and I hope you both got to take some time off to relax afterwards. I've had to help organize similar events before, and I know how much work goes into everything, and it was very much appreciated.
Catherine Smyth-McMullenFilm Screenwriter

Step onto the international stage

Each year, the Owl trains 10 professional screenwriters to develop a film or TV project that could take their career global. We are looking for audience driven scripts for the international market.

influential writers, producers, decision-makers and executives getting to know you and your work
networking with industry professionals and screenwriters at the same career stage
one-on-one mentoring to maximize your project’s appeal to international producers
masterclasses and panel talks on how to further your career
expert tutorials on how to succeed in the fast-changing global film and TV industries
opportunity to pitch your project at the Owl Industry Days; a 2-day market event with studio representatives, producers, broadcasters and platforms

Our Vision

The Owl was created by the Athens Film Office to help develop film and TV projects with international appeal, and that make the most of the advantages Athens offers to the industry.

It is an annual workshop for screenwriters who have already achieved early-career success with a distributed film or TV show and who are ready to launch their career internationally. The workshop aims to create a bridge for screenwriters working outside global centers of film production to reach some of the most well-funded and commercially successful film producers in the world.

A group of 10 film professionals will be selected to participate in the mentoring and networking workshop held October 1-4, in Athens, Greece.

We’re looking for screenwriters from a diverse range of backgrounds and identities who develop audience-driven feature films and TV series, combining artistic vision and commercial potential, and which could be adapted to be produced and/or shot in Greece. Entries are judged by a Selection Committee of experienced film and TV professionals. Judging is based on the writer’s track record and overall quality of the script, originality, writing style and concept marketability.

The variety and versatility of Greece makes it the ideal base for a wide range of productions. With locations from inner-city streets to the classic white sand beaches, a project doesn’t need to be set in Greece to shoot here.

What to expect

The Owl Screenwriting Workshop runs in three sessions:

1st session is held in Athens October 1-4 at the St. George Lycabettus Hotel

Screenwriters are invited to participate in the full Owl program in Athens which comprises of:

  • one-to-one mentorship
  • panels from industry experts
  • masterclasses from screenwriting experts
  • peer to peer review in TV and Film cohorts and
  • numerous networking opportunities with Greek and International industry professionals.
The Athens Film Office and the City of Athens cover room and board costs, tuition fees and experiences such as walking tours, networking opportunities and potential screenings.
Programme

2nd session is online in March 2025

Having completed an intensive workshop in Athens, screenwriters will submit a second draft of their Feature Film or TV pilot. In March, they will participate in a group workshop, led by prof. Scott Myers, where each cohort member has read each other’s revised scripts.

  • A wider range of critiques, feedback, and suggestions
  • In critiquing other scripts, each writer will develop their critical analytical skills
  • Encourage group bonding that may help to carry those connections forward

3rd session is held in Athens in October 2025

Upon completion of their final draft, screenwriters are invited to return to Athens and partake in their final Group Session; a conversation with their cohort and prof. Scott Myers about the state of each writer’s revised script. They will also have the opportunity to take a masterclass on pitching and then present their projects in a pitching event in front of a committee at The Owl Industry Days; a two day market event running parallel to the Owl Screenwriting Workshop.

The Owl by Athens Film Office
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