European Writers Club’s Gammeltoft invites pitches for fact-based drama initiative
MIA: The European Writers Club (EWC) has launched an initiative inviting pitches for fact-based dramas or scripted series inspired by real events.
Thomas Gammeltoft
EWC director Thomas Gammeltoft made the call for projects here in Rome, where delegates heard how the scheme partners writers and producers with broadcaster and distribution executives from across Europe in a bid to “accelerate” projects towards a green light.
Under this new initiative, called Boosting Impact From Facts and Fiction, six projects that offer something new or reveal previously unknown aspects of a topic will be chosen to join EWC events where they can develop and “boost” their work alongside the group’s partners.
Working with Le Groupe Ouest, three ‘camps’ will then be held in Hamburg, Madrid and Copenhagen next year, where teams of writers, journalists, podcasters, producers and others will be invited to attend to test and develop their pitches, before they are finally presented to a group of commissioners and industry decision makers in Copenhagen.
To apply, projects must be in early development and not yet at a script phase. It is also only open to EU citizens, with a deadline of December 31, 2023 to submit applications via the EWC website.
“In the EWC, we believe in stories crossing borders – and these aren’t Europuddings as everyone keeps asking us,” Gammeltoft said. “It’s original storytelling by those unique original voices we have in Europe. We bring industry professionals together in a unique European network, and we have created a room of trust, where ideas are welcomed with open arms, tried, tested and developed in a collaborative atmosphere.
“Boosting Impact will foster collaboration between the world of journalists, scientists, podcasters (and others) and our world of storytellers, with the objective of creating relevant, important and engaging stories.
“We also believe to create these types of stories is a very tough discipline, with many pitfalls, because you just can’t take a real-life story and turn it into a good TV series. There’s no one method. It takes guts, daring and dedication for those involved.”
