EPISODIC WRITERS PROGRAM

EPISODIC
WRITERS
PROGRAM

Information & Application Details

Applications for the Episodic Writers program of the Oxbelly Retreat are now open.

The working language is English; thus, a good knowledge of English is essential in order to participate.

  • Location
    Costa Navarino, Messinia, Greece
  • Dates
    June 22-30, 2024
  • Duration
    8 days
  • Application Deadline
    January 19, 2024 at 11:59pm EET

The Episodic Writers program of the Oxbelly Retreat brings together eight promising writers developing their first original series and who are interested in utilizing the collaborative format of a writers’ room to advance their pilot scripts. The core of the program is a series of workshops led by experienced screenwriters and showrunners, equally dedicated to experimentation and the great possibilities of the episodic medium. The Oxbelly Retreat is held at Costa Navarino in historic Messinia, Greece. There is no cost to apply and all expenses for fellows are covered.

Program Details

Episodic fellows will workshop their pilots in sessions with experienced screenwriter and showrunner advisors and with their peer fellows, and have unstructured time to work on their material at the beautiful Costa Navarino. Additional programming the second half of the Retreat consists of sessions led by creatives and executives from the international film & television industry, serving to empower the creative writing process as well as unlock approaches to advance their projects and careers.

Evenings consist of interdisciplinary programming – mostly a curated series of masterclasses exploring the craft of writing, screenings, readings, and panel discussions that cut across multiple mediums. Oxbelly programming provides the space and opportunity to broaden fellows’ interests through interactions with experts from other creative sectors and with fellows from Oxbelly Screenwriters and Fiction Writers programs, which run concurrently. The Episodic Writers program is led by Program Director Joerg Winger and Program Advisor Jen Blake.

Open Call for Greek and international applicants, 18 years old and over.

Applications close January 19, 2024. Finalists will be interviewed in late spring 2024.

The Episodic Writers program is open to writers applying with their first original series project. The main criteria of selection are quality of writing and strength & originality of the idea.

Applicants need to have at least one professional writing credit on a project (be it a short film, feature film, drama series or documentary series) that has been screened publicly through at least one of the following channels: film festival, cinema distribution, television or streaming broadcast or is about to be screened publicly in one of these ways.

The application materials consist of a series synopsis, pilot synopsis, 10 consecutive pages of the series pilot, a statement of purpose, a sample of previously produced work and a mood board (optional). Finalists will be asked to submit full pilot scripts in late spring. Each applicant must be the author of the material they submit.

For any information, please email contact[at]oxbelly.com.

F.A.Q.

Am I eligible to apply?

The Episodic Writers program is open to any promising writer who has some experience in writing for film or has participated in the writing of a series, but has not yet had their own series project broadcast on TV or online. The applicants need to have at least one professional writing credit on a project that has been screened publicly through at least one of the following channels: film festival, cinema distribution, television or streaming broadcast or is about to be screened publicly in one of these ways." Creators or co-creators of series that have been broadcast are not eligible to apply. This program is not open to students. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of the application.

Can l apply with multiple projects?

No, you can only apply with one project.

Can l apply with a short-form series?

No, we don’t accept short-form series with episodes under 20 minutes. You can only apply with a limited series and multiple season series.

Do you accept writing teams or writing partnerships?

As well as individual writers, writing partnerships of two (maximum) may enter. Material submitted must be written by the partnership.

Can l apply with a reality show, documentary, or animation series project?

No, this program only accepts fiction series projects.

Do you accept adaptations?

Adaptations of third party material will not be accepted. Submissions must be the writer's original work, and may not be based wholly or in part, on the work of any other person, whether known, published, produced or not.

Do you accept spec scripts as an artistic sample?

For the artistic sample, we don't accept material that is in development, and hasn't been broadcast or is about to be.

I applied to the Oxbelly Episodic program in 2023 but didn’t get in, do you accept resubmissions?

Yes, we accept resubmissions.

Can l apply to multiple Oxbelly Retreat programs?

You can apply to multiple programs, but in the event that you get accepted to more than one, you will have to choose.

Is there a fee participants need to pay in order to attend the Retreat?

The Retreat has no cost to apply and all expenses for fellows, including flights,  accommodation and meals, are covered by Oxbelly.

What is the visa process for international applicants, if accepted?

While we help provide the necessary documents, selected fellows must apply for visas at their respective Greek consulate/embassies. We will work closely with the officials to make the process smooth. Please note that consulates/embassies have regulations which vary by country. Please check with your consulate/embassy to confirm your eligibility to apply for a visa.

Jörg Winger
Jörg Winger
Program Director

Jörg Winger is founder and Managing Director of Big Window Productions, an UFA Fiction/Fremantle label based in Berlin. He co-created and executive produced the spy series DEUTSCHLAND83/86/89 (RTL/PrimeVideo) which garnered numerous accolades, including the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series, the Golden Camera as Best German Miniseries, the Grimme Award, and the Peabody Award among many others. Before that, Jörg Winger produced more than 200 episodes of the award-winning prime time crime series SOKO LEIPZIG (ZDF) of which he made 14 episodes in feature length and set in Moscow, Istanbul and Santo Domingo. He also created and executive produced German-Romanian cybercrime drama HACKERVILLE as an international coproduction with HBO Europe and TNT Series, for which he won his second Grimme Award. Jörg Winger's current projects are SAM - A SAXON, Disney+’s first original series in Germany about the rise and fall of East-Germany’s first Afro-German police officer and OUIJA, a French-German coproduction for France Télévisions. He's regularly giving lectures at different German film schools. Before becoming a producer, Jörg Winger got a masters degree in Economics and worked as a journalist.

Jen Blake
Jen Blake
Program Advisor

Jen Goyne Blake is a Partner at DIVERSITY HIRE LTD, a production company currently under a television overall deal at FX, alongside April Shih. Jen was the Founding Director of the Episodic Lab at the Sundance Institute, where for nearly 7 years, she headed the program dedicated to nurturing television writers from underrepresented communities. Blake shepherded over 200 writers and produced over 20 Labs during her tenure. Blake selected Shih’s project, TILTING, for the program. Before Sundance, Blake worked at Relativity Media and WMA. She currently serves as the Board Chair of New Market Discovery. Diversity Hire's first feature film, JOYLAND, was an official selection for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. JOYLAND had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, won the Indie Spirit Award for Best International Film and was shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars.

Caroline Demopoulos
Caroline Demopoulos
Program Advisor

Caroline Demopoulos studied film in Paris, before moving to London to become an assistant producer in TV news and documentaries. In 2015 she started working as an assistant to producer Paulo Branco at Alfama films in Paris before completing the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, a Media programme for European producers. From 2016 until 2020 she worked for French production company Ecce Films to strengthen and expand the company's international co-productions. Among the films she produced during her time at Ecce is Konstantina Kotzamani's ELECTRIC SWAN which premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2019 and went on to win many awards including the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics’ Best Short Film Award. Caroline joined Oxbelly in September 2022 and manages the Episodic Writers program.

2023 Oxbelly Fellows

Tomàs Bayo Encontra  
Tomàs Bayo Encontra  

Tomàs Bayo Encontra is a Spanish writer. He completed his film studies at ESCAC Film School (Barcelona), where he later also received a master’s degree in screenwriting. His career to date has focused on co-writing with different filmmakers. He is most interested in strong, intimate stories coming from directors with an individual auteur voice. His first short films as a writer include NEITHER FORGIVING, NOR FORGET (2020, Catalan Academy Award for Best Short), SUMMER SOLSTICE (2019, SEMINCI winner), THE TRAIN OF JOY (2022), DALIA (2023, in pre-production), among others. He is currently writing three features and a TV series. With them, he has participated in programs like Ekran+ (Poland) or ECAM’S La Incubadora (Spain) and was a finalist for 2022’s Julio Alejandro Award for Best Unproduced Spanish Screenplay. In 2019, he worked as a creative for Mexican company BTF. He’s also an alumnus of Midpoint Institute’s Writer’s Room.

Bane Fakih
Bane Fakih

Bane Fakih is a Lebanese screenwriter-director. Her first short film, ASSIL AND JAD, won Best Short at the European Film Festival of Beirut, Best Student Film in Nadi Li Kol El-Nass, and Best Screenplay at the NYC International Film Festival. Bane holds an M.F.A. degree in screenwriting/directing from Columbia University where she was awarded the Ezra Litwak Award for Distinction in Screenwriting. She wrote and directed VIBES, which screened at OutFest, Palm Springs ShortFest, Berlin Feminist Week, and many other festivals. Her first feature script, KEEP IT TOGETHER, was selected for participation in the Tribeca All Access 2019 program, the Through Her Lens Chanel 2019 program, and Cine Qua Non Lab 2019. In 2020, Bane wrote and directed MOTHERLAND, a short movie currently in post-production. She is writing with Dania Bdeir the feature PIGEON WARS, which participated in the 2023 Sundance Screenwriting Lab, EAVE production lab, and La Fabrique.

Maria Hatzakou
Maria Hatzakou

Maria Hatzakou is a film director, producer, and musician based in Athens. She began her career as a producer for Haos Film, a pioneering filmmaker-run production studio based in Athens and founded by Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari. Maria’s producer credits include ATTENBERG, ALPS, THE CAPSULE, CHEVALIER, and DIGGER. She was a part of EFP’s “Producers on the Move” forum (Cannes Film Festival). She is a Sundance Institute alumna. In 2021, she wrote, directed, and produced, through her newly founded production company Merricat, her first short film, AMYGDALA, which has been enjoying a successful festival run. She just finished her second short, 7Hz, and is in development of her third short, STARFLYER, and her first feature film, STRINGA (co written and co-directed with fellow filmmaker Alexandra Matheou). Maria is also a drummer in Someone Who Isn’t Me, an all-female electronic music band in Greece.

Ioanna Kryona
Ioanna Kryona

Ioanna studied film studies and history of arts at the Freie Universität in Berlin. In 2015, she completed her first short film, POSTHEIMAT, which premiered at the Drama Intl. Short Film Festival. Her third short, VATHIKOFTO (2021), was selected among 20 scripts to receive production funding by the public broadcaster ERT and completion funding by the Greek Film Centre. Her first feature project, ALYTOS, received treatment funding by the Greek Film Centre and participated at the MFI Script 2 Film Workshops 2020-2021. Ioanna has worked as a curator and served as Head of Programming at Berlin’s Greek Film Festival. She was selected to participate at the 2019-2020 German Film Academy’s training Next Wave for young film professionals. She works as a script advisor and reader for private companies and public funding institutions. In September 2022, she participated in the Directing Drama Series workshops by the Munich Film & TV Academy.

Fisnik Maxville
Fisnik Maxville

Fisnik was born in 1992 in ex-Yugoslavia. Exiled in Switzerland, he held a refugee status for over ten years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Geneva, a master’s in geopolitics from King’s College London, and a master’s in film directing from ECAL/HEAD in Lausanne-Geneva, Switzerland. Since 2016, he has written and directed four short films, three feature documentaries, and a feature fiction film as well as worked on a Swiss-French-Belgian TV show. His work has been presented at Locarno, Tallinn, Clermont-Ferrand, Visions du Réel, São Paolo, Los Angeles, and Montréal among others. He is an alumni of Berlinale Talents and Ateliers d’Angers. His first feature fiction, THE LAND WITHIN, was awarded Best Film at the Tallinn Black Nights 2022. He is working on two feature films in Switzerland/France and Argentina and a TV series in Kosovo/Canada/USA/Argentina. He lives in Vevey, Switzerland, only feet away from Charlie Chaplin’s grave.

Elisa Mishto
Elisa Mishto

Elisa Mishto is a film director and screenwriter originally from Italy and based in Berlin. Her films have premiered at Rome IFF, Munich IFF, Tallinn Black Nights, Goteborg IFF, IDFA and Palm Springs IFF among others. They have won several international prizes and have been distributed in the U.S., Canada, South America, Asia, and Europe. When not working on filmmaking, Elisa runs Festsaal Kreuzberg Boxing, an alternative boxing promotion company, and writes lyrics for bands such as Moderat. 

Zodwa Nyoni 
Zodwa Nyoni 

Zodwa Nyoni is a playwright, screenwriter and director. Her debut play, Boi Boi is Dead, won the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme and was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2014/15. Since, her work has been produced across the UK, France, Germany, USA, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Her most recent work, The Darkest Part of the Night, was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award and George Devine Award 2021; and ranked as one of the best plays of 2022 by The Independent. She has written radio plays for BBC Radio 3 and made the following shorts: MAHOGANY (National Trust,24 Design Ltd), NOTES ON BEING A LADY (New Creatives, BBC Arts) and THE ANCESTORS (BBC Films, BFI Network). Zodwa wrote on Netflix’s spin-off anime series, CASTLEVANIA: NOCTURNE. She is currently a Lecturer in Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University and on the Advisory Council for the Caine Prize of African Writing. 

Christopher Radcliff 
Christopher Radcliff 

Christopher Radcliff is an award-winning, mixed Chinese American filmmaker based in New York City. His first feature film THE STRANGE ONES (co-directed with Lauren Wolkstein) was released theatrically in 2018, and was named by John Waters as one of the top ten films of the year. His work has screened worldwide at film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Clermont-Ferrand, and Rotterdam, at The Shed in New York City and The Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, and online via Criterion, Short of the Week, Vimeo Staff Picks, and Lé Cinema Club. He is a member of the WGAE and the Motion Picture Editors Guild. He received his MFA from Columbia University, and currently teaches in the Film/Video Department at Pratt Institute.

Hilke Rönnfeldt 
Hilke Rönnfeldt 

Hilke Rönnfeldt, born by the Baltic Sea coast in Northern Germany with Danish-Icelandic roots, graduated as a screenwriter from Swedish Alma Education and as a film director from the independent film school collective Super16 in Copenhagen. She is a Berlinale Talents, Interfilm Script & Pitch, Pustnik Residency, and European Short Pitch alumna. Her films have screened at international film festivals such as Montréal Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Warsaw International FF, Gent FF, and Gothenburg International FF. Currently, she is developing her first TV series for public broadcast. Her projects revolve around life in rural communities, worlds of work, intimacy, and the sea. She has a strong faith in the poetic capabilities of the image.

Sid Sagar 
Sid Sagar 

Sid Sagar is a London-based actor, playwright and screenwriter. As an actor, recent work on stage includes The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre and Cabaret in the West End, and recent work on screen includes BEST INTERESTS for the BBC, SLOW HORSES for Apple TV+ and THE BATMAN for Warner Bros. As a playwright, he is currently under commission to the Almeida Theatre. As a screenwriter, he was recently one of 12 writers selected for the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course 2023. He’s currently developing several projects for television, including a romantic comedy for Slam Films and Sky Studios, and a detective drama for Mammoth Screen. Sid’s first short film was produced in 2022 by BFI Network and was selected for various festivals in the UK and internationally. Sid’s website can be found here: https://www.sidsagar.com/ 

Louise Silverio 
Louise Silverio 

Louise is a writer-producer from Paris. Her work focuses on creating deep and ambivalent female characters and on questioning how to navigate a complex society. She participates in writing rooms and develops her own projects - interactive thrillers, old-women comedies, and rom-coms. After a master's degree in media studies and political sciences at SciencesPo Paris, she graduated in 2020 from the production department of La Fémis with a final essay on the definition of showrunning in France. She then participated in the Serial Eyes program at DFFB in Berlin, developing an ensemble drama about youth and consent and set in Paris. For Arte, she co-wrote HAPPINESS, a 15x5’ Iranian teen-drama series that got selected at Series Mania in 2021. Season 2 is currently in development.

Beru Tessema 
Beru Tessema 

Beru Tessema is an Ethiopian-British writer and director based in London. He is a graduate of the London Film School and RADA. Beru’s stage play Exile in North Weezy was shortlisted for the Papatango Playwriting Prize, and his latest play, House of Ife, premiered at Bush Theatre to brilliant reviews. Beru recently shot his short film LIONS with the support of CNC and BFI Network; it competed at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2023. Beru has also written LETTING GO, a drama for Channel 4 to be broadcast later this year. Beru was part of BBC Drama Writersroom 2020-21. He made his professional debut as a screenwriter when he co-wrote the feature film BARLEY FIELDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. In addition to his work as a writer and director, Beru is an actor and teaches Acting Technique and Screen Acting at RADA.

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