Cinema Residency 2026 is conceived as an intensive creative environment where screenwriters develop their projects through a combination of one-to-one mentoring, group sessions, and informal evening exchange. Each day follows a rhythm that alternates focused analysis with time to reflect, rewrite, and discuss ideas in depth.

At the core of the residency are the face-to-face meetings with James V. Hart and Claire Dobbin, alongside virtual sessions with Christopher Vogler, who will join the workshop remotely. His participation will take place in the afternoon sessions, allowing direct interaction with all participants despite the time difference with Los Angeles.

Workshop Residency
Cinema Residency 2026 – International Screenwriting Lab will take place from May 11 to May 15, 2026, in Vignanotica, Gargano (Puglia, Italy). Set in a seaside environment designed for concentration and immersive creative work, the residency will host fifteen selected professional writers for five days of intensive development with the mentors.

Open Day
A separate Open Day event will be held on May 16, 2026, in Foggia (Puglia, Italy). This public event will feature talks and conversations with the mentors and offers a broader audience the opportunity to engage with the themes of contemporary storytelling and international development. Participation in the Open Day requires separate registration.

Morning sessions, led in person by James V. Hart and Claire Dobbin, will include lectures and presentations by the two mentors, alongside individual one-to-one sessions and group project discussions.
Afternoon sessions are dedicated to Christopher Vogler’s virtual presentations and one-to-one consultations, offering direct script feedback and discussion.

.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

To make the reading process manageable and focused, the workshop is built around a five-page treatment model. Each participant submits a five-page treatment and a short synopsis, which form the basis for all mentoring sessions. Writers who already have a completed screenplay are given preference in the selection process, but a finished script is not mandatory. This approach allows mentors to engage deeply with each project while keeping the residency accessible to talented writers at different stages of development.

.

WHO IS IT FOR?

The residency is designed for intermediate to advanced screenwriters. Applicants are expected to have prior experience, such as a produced short film, a previous feature draft, or comparable professional or award-recognized work.

.

GROUP WORK

Alongside individual meetings, group work plays a central role. Each writer presents their project to the group, explaining the core idea, tone, and dramatic conflict. Speaking about a project aloud often reveals strengths and weaknesses that remain hidden on the page. Under the mentors’ guidance, participants learn how to give and receive professional feedback, and by analysing other projects they deepen their own understanding of storytelling.

A distinctive element of the residency is that all participants read each other’s treatments. This creates a shared creative ground where feedback is informed, specific, and meaningful. The workshop becomes a temporary writers’ room in which every participant is actively engaged with the stories of the others.

Between sessions, time is intentionally left for reflection and rewriting, so that each note can be immediately applied to the project. The learning process is continuous, practical, and directly connected to the material under development.

At the end of the week, participants take part in collaborative creative exercises to encourage creative flexibility, collaboration, and rapid story development.

.

DO YOU HAVE A PRODUCER?

If a producer is attached to a selected project, the workshop team will organize a final Zoom session at the end of the residency, allowing the writer to present their revised project plan directly to their producer with the mentors present.

.

EVENINGS

In the evenings, the experience continues in informal and convivial settings. Dinners and shared moments offer space for open conversations between writers and mentors. These are not simple social occasions, but a natural extension of the workshop, where relationships form organically and discussions about cinema, craft, and professional paths continue in a relaxed atmosphere.

Over five days, participants move through a continuous flow of analysis, dialogue, rewriting, and exchange. By the end of the residency, writers leave with clearer projects, practical development tools, and meaningful professional connections built through an intense and shared creative experience.