Film Independent has chosen Daniel Barosa, Aron Kantor, Satinder Kaur, Nina Ljeti, Quintessence McGee, Natália Sellani, and Honora Talbott as the seven screenwriters who will participate in its 27th annual Screenwriting Lab.
The laboratory offers personalized storyline and professional growth guidance for aspiring screenwriters, focusing on those who have written fiction feature film scripts.
2025 Screenwriting Lab’s chosen writers impress us with their eagerness, courage, and sincerity as they delve into an array of genres, characters, and settings. Vazquez expressed that it’s a privilege to offer them a platform to refine their captivating screenplays and nurture their burgeoning careers within our program.
Participants will collaborate on their projects with the mentorship of creative advisors such as Javier Fuentes-León, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi, Ellen Shanman, and Jeff Stockwell. Furthermore, esteemed guest speakers and advisors like Ruth Atkinson, Tyler Boehm, Amanda Marshall, Alexandria Martin, Laura Moss, Kiva Reardon, Lauren Shelton, Amelia Shugrue, Shuchi Talati, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Ti West, and Alex Williams will also join the discussion.
McGee received the first-ever Climate Entertainment Development Grant, in collaboration with Plot Shift Media. This award grants McGee $25,000 for their climate-oriented fictional film titled “Over and Over.
Previous Screenwriting Lab projects encompass a diverse range, such as “Forge” by Jing Ai Ng, which made its debut at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival; Billy Luther’s “Frybread Face and Me,” which won best narrative feature at the 2023 Urbanworld Film Festival, was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding film, and is now available on Netflix; Chloé Zhao’s first feature, “Songs My Brothers Taught Me”; Andrew Ahn’s debut, “Spa Night”; Hikari’s “37 Seconds,” which won the Panorama Audience Award and CICAE Art Cinema Jury Prize at the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival and is currently on Netflix; Ani Simon-Kennedy’s “A Short History of the Long Road,” which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and received a Special Jury Mention for best screenplay; and Kate Marks’ “The Cow of Queens,” which was awarded the Nichols Fellowship in 2020.
The 2025 Screenwriting Lab participants and their projects are below:
In Bed With Honora”
Writer/Director: Honora Talbott
Logline: A restless millennial filmmaker grapples with insecurity after learning her boyfriend considers her less than exceptional in the bedroom. To prove him wrong, she embarks on a documentary journey, interviewing every past lover to validate her skills and uncover the truth about her sexual abilities.
Cross-Country Haunt
Writer/Director: Nina Ljeti
A financially troubled band sets off on a transcontinental journey, but their lead singer is pursued by a chilling entity that seems to tag along at every stop.
On Multiple Occasions” – The Recipient of the Climate Entertainment Development Grant, Quintessence McGee
Logline: In a time where climate worry is prevalent, a young historian becomes increasingly convinced that their recurring dreams and striking visions may provide the solution to mankind’s upcoming fate.
Unraveling Arlo’s Disappearance”
Writer/Director: Satinder Kaur
Logline: In the life of a weary war veteran, tranquility is shattered when her ideal boyfriend mysteriously vanishes. What seems like an ordinary disappearance soon reveals itself to be part of a sinister plot that compels her to scrutinize reality, delve into her past, and confront the true identity of the man she sacrificed so much for.
Filmmaker: Aron Kantor
A farmhand who is genderfluid adopts a rugged persona for work, but seeks validation online. Unknowingly, this attracts the dark, sexual obsessions of their employers, who are psychopathic. The farmhand must quickly escape before these employers can brutally alter them into a grotesque manifestation of their twisted desires.
The Conch-Shelled Boy/ Local Teenager Turned Ox”
Writer/Director: Daniel Barosa
Writer: Natália Sellani
Logline: As Rayane grapples with the loss of her sister, she prepares for a music festival. But before she can take the stage, she must first avoid the fate that has befallen other local teenagers – being transformed into an ox.
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2025-03-28 20:17