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BAFTA and BFI to host 4th annual Screenwriters’ Lecture series in association with JJ Charitable Trust

7 August 2013
BAFTA/ Barry J. Holmes

Five internationally acclaimed writers will discuss the art and craft of screenwriting during the prestigious series from 23-30 September.

London, 7 August: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the BFI (British Film Institute) have today announced that, over eight days in September, they will play host to lectures delivered by five of the best screenwriters working in international cinema and television, with 17 BAFTA and Oscar nominations between them. Now in its fourth year, the BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series exists to celebrate screenwriters’ authorial contribution to film. It is funded by JJ Charitable Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts.

This year’s series will feature five events at BAFTA’s headquarters, 195 Piccadilly, and BFI Southbank, from 23 – 30 September: David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, The Dark Knight trilogy, Da Vinci’s Demons, Call of Duty: Black Ops games series) kicks off the season on Monday 23 September at BFI Southbank; Hossein Amini (Drive, The Wings of the Dove, Snow White and the Huntsman) follows on Wednesday 25 September at BAFTA; Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich, Pocahontas, A Gifted Man) will speak at BFI Southbank on Saturday 28 September; and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, the Bourne series, Armageddon) is at BFI Southbank on Sunday 29 September. The series will close with BAFTA-winner and BAFTA Fellowship recipient Richard Curtis (Love Actually Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, the forthcoming About Time) on Monday 30 September at BAFTA.

The season is programmed by screenwriter and BAFTA member Jeremy Brock (Mrs. Brown, Last King of Scotland, Eagle of the Ninth). Jeremy Brock said: “These lectures are now a firm fixture in the international calendar, boasting the very finest writers working in film. Our series is all about the voices that craft those blank pages into light. We proudly celebrate the ghosts in the machine, invisible in every frame of the finished film: the screenwriters.”

The BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series gives a platform to the world’s top screenwriters to explore their creative processes and share their insights with an audience of film-lovers and their peers. Content and format are dictated entirely by the writers: what matters most is that their unique voice is heard. Increasingly, top screenwriters are moving seamlessly between different branches of the visual media, including film, television and games. Reflecting this new reality, the lecture series will draw on the experiences of writers from across all three disciplines, offering audiences to a varied view of multiple facets of the industry.

John Willis, Chairman of BAFTA said: “We’re thrilled to be able to share the insights of such a varied and well-respected range of screenwriters with the public. The starting point for these lectures is film, but it’s exciting to note the significant contribution that these writers have also made to the world of television and, in at least one case, to games.”

As part of both organisation’s commitment to learning, webcasts of all the lectures, including exclusive video content, will be available to all on BAFTA Guru, BAFTA’s online learning channel, and the BFI website, later in the year. Lectures from previous years of the series are available now at BAFTA Guru.

Booking information:

Tickets for Hossein Amini and Richard Curtis are on sale now via the BAFTA website.
Tickets for David S. Goyer, Susannah Grant and Tony Gilroy are on sale through the BFI Southbank Box Office now for BFI members and from Tuesday 13 August for the public.

Events dates and venues:

23 September
25 September
28 September
29 September
30 September
David S. Goyer
Hossein Amini
Susannah Grant
Tony Gilroy
Richard Curtis
BFI Southbank
BAFTA
BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank
BAFTA

For further information, images and biographies of the screenwriters, please contact:

Hollie Rendall at Kindred Agency
Tel: 020 7010 0829
Email: Hollie Rendall

About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures, scholarships and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit BAFTA and BAFTA Guru.

About the BFI

The BFI is the lead body for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:

• Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and World cinema

• Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations

• Championing emerging and world class film makers in the UK

• Investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work

• Promoting British film and talent to the world

• Growing the next generation of film makers and audiences

For further information, visit the BFI website.

The BFI Southbank is open to all. BFI members are entitled to a discount on all tickets. BFI Southbank Box Office tel: 020 7928 3232. Unless otherwise stated tickets are £11.00, concs £8.50 Members pay £1.50 less on any ticket. Website: BFI Southbank.

In association with The JJ Charitable Trust BFI JJ Screenwriters' 2012