BellRock 2017 Call for Applications from Screenwriters and Filmmakers
An inspiring, challenging and practical programme giving a chance to work with a team of established international industry mentors to develop original screenplays.
Running for its second year, BellRock 2017 is now open for applications before the deadline of Sunday 9 April.
This project arises from an identified strategic need for additional support for filmmakers and screenwriters based in Scotland, highlighted within Creative Scotland’s Film Strategy and is a partnership with Producer, Mentor and Script Consultant Olivia Stewart of Three Rivers Film; and Hospitalfield.
Olivia Stewart is the Director of the workshop and is joined by two other experienced mentors Alfredo Covelli and Ian Sellar.
The programme includes three separate residential workshops, mentoring, masterclasses, screenings and discussions. It is aimed towards emerging filmmakers, writer/directors, screenwriters and artists living in Scotland who can demonstrate their commitment, interest and talent with previous work and who are looking for guidance and support in writing a feature length screenplay.
TO APPLY:
For more information about eligibility and the application process, which involves submitting a screenplay or treatment alongside an example of past work, visit this page…
QUESTIONS:
After reading the guidelines on the opportunity page and registering within Submittable so you can read through the form, please do get in touch if you have any questions with Laura Simpson laura[at]hospitalfield.org.uk
“Fantastically pleased with how the first year went, looking forward to broadening our reach and realising the films.”
Quote from Olivia Stewart, Bellrock Workshop Director
“Creative Scotland is proud to support the BellRock screenwriters programme and we are hugely excited about the upcoming 2nd edition.”
Robbie Allen, Senior Screen Executive, Creative Scotland
“The really direct, outside critical eye is invaluable.”
Quote from Lisa Grindall, BellRock 2016 participant
“Rigorous, thorough, right from the first residency.”
Martin Smith, BellRock 2016 participant
Biographies of the workshop Director and Mentors:
About Olivia Stewart
Olivia Stewart has extensive experience as a Producer and Mentor/Script Consultant. Her films include Terence Davies’ Distant Voices, Still Lives, The Long Day Closes, The Neon Bible and The House Of Mirth; Mark Herman’s Brassed Off; Mike Figgis’ The Browning Version; and Todd Haynes’ Velvet Goldmine. Via her collaboration with the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam and NFDC India, she has worked on a number of projects including Scott Graham’s Shell (Best Film Torino Film Festival 2012), Ritesh Batra’s Lunchbox and Gurvinder Singh’s Fourth Direction.
She has also been a member of the NSW Aurora Script Workshop in Sydney; the Glasgow Playwright’s Studio Script Workshop; the Selection Committee for the TorinoFilmLab Framework Programme; NFDC Film Bazaar and National Script Labs; and, the International Juries for the Locarno Film Festival, the Fajr Film Festival, Tehran and Asiatica Film Mediale, Rome and in 2015 was a member of the San Sebastian Film Festival New Directors’ Jury.
In 2014 she set up the EYE PRIZE with the EYE Film Museum Amsterdam; and in 2015, the PJLF Pangolin Prize – a two year sculpture residency.
About Alfredo Covelli
Alfredo Covelli is a producer, director and writer. As a screenwriter, his credits include: La Scuola è Finita directed by Valerio Jalongo (Rome Film Festival 2010); Italian TV series I Liceali; I Liceali 2; Piper; and feature Studio Illegale directed by Umberto Carteni. In 2015 he was a script consultant for the Film Bazaar Workshops run by India’s NFDC, (National Film Development Corporation).
His directing credits included Grandma Must Get Dry 2011 (short), Salmon, Missing Parts and Love Letter, Even if You Treat Me Bad (shorts), Ring People (documentary) With Real Stars Above My Head.
As a producer and head of Meproducodasolo, he specialises in working with first time directors: Off Road/Fuoristrada a documentary directed by Elisa Amoruso (Special Mention, Rome Film Festival) released in cinemas, broadcast by SKY and MTV; A New Family, a short documentary by Simone Manetti (BFI London Film Festival 2014); Manetti’s first documentary feature Goodbye Darling, I’m off to Fight and Yesterday, the first work of fiction by award winning documentarian Valentina Pedicini.
Recent awards include, for With Real Stars Above My Head: Grand Prix of the Jury at Autrans Mountain Film Festival 2015; for Salmon: Honorable Mention at Nashville Film Festival 2013, Golden Gate Award at San Francisco International Film Festival 2013; for Ring People: Jury Award at Virginia Film Festival 2013.
About Ian Sellar
Ian Sellar is a filmmaker who began his career as an assistant to Bill Douglas. He went on, via design and editing, into writing and directing shorts and then to studying at the National Film and Television School. His first feature, Venus Peter was in official selection in Cannes and Sundance. This was followed by Prague, also chosen for Cannes, Tokyo and many others. As a writer his, Home Road Movies was winner of the Cartoon d’Or and numerous other prizes. Ian, based in the UK, is senior lecturer at the National Film and Television School. He has run workshops, normally at first feature level, for writers and directors in many parts of the world. Within the industry working with individual feature directors and writer/directors Ian acts as an advisor from script development onwards. He brings humour and tenacity to all of his work, qualities that have allowed him to form close collaborations with many successful filmmakers from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds.
Image: 2016 participants and mentors.