“I’m extremely grateful that I had the
chance to join the seminar. I thought the teachers and the other
participants as well, were wonderful. The atmosphere was open,
supporting and constructive. The seminar was organized with
a lot of care and love, and I think we all took a lot of ideas
and precious input home! The people from the island of Nissyros
tried their best to make us feel welcome, and to fulfill our
wishes. I had a wonderful time. My screenplay has improved a
lot. My tutors asked me very valuable questions about my script.
They showed me the right way, they helped me find out what I
really want to talk about in my film. They don’t follow
a certain recipe, but let every story grow organically.”
| Caroline Link, Screenwriter/Director,
German |
“... it was the most intense learning experience
ever concerning film and screenwriting and I am very thankful
for everything. The organization was perfect and I am very happy
about it. Thank you!”
| Angelina Maccarone, Screenwriter/Director,
Germany |
“... without exaggeration my tutor at MFI Script
Workshops was the best teacher I ever had in my life, the most
lucid and the most passionate. It was really a wonderful experience
to be able to work with him.”
| David Munoz Pantiga, Screenwriter/Director,
Spain |
“... it taught me a lot about the craft of writing
and also about the profoundness of writing. I have learned that
I have to go much deeper with what I want to write. I enjoyed
the concentrated work on a beautiful, remote, friendly island.
The organization was great, the seminar couldn’t have
been any better. I was very happy about everything and I am
very grateful that I could take part in this workshop.”
| Susanne Billig, Screenwriter, Germany |
“If you want to get anywhere it helps to know
where you are starting from. And this workshop not only gives
you the starting point, but even sends you in the right direction.”
| Jan Fleischer, Senior Trainer |
“It has been a wonderful professional experience
that has made me more aware of the importance and seriousness
of our work as writers… One of the biggest problems for
a screenwriter is this “internal blindness”, the
inability to judge objectively his own script. To expose your
story, as we did in this workshop, to an audience of colleagues
and renowned teachers is a process that brings out immediately
the technical and structural problems in your script. The feedback
you get, whether it is applause or yawns, laughs, or impatient
movements of boredom, allows you to find out, to pint point
the strong and the weak points in every script. This is not
about fashioning your story to fit in everyone else’s
taste. It rather has to do with whether or not what we want
to express is already in the script and not just in our head…
In short, the days we spent working in Nissyros were like a
trial of fire. I don’t have the slightest doubt that all
the scripts came out of this battle much better. I came to Nissyros
and I got sick of my stomach, and it was no beach party, but
my story is working now. So, I am happy!
| Jaime Marques Olarreaga, Screenwriter/Director,
Spain |
“… this workshops program succeeded at
all the levels. It helped me clarify my story, locate the problems
in my script and find solutions. The experience you get in a
seminar like this makes you a better professional. Congratulations
and keep on like this!”
| Dimitris Koutsiabassakos,
Screenwriter/Director, Greece |
“What we try to do is not to get the writers
and directors we have been working with, to write American films,
but rather to focus on their own stories, and to bring to those
stories their values of entertainment which people around the
world associate with American Film. Values of clarity of purpose,
of simplicity of form, and accessibility of content.”
| Lewis Cole, Senior Trainer
|
“ … great place, great people, great teachers…my
group was fabulous, everyone was willing to change their stories,
so I could see the progression, and it showed me again &
again the importance of getting the story down before you start
writing the script”
| Suzy Evans, Screenwriter/director, UK
|
“… my project changed from a tragedy to
a comedy …”
| Mariolina Venezia, Screenwriter, Italy
|
“ …my advisor was always available and
totally committed. I was led to go in the heart of my quest”
| Eleni Alexandraki, Screenwriter/director,
Greece |
“ … excellent, efficient, very well organized
seminar… it inspired my work greatly! It just hit the
right spot in my brain & heart, at the right time.”
| Bernd Loehr, Screenwriter/director,
Germany |
“ It was a great experience, especially with
those trainers. For me as a script developer, it was fascinating
to see the teachers at work dealing with so many different projects,
to see them getting all the answers from the writers themselves…it
couldn’t have been better. I’ll be back.”
| Simon de Santiago Areizaga,
Development executive, Spain |
The first thing you realise when you introduce your story to
so many people and you get the first feedbacks is that writing
your script is going to be as hard as crossing a dessert. You
have started walking with a lot of luggage and an unknown destiny,
but with the help of the excellent tutors and the rest of participants,
you get rid of all the things that your story doesn´t
really need. This allows you to find your way to a satisfactory
final draft without wasting your time in fake oasis. The MFI
has been the greatest source of water for my script. A wonderful
proffessional and personal adventure.
| Coral Cruz, Screenwriter,
Spain |
|
