Kochi | A five-day workshop on screenwriting, jointly organised by the US Consulate General in Chennai and the Global Media Makers (GMM), for ten emerging women scriptwriters from South India, concluded in Alappuzha.
The workshop was led by US and Indian filmmaker mentors, including Ruth Atkinson, Pamela Ribon and GMM Fellow Triparna Banerjee, as part of the 'screenwriting retreat' organised for the emerging women scriptwriters from February 10-14, the US Consulate General in Chennai said.
The Consulate, in a release said the programme offered the ten participants from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with a greater knowledge about US film industry's best practices.
Popular Indian filmmakers Mahesh Narayanan, Indu Lakshmi, Sudha Padmaja Francis and GMM Fellow Christo Tomy shared valuable insights from their personal experiences navigating the filmmaking landscape in India, a release said.
GMM is a cultural exchange programme designed to foster relationships between American and international film professionals, and it is supported through a public-private partnership between Los Angeles-based non-profit arts organisation Film Independent and the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
Award-winning film editor Bina Paul, former artistic director of the International Film Festival of Kerala, collaborated with Film Independent to design the workshop and shortlist the participants.
The retreat was aimed to enhance script writing and cinematic storytelling with a special focus on gender sensitive issues, including portrayal of women in film.
Films are a powerful platform to sensitise audiences around the world on various issues, including women's socio-economic empowerment, Jennifer Bullock, the Public Affairs Officer and diplomat at US Consulate General Chennai, was quoted as saying in the release.
Bullock said this workshop was another step toward creating gender-sensitive scripts that will highlight women's issues to global audiences.
Paul said in a profession where few women get trained, the GMM workshop provided a secure space for young women scriptwriters to explore their ideas and learn the craft.
The mentors encouraged participants to explore their own artistic goals and access helpful resources that serve as professional filmmaker tools for success.