The Mediterranean Film Institute Script 2 Film Workshops, holds the 2^nd residential session of its 2009 program in the Greek island of Samos (October 11-18). The Samos session will be followed by the activity’s second on-line workshop in December that will conclude the 2009 program.

MFI Script 2 Film Workshops is an intensive training activity, consisting of 4 workshop sessions (2 residential in the Greek islands of Nissyros and Samos, and 2 on-line hosted in MFI’s web site), and engaging as trainers some of the most established teachers of screenwriting and film development from Europe and the USA: Professors Milena Jelinek, Christina Lazaridi and Nick Proferes from Columbia University, New York; Professor Jan Fleischer, Screenwriting Department of the National Film and Television School, UK; Professor Miroslav Mandic, AGRFT, Ljubljana, Slovenia – HFF, Munich, Germany; accomplished screenwriter/novelist Nikos Panayotopoulos, Professor at the Cinema Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; Producer and development executive Simon De Santiago, MOD PRODUCCIONES, Spain; Sybille Kurz from Germany, teacher in pitching & communication skills in various European training activities; Professor Giovanni Robbiano, University of Genova, Italy.

This year’s selection includes 40 participants with projects from 11 European countries. This vibrant group of writers/producers/directors represents a wide array of cinematic visions & artistic sensitivities, and provides the program with a unique perspective to the field of European screenwriting & film production. It must be noted that 50 % of the participating film projects are forecasted to commence pre-production in the 12 months following the end of the program.

The Samos residential session will focus on the re-writing of the participating screenplays towards a final draft. Participants will receive crucial critique, discuss shortcomings of their material and discover effective solutions. Furthermore, trainers will address fundraising, promotion and production issues concerning the specific projects, so that participants can effectively develop a strategy to promote and produce their film.

Through the years, MFI has an average of 20 % of participating projects that have been realized, distributed and awarded in international festivals (the awards including an OSCAR in 2003), as well as a good deal of projects that are in pre-production – projects from France, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece etc.

Finally, the MFI is glad to establish, as of the 2009 program, a co-operation with the International Co-production Forum Crossroads, operating under the aegis of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece). In the framework of the partnership, an MFI project will be selected to participate in the Crossroads forum (November 2009).