Speakers

kate The London Screenwriters’ Festival features over 150 professional speakers from all corners of the industry. Many have also agreed to intimate Script Chat sessions after their respective events so that you can get face time with them. As guide to the calibre and quantity of our professional speakers, check out our roster from LSF 2013 HERE. For updates, check back soon or join our newsgroup below.

“

What an amazing weekend, I had a fab actors table read and 3 script requests from the pitching session

Paul Arrowsmith, Screenwriter

Speakers To Be Added

Over 100 speakers to be added – check back soon

Over the coming months the team will add more and more speakers.

“

Three days after it ended, I may have hooked an agent, and five different projects are being read in the UK, US, Germany and Japan…

Stephen Potts, Screenwriter

Headliners

Iain Smith – Producer

Credits include: Wanted, The Fountain, The Fifth Element

Iain is an established and award winning international film producer with a credit list as long as your arm!

Lynda La Plante, CBE – Screenwriter & Author

Credits include: Prime Suspect

Lynda has created some of the most iconic and successful British TV series, including Prime Suspect, Widows and The Governor.

Julie Gray – Story consultant and writing mentor

Director, Just Effing Entertain Me Screenwriting Competition

Hollywood screenwriter and script guru

Pilar Alessandra – Script Consultant and Educator

Credits include: The Coffee Break Screenwriter

Pilar's students and clients have written for Lost, Prison Break, Nip Tuck, House of Lies, CSI and Family Guy.

“

We were absolutely thrilled about the positive response and engagement from the delegates, not to mention the support from the festival itself!

Samuel Ellemark, Plotagon, Sweden

Screenwriters

Jonathan Asser – Screenwriter

Credits include: Starred Up

Jonathan was voted Best British Newcomer at the London Film Festival 2013.

Tony Jordan – Writer and producer

Credits include: Hustle, Life On Mars, Holby Blue

He’s written for and created some of the most iconic and successful British TV series, including Life on Mars and East Enders.

Andrew Ellard – Screenwriter & Script Editor

Credits include: The IT Crowd, Red Dwarf

“I wish Andrew came as an app” – Graham Linehan

Barbara Machin – Screenwriter

Credits include: Waking The Dead, The Bill

Barbara Machin is the BAFTA and EMMY award winning screenwriter who created BBC1’s worldwide selling hit series Waking The Dead.

“

Some absolute stand out sessions for me and not one duff one – now that is a hell of an achievement

Jan Caston, Screenwriter

People who get stuff made

Brandy Rivers – Agent | The Gersh Agency LA

Brandy is looking for TV, and in features: contained thrillers, elevated horror, big world action movies and broad comedies. Also, books for film/tv.

John Yorke – MD Company Pictures

Credits include: Shameless, Life On Mars, Bodies

John is Managing Director of Company Pictures, the UK drama independent producing Skins, Shameless and The White Queen.

Stephen Follows – Writer and producer

Credits include: Baseline, Sign Language

Stephen Follows is an award-winning writer and producer.

Julian Friedmann – Film, TV and literary agent

Agent and great supporter of emerging talent.

Julian has years of experience as a literary agent and was the founder of ScriptWriter magazine.

Ned Dowd – Producer

Apocalypto, King Arthur, Ondine, Shanghai Noon and Last Of The Mohicans

Apocalypto, King Arthur, Shanghai Noon and Last Of The Mohicans are a handful of films on Ned's resume - it reads more like our movie collection!

Paul Ashton – Senior Film Exec | Creative England

Paul is a Senior Film Executive at Creative England.

Richard Holmes – Producer

From 'Soft Top...' and 'Shooting Fish' to 'Eden Lake' and 'Resistance'

Prolific and tenacious British producer who gets films made where others fail...

Yvonne Grace – Television Drama Producer/Script Editor/Writer

Credits include: Eastenders, Holby City

Yvonne has worked in script editing, story development and production for the BBC, Granada, Channel 4 and ITV.

“

If you don’t come away from this feeling inspired and motivated then you better check whether you actually have a pulse in the first place

Matthew Curlewis, Writer

Directors

Marcus Markou – Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: Papadopoulos & Sons

DIY filmmaker Marcus wrote, directed, financed, produced and self distributed indie favourite Papadopoulos & Sons.

Sarah Gavron – Director

Credits include: Brick Lane, This Little Life

Director Sarah is best known for the award winning Brick Lane.

Eran Creevy – Director and Screenwriter

Credits include: Shifty, Welcome To The Punch

Eran wrote and directed the BAFTA nominated Shifty; his latest feature Welcome To The Punch was Executive Produced by Ridley Scott.

Lance Nielsen – Writer & Director

Credits include: The Journey

Lance is a writer, director and producer who often tackles social and political issues.

“

It was a wonderful creative bubble to live in for a few days, challenging, informative, inspiring and fun. What more could I want?

Janet Awe, Screenwriter

Actors

Paterson Joseph – Actor

Credits include: Peep Show, Green Wing

Paterson's TV credits include the award-winning Green Wing, Peep Show, Sex Traffic and Julius Caesar. His films include The Beach and In The Name of The Father.