Fellows announced for Stowe Story Labs’ Connemara Writers Retreat
Date Posted: September 27, 2022
Stowe Story Labs, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, and Galway Film Fleadh announced today the writing fellows from the Island of Ireland that were awarded fellowships to develop original projects through its inaugural Connemara Writers Retreat, which will be held at the storied Renvyle House on the dramatic Atlantic Coast of Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The retreat will run October 10-14, 2022. Stowe is celebrating its 10th year of offering labs, retreats, and ongoing mentoring to top emerging film and television writers.
The Connemara Writers’ Retreat was limited to twenty emerging screenwriters and filmmakers. Seven slots were awarded to projects from the Republic of Ireland and funded by Screen Ireland’s Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme. One slot was awarded to a project from Northern Ireland, funded by Northern Ireland Screen. The remaining 12 slots were filled through the Stowe Story Labs competitive application process. A total of 20 film and television projects were selected.
“Congratulations to the writers selected to participate in the inaugural Connemara Writers Retreat. We are excited to collaborate with Stowe Story Labs to offer new opportunities for emerging Irish screenwriters to further their storytelling craft. Screen Ireland is committed to developing new creative talent and we look forward to seeing the results from the lab,” said Gareth Lee, Skills Manager, Screen Ireland.
Richard Williams, CEO of Northern Ireland Screen said: “We are delighted to congratulate the screenwriters and filmmakers who have been selected to participate in Stowe Story Labs Connemara Writers Retreat. Support for Northern Ireland voices is a key imperative with talent development being a large part of our work. We are confident that participants will come away from The Connemara Writers Retreat inspired and galvanised to reach their full potential.”
At Stowe Story Labs retreats, the fellows participate in three one-hour, one-on-one script note sessions with three different top industry mentors; panels and artist Q&As with top industry mentors; and facilitated peer-to-peer script note sessions with carefully built peer groups. The programs are designed with built-in time to write, reflect, and revise. Mentors and participants also share meals and social time. The intent at the retreats is for participants to receive meaningful feedback in a supportive environment and to leave with concrete and actionable script notes and a plan to materially advance their work.
“Finalising the roster from the island of Ireland was very hard given the quality of the applications submitted,” said David Rocchio, Founder and Director of Stowe Story Labs. “I want to congratulate these screenwriters and filmmakers, and I will add that building this program has been nothing but a joy. We cannot wait to get started,” he said.
In addition to participating in the Connemara Writers’ Retreat, all participants will receive admittance to the 2023 Galway Film Fleadh, including a place in the festival’s annual Screenwriter’s Masterclass. Participants will also receive an application waiver for their projects for the festival’s marketplace, the Galway Film Fair, in 2023. Finally, one of the retreat participants will be invited to the 2023 Galway Film Fair without need to apply to pitch their project to the market’s decision-makers and will receive support from Stowe Story Labs through their Stowe Launch program team to prepare for the Fair. Stowe Launch is an advanced development program for screenwriters.
The fellows and their respective projects selected are:
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland Fellows:
Rachel Alexander — Birr, Ireland — It’s Alright, Ma // Dark Comedy Thriller TV
Samantha Baugh — Dublin, Ireland — H.E.R.A // Drama SciFi Feature
Caroline Farrell — Leinster, Ireland — Iona’s House // Supernatural Mystery Horror Feature
Jonathan Farrelly and Anna Mannion — Kells, Ireland — Coercive // Thriller TV
Roisin Kearney — Dublin, Ireland — Patrius Of Thy Father // Crime Drama TV
Nora King — Galway, Ireland — Roxana // Historical Drama Feature
Valerie O’Connor — Limerick, Ireland — Tommy’s Wheels // Dark Comedy TV
Northern Ireland Screen Fellow:
Mark Michael McNally — Belfast, Northern Ireland — Nothing Happens Somewhere // Irish Drama Western Feature
The participating mentors are:
Ciara Appelbe — Bray, Ireland — Creative Director of O’Sullivan’s Productions
Conor Barry — Galway, Ireland — Creative Producer (not sure about location)
Bertha Bay-Sa Pan — New York, New York — Director
Ali Doyle — Dublin, Ireland — Head of Development – Features at Wild Atlantic Pictures
Darrien Michele Gipson — Los Angeles, California — Creative Producer and Executive Director of SAGindie
Jenny Halper — New York, New York — Screenwriter and EVP of Maven Screen Media
Tim Loane — Belfast, Northern Ireland — Writer, Director, and Actor
Ruth Meehan — Dublin, Ireland — Writer and Director
David Pope — London, United Kingdom — Cofounder of Stowe Story Labs
David Rocchio — Stowe, Vermont — Founder and Director of Stowe Story Labs
Christian Routh — Catalonia, Spain — Script Consultant
