Speakers

NEW SPEAKERS TO BE ADDED IN SPRING 2018
The London Screenwriters’ Festival features around 150 professional speakers from all aspects of the film and television business. Many have also agreed to intimate Script Chat sessions after their respective events so that you can get face time with them. New speakers are added periodically with the vast majority being confirmed late spring / early summer 2018. Get updates by signing up below.

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John Yorke's session was hugely helpful, giving me an insight into serial structures, and what commissioners are looking for - plus as I was asking him for some advice on my TV drama he requested the script

Rachel Paterson

Headliners

Julian Fellowes – Screenwriter & Director

Credits include: Downton Abbey, Gosford Park

Author of several best-seller novels, Oscar winner for Gosford Park and creator, writer and executive producer of the multi award-winning Downton Abbey.

Scott Myers – Screenwriter, Producer and Educator

Screenwriter of 'K-9' with Jim Belushi and 'Trojan War' with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Screenwriter and producer, head honcho at 'Go Into The Story' and Black List offical blog scribe.

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A buzz from start to finish, with masses of learning and networking.

Carole Parsons, Screenwriter

Screenwriters

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.

Matt Greenhalgh – Screenwriter

Credits include: Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, Nowhere Boy

'Nowhere Boy' and 'Control' Screenwriter Matt's latest feature 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' received three BAFTA noms.

Roland Moore – Screenwriter

Credits include: Land Girls, Rastamouse, Smack the Pony

Roland created the award-winning returning drama series Land Girls for BBC1 and has written for a range of television series.

Justin Young – Screenwriter & Producer

Credits include: Holby City, Eastenders, Casualty

Accomplished playwright and TV writer Justin is now Head Writer and Consultant Series Producer on Holby City.

Charlotte Josephine – Writer & Actress

Credits include: Blush, Bitch Boxer, Blue

Bitch Boxer writer Charlotte recently won the inaugural BBC Screenplay First Award and is currently developing a script with BBC Films.

Deborah Moggach – Novelist & Screenwriter

Credits include: Pride & Prejudice, Tulip Fever

Deborah has written 20 novels, 5 of which she adapted for TV and was BAFTA nominated for Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley.

Emmanuel Oberg – Screenwriter & Consultant

Credits include: Double Game

Over the last few years, Emmanuel has written and developed feature films for Working Title, Film4 and Gold Circle.

Jack Bernhardt – Screenwriter

Credits include: The Lentil Sorters

Recipient of the BBC Radio Comedy Writer's Bursary, Jack has written for a wide range of shows and regularly contributed to series such as The News Quiz and Dead Ringers.

Jonathan Ruffle – Writer & Producer

Credits include: Tommies, Never Mind The Buzzcocks

Jonathan created, writes and produces the a four-and-a-half year real-time drama - Tommies which airs on BBC Radio this autumn.

Stephen Volk – Screenwriter & Playwright

Stephen Volk is a BAFTA-winning writer best known for the controversial 1992 BBCTV "Hallowe’en hoax" Ghostwatch.

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I’m currently rewriting a few scenes of my script in order to avoid possible legal issues flagged up in the legal clinic.

Bruno Catarino, Screenwriter

People who get stuff made

Gub Neal – Producer

Credits include: Prime Suspect, Cracker, Queer As Folk

Gub is an award-winning producer who has headed up the Drama departments at both Channel 4 and Granada.

Jeff Norton – Writer-Producer & Author

Credits include: MetaWars, Trucktown, Princess Ponies

Jeff is a writer-producer, and author of the award-winning thriller series MetaWars.

Julia McKenzie – Head of BBC Radio Comedy

Credits include: The Jason Byrne Show, French & Saunders

Julia produces comedies for Radio 2.

Nik Powell – Producer and Director of National Film and Television School

Credits include: The Crying Game, Mona Lisa

Virgin co-founder turned Producer, Nik is the man behind some of the most successful and acclaimed British films of all time.

Robyn Slovo – Producer

Credits include: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Former exec at BBC Films and head of film at Company Pictures, Robyn is now an independent producer.

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Highlight for me was the Actors Table Read, the actors and director really brought my script to life

Geoff Stillwell, Screenwriter

Directors

Craig McCall – Director and Producer

Credits include: Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff

Craig is an award winning commercial and music video director.

“

The LSF is one of the best festivals that I have ever attended. There was great talent there... and I hope to find a client or so!!

Brandy Rivers, Gersh Agency, Hollywood

People who know stuff

Chris Jones – Filmmaker and author

Credits include: Oscars shortlisted Gone Fishing, the Guerilla Handbooks and a bunch of feature films

Chris has spent his life making movies, writing books and helping others make their movies.

Alejandro Seri – Marketing & Communications Director | Final Draft

Credits include: Placebo Effect, Final Girl

Alejandro Seri is an award-winning, bilingual screenwriter and director.

Chris Hewitt – News Editor | Empire Magazine

Chris Hewitt is the News Editor at the always OUTSTANDING Empire Magazine.

David Baboulene Ph.D – Author, Scriptwriter, Narrative Theorist & Story Consultant

Credits include: Story Theory

David's research into narrative theory has demonstrated how the power of every story lies in the way a story resonates with a human mind.

Emma Pullar – Novelist

Credits include: Curly from Shirley, Skeletal

Emma is a writer of dark fiction and children’s books.

Farah Abushwesha – Producer & Founder of Rocliffe

Credits include: Irreplaceable You, The Last Photograph

Farah is a BAFTA nominated producer, best selling author and founder of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writers Competition.

Joey Tuccio – Roadmap Writers | CEO

Roadmap Writers aims to bridge the gap between fresh, talented voices and the industry execs who can make things happen.

Karol Griffiths – Script Editor & Supervisor

Credits include: How I Met Your Mother, Friends

Karol Griffiths is a successful script editor and development consultant with over twenty years of experience.

Kira-Anne Pelican – Script Consultant and Researcher

Kira-Anne is an independent script consultant, a PhD researcher in Screenwriting, and visiting tutor at the Met Film School, London.

Manuel Puro – Casting Director

Credits include: Moon, The Machine, Scar Tissue

Manuel has worked with industry heavy hitters including Guillermo del Toro, Richard Attenborough and Nic Roeg, Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn.

Matthew Kalil – Screenwriter, Director and Script Editor

Credits include: The Three Wells of Screenwriting

He has written and co-written over 40 produced TV shows and has been helping screenwriters with their craft and careers for over 20 years.

Nic Ransome – Script Editor & Screenwriter

Nic has written for Holby City and Freefonix and has developed TV for Silver Pictures Television, Starz, Artists Studio and Bentley Productions.

Philip Hughes – Screenwriter & Educator

Credits include: Thunderpants, I Want Candy

Phil is Course Leader for BA(Hons) Screenwriting & Producing degree and MA Writing for Screen & Stage at Regent’s University, London.

Ted Wilkes – Screenwriter & Educator

Ted currently teaches Screenwriting and Digital Media at Regent's University.

Zina Wegrzynski – Script & Development Editor | Kindle Entertainment

Zina started off working in production working on shows such as Critical (Sky) before moving into the creative side of TV.

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There is no singular event for aspiring screenwriters anywhere on the planet that turbo-charges your career and equally as importantly, your passion, like the LSF.