First Scottish Screenwriters’ Festival

Straight off the back of the London Screenwriters’ Festival, run by Chris Jones, is the first Scottish Screenwriters’ Festival, run by one of his mentees Maureen Hascoet. Maureen is a Frenchwoman living in Scotland who is passionate about helping creatives and filmmakers connect and build the industry here.

In recent years it has often been said the Scottish screen industry is flourishing, but Maureen says that when you actually look at it, there’s no film industry in Scotland, it’s a service industry for American films, and she wants that to shift.

This feeling is mirrored by Bridgerton and Tummy Monster actor Lorn MacDonald who, during his panel at the Festival, talked about how there are so many stories and great characters in Scotland that you could make films and TV about, but so little is actually made and funded.

The Scottish Screenwriters’ Festival 2-day programme opened with the colossus of film Iain Smith who discussed working with the likes of Oliver Stone, and had lots of anecdotes about his long career.

New Yorker Bob Schultz, arriving from the London Screenwriters’ Festival the previous weekend, gave advice to the audience on pitching projects to producers and executives. This was followed by staged and elevator pitching sessions for attendees.

Emmy and Bafta award winning TV Director Douglas McKinnon gave a session on his career and how he directed Sherlock.

On Sunday was a comedy performance from the witty women of Witsherface, and an interview with Scotland Comedy Commissioner Gregor Sharp who discussed what the BBC are looking for.

Maureen programmed sessions which would interest her. She said one of the points of the festival was to get creatives in front of producers and executives without gatekeepers. The TV and film industry runs largely on contacts, so connecting with others is one of the best ways to make things happen. Maureen wants a cultural shift in Scotland. She gives an example about how the studios in Cumbernauld, where Outlander is made, are hidden away and that the work and prestige doesn’t trickle down into the area.

The Scottish Screenwriters’ Festival was held on the 13^th and 14^th of April at the Dakota Hotel near Motherwell. It will return next year.