The Owl Workshop & Industry Days was launched by the Athens Film Office to support the development of film and television projects with international appeal — and to highlight the unique advantages Athens offers the screen industry.
This annual workshop is designed for screenwriters with early-career success — such as a distributed film or television credit — who are ready to take their work to a global stage. It serves as a bridge for talent based outside major production hubs to connect with leading international producers and decision-makers.
For this 4th edition, we will select up to 16 professional screenwriters to take part in a unique programme that connects emerging screenwriters with key industry figures.
Held in Athens from 4–7 October, the Owl Workshop offers mentorship, professional networking, and the opportunity to pitch at our flagship event, Owl Industry Days.
We’re seeking screenwriters from diverse backgrounds who create audience-driven feature films or television series that combine artistic vision with commercial potential — and have the flexibility to be produced or filmed in Greece.
Applications are evaluated by a committee of experienced film and television professionals, based on originality, writing style, market potential, and the writer’s track record. We particularly encourage submissions from creators with underrepresented backgrounds and perspectives.
Greece’s varied landscapes and versatile locations make it an ideal base for a wide range of film and television productions. From vibrant city streets to iconic white-sand beaches, your project doesn’t need to be set in Greece to be shot here.
The program begins with a fully funded in-person workshop in Athens, where the selected screenwriters focus on project development and creative community building.
Participants benefit from:
Writers return in March 2026 for a collaborative online workshop after submitting their second drafts. Led by acclaimed screenwriting educator Professor Scott Myers, this session centers on peer feedback, critical analysis, and continued script development. Participants will:
Writers return to Athens with their final drafts for a culminating session that bridges creative development and professional presentation. The final session includes:
Meet & Greet
Welcome by Athens Film Office
Short Introductions by Mentors and Writers
Masterclass #1
By Professor Scott Myers
Notes Session #1
One-to-One Script Meetings with Mentors and Experts
Panel Talk
The Art of Giving and Receiving Notes
Screenwriting is rarely a solo act. Writers collaborate with producers, consultants, executives, and financiers—each bringing notes that can shape a project’s journey. This panel explores the art of constructive feedback, showing how giving and receiving notes can transform screenwriting into a true team sport for both film and television.
Speakers: Brendan Foley, Andreas Gutzeit, Aurélie Iniesta, Gustavo Gontijo
Moderator: Julia Berg
Notes Session #2
One-to-One Script Meetings with Mentors and Experts
Panel Talk
How to Pitch Your Project
This session unpacks the art of pitching for both film and TV. Writers and executives will share insights on identifying the key elements of a strong pitch, what decision-makers are really listening for, and how to communicate the core DNA of your project in a way that resonates and sticks.
Speakers: Shelly Goldstein, Brendan Fitzgerald, Larry Bass, Jarmo Lampela
Moderator: Meg Thomson
Athens for Creatives: A Walking Tour
Dinner with Owl Screenwriters and Mentors
Panel Talk
The Showrunner and the Writer’s Room
This session explores the role of the showrunner at the crossroads of writing, production, and management. We’ll look at how they collaborate with directors, producers, and networks, and what their day-to-day responsibilities entail. The discussion will also examine how the dynamics of the modern writers’ room are evolving and what that means for both emerging and established screenwriters.
Speakers: Brendan Foley, Michael Colleary, Andreas Gutzeit, Gustavo Gontijo
Moderator: Shelly Goldstein
Notes Session #3
One-to-One Script Meetings with Mentors and Experts
Panel Talk
Why do projects take so long to move from page to production? The answer is money and intellectual property. This panel breaks down the essentials of film and TV financing — covering options, packaging, budgets, world pre-sales and international co-productions. Learn how producers turn your script into an investment, why certain actors or locations unlock funding, and what really happens between a draft and a greenlight.
Speakers: Matti Hallonen, Marc Lorber, Julien Leroux, Erik Pack
Notes Session #4
One-to-One Script Meetings with Mentors and Experts
Panel Talk
This panel examines what makes a film or TV drama resonate beyond its home market. We’ll explore how writers and producers can balance authentic local storytelling with universal themes, and what it takes to build a bridge between distinctive cultural voices and the demands of the global audience.
Speakers: Tina Gharavi, Maria Kivinen, Irina Ignatiew, Aurélie Iniesta
Moderator: Arnauld de Battice
Notes Session #5
One-to-One Script Meetings with Mentors and Experts
Dinner and Networking
Both Owl delegations – 2024 and 2025
Masterclass #2
By Professor Scott Myer
Engaging with AI
This workshop invites experienced screenwriters to radically rethink how they engage with AI – not as a shortcut or story generator, but as a creative adversary, a dramaturgical mirror, and a tool to reveal the contradictions embedded in their own writing.
With Julia Keller
Representation: Working with Agents
Tracy Brimm, Head of Film & Television and Creative Affairs at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, joins us for a candid discussion on what writers should expect from an agent or manager. The conversation will explore the path to obtaining representation, how to build a productive relationship, and when it might be time to move on.
A deep dive into “verticals”
Discover the art of crafting powerful one-minute dramas designed for vertical storytelling. This keynote explores what makes short-form narratives work, how they resonate with today’s audiences, and the career opportunities emerging in this fast-growing space.
With Isabel Drean
With Isabel Drean
Masterclass with Michael Colleary: From Blockbusters to Storytelling Mastery
Join acclaimed screenwriter and producer Michael Colleary—known for his work on Face/Off, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and the TV series Professionals—for an exclusive public masterclass. With over three decades in the industry, Colleary has crafted some of Hollywood’s most iconic stories. In this session, he’ll share his journey from UCLA’s film school to writing for major studios, offering invaluable insights into the art of screenwriting, navigating creative challenges, and building a lasting career in film and television. Whether you’re an aspiring writer or a seasoned professional, this is a rare opportunity to learn from a seasoned storyteller with years in the Hollywood trenches.
Pitching
Join us for an exciting evening as the 2024 cohort of The Owl Screenwriting Workshop takes the stage to pitch their original projects. Be among the first to discover fresh concepts, connect with emerging screenwriters, and network with fellow creators and industry enthusiasts.
Networking drinks & Party all you want!
Group Workshop #1 (Television with Scott Myers)
A group conversation about each of the writer’s script projects including mentor and cohort feedback, as well as specific story and page notes.
Goal: Each writer emerges from the week with a clear understanding of how to approach the next stage in their script’s rewrite.
Group Workshop #2 (with Elina Fessa (part 1))
A group conversation about each of the writer’s script projects including mentor and cohort feedback, as well as specific story and page notes.
Goal: Each writer emerges from the week with a clear understanding of how to approach the next stage in their script’s rewrite.
Group Workshop #2 (with Elina Fessa (part 2))
A group conversation about each of the writer’s script projects including mentor and cohort feedback, as well as specific story and page notes.
Goal: Each writer emerges from the week with a clear understanding of how to approach the next stage in their script’s rewrite.
Group Workshop #3 (Film with Scott Myers)
A group conversation about each of the writer’s script projects including mentor and cohort feedback, as well as specific story and page notes.
Goal: Each writer emerges from the week with a clear understanding of how to approach the next stage in their script’s rewrite.
Masterclass with Arty Papageorgiou
Screenwriter and director Arty Papageorgiou—known for co-writing The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024), The Sorrows (2013), and The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (2027)—leads an in-depth masterclass on storytelling across both animation and live action. Explore his approach to world-building, character, and craft, and gain insight into how he brings projects to the screen.
The Owl is open to professional film and TV writers of all nationalities who have started building their screenwriting career, and want to expand their work to reach a global audience.
The Owl will confirm credits via IMDb.
The Owl is open to writers both with and without representation.
Each applicant may submit 1 TV drama pilot or 1 Feature Film script. Please note that although we welcome supplementary materials (such as a pitch deck, treatment, bible etc) a full script is required for the purposes of the application. Your script can be an original idea or be based on an underlying property. It must have the potential to be adapted to be produced and/or shot in Greece. It could be set in Greece, or aim to shoot Greece for another location.
For clarity, we are not expecting writers to submit a tailor made script for the purpose of the application but to submit a script that is already written and which could be adapted to be shot in Greece. To get the most out of the Owl, your script should be at the first draft stage, though we will consider more developed projects.
Former lovers Fatimah and Leon meet serendipitously in Athens on the last night of their respective trips, the hurdles they could not overcome in their home city suddenly fade. Can this new landscape give them a fresh start? They have one night to find out.
Abraham Adeyemi is a multi-award-winning writer-director from South London. His directorial debut ‘No More Wings’ world premiered and won best narrative short at Tribeca Film Festival. His writing is genre-agnostic, with a focus on complex, nuanced characters seen through a lens of empathy and grace.
A coming-of-age comedy: When a bookish 18-year-old heads off on her first solo trip to a Greek archaeological dig, a sweet, unexpected romance challenges everything she’s been taught by her bloody-minded, man-hating mum, triggering the mother of all matriarchal meltdowns, and pushing their bond to the brink.
Catherine Williams is a London-based, BAFTA-winning screenwriter, series creator, and story editor. Her credits span a wide range of hugely successful, much-loved, and multi-award-winning international children’s TV shows, including The New Teletubbies, Pocoyo, Lovely Little Farm, PJ Masks, and Shaun the Sheep, to name just a few. She has several original feature screenplays in active development, works internationally as a script consultant and trainer, and is a dedicated Hellenophile.
When an advertising exec is asked to create a campaign for lab-made, fungi-based mini humans, he has no idea how they will change the lives of everyone who comes into contact with them.
Greek screenwriter and author, born in Athens in 1997. He is a graduate of the Electrical & Computer Engineering department of the National Technical University of Athens and the Screenwriting MA of The London Film School, where he received a distinction as well as the 2025 Casarotto, Ramsay & Associates Award. He is signed with historic publishing house Hestia Publications, and was awarded the 2021 State Literary Award for Best Debuting Author for his debut novel “North”. He has a regular column in To Vima newspaper.
Will the unconventional archaeologist Ulysses George find and unlock the secret Gate at the Temple of Delphi before the mysterious cult of the Pythagoreans and save the lost ancient wisdom from falling into the wrong hands?
Georgios V. Feidas was born in Athens, Greece, on the year 1974. He studied Law, Screenwriting and Filmmaking and has since worked as a professional screenwriter for film, tv and commercial projects, having written over 500 hours of prime-time television content. George has written two feature films, ten television shows -including the major hit television series “s1ngles”, one theatrical play and two web-tv series. He has also written for the radio and has worked as a co-creator and guest writer on various TV shows. He also teaches “Scriptwriting”” and “Writing for the Screen and other digital media” at the “Creative Writing” Postgraduate Program of the University of Western Macedonia and is the founder of the production company “fingerprint”, specialising in smaller arthouse or lower-budget projects as mentioned in this CV.
A cynical addict, haunted by family trauma, enters a revolutionary VR therapy guided by a rogue priest, forcing him to confront his past, forgive himself, and discover that true healing means logging into reality.
Jonathan is a writer/producer and owner of PIO Media LTD. Jonathan is currently writing the feature films, ‘Will It Be A Kind God?’, ‘An Island Of Mainlands’ and ‘BISON’, for Wonderbread Films, IAD Films and Bahama Films. Previously he developed and produced the feature, ‘Poster Boys’ for Sky Cinema and created the TV series, ‘First World Problems’ for RTE. He also produced the film, ‘Leap Of Faith’, currently available on Disney Plus.
After her abusive father’s suicide, a young artist must destroy the mysterious doppelgänger who threatens to derail both her career and her sanity.
Lauren Greenwood is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. Her television movies MURDER RUNS IN THE FAMILY (2023), LOCKED IN MY HOUSE (2024) and SECRETS TO KILL FOR (2025) have aired on Lifetime Movie Network and TF1. She’s currently in development on her fourth TV thriller which is set to premiere in 2026. Lauren won the 2019 Telefilm Canada New Voices Award with her feature screenplay Subject 27. Her short film, Red Balloon, won Best Screenplay – Short at the San Diego International Kids Film Festival 2020 and her newest short & Other Concerns, based on her award-winning Toronto Fringe play, is currently on the festival circuit. Videos she has written for Underknown’s Animalogic have garnered over 30 million views. Lauren is a graduate of the Second City Sketch Conservatory program, holds an honours BA in English and German and an MFA in Screenwriting.
When an American divorcée travels to Italy to reconnect with her daughter, she unwittingly winds up in a love triangle with the one who got away, and the one who got away’s son.
Mary Ann Rotondi was the kid who read late into the night under the covers with a flashlight. She turned her love of story into a successful career as a journalist, and spent nearly 20 years as a producer at Dateline NBC and CBS News’ 48 Hours, where she won Emmy, Gracie and Clarion awards, and the New York Press Club Award for Excellence in Crime Reporting. Her screenplays have been recognized at major competitions, including RUN RENEGADE, which was awarded 1st Place Action Thriller in the 2025 CWA Screenwriting Competition. Her short QUEEN OF THE DESERT won numerous awards, including Best Female Directed Short at the 2023 Poppy Jasper Film Festival. She holds a BA cum laude in English from Yale and a MFA in filmmaking from Stanford. Mary Ann is currently in post-production on a multi-part true-crime documentary series about an odd and riveting murder in her home-state of Montana, and is writing the feature screenplay about the case.
In post-revolution Iran, an 11-year-old girl risks everything when she discovers a secret underground ballet class.
Sophia Kiapos is an Iranian-Greek American filmmaker whose roots in ballet and classical theatre inform her choreographic and visually poetic approach to filmmaking. A LAMDA-trained actor, she has directed short films, dance pieces, and a sketch series for Pitch Perfect starring Elizabeth Banks, as well as over 30 international dubbing projects for Netflix, Hulu, Disney, and Amazon. She recently completed her debut feature, a romantic comedy set in England.
In the year 1900 thousands of impoverished French fisherman, accompanied by an expelled lesbian nun, arrive at a tiny, isolated fishing village in the East of Iceland. This foreign intrusion creates a major shift in the morals and balance of power in the oppressed society causing the local woman to rebel with dire consequences.
Producer and screen writer Guðný Guðjónsdóttir holds an MBA in International Business from San Diego State University and was CEO and CFO of Sagafilm, Iceland’s largest independently owned production company, between 2007 and 2017. In 2017, she founded her own company, Projects ehf. Guðný has worked on a diverse range of TV and film projects, including drama, documentaries, animation, feature films, and major international production services like Interstellar. She has been an executive producer on acclaimed projects such as Case (Netflix, HBO, Channel 2), Tulipop (Síminn, NRK, YLE, MBC), as well as a producer on series such as Descendants, Twenty something, Icelandic Crime, Teachers Lounge, and screenwriter for several other successful works, such as I am not famous, just lucky and Undercurrent. Guðný is passionate about bringing well-written, thought-provoking stories to the screen.
Dögg Mósesdóttir is an Icelandic Edda nominated director and producer with over 15 years of experience working in the Icelandic film industry.
As a writer she is the creator and co-writer of the drama serie Cornucopia (Hugborg) with Ottó Geir Borg, produced by Saga Film, bought by MBC. Cornucopia was selected for the MIA pitching forum in Rome for high end tv-series and has been commissioned both by Viaplay and MBC in the Middle east. Dögg is also the co-writer of the series Undercurrent and feature film Happy Crappy ´95 both produced by the production company Projects. Dögg Mósesdóttir is also the co-writer of the feature film “Sisterland” aiming for production in 2026.
When a chartered captain finds hundreds of kilos of smuggled cocaine below decks, he hands it over to the authorities, only to be held as an awaiting trial prisoner. To reclaim his life, he must take half the Greek government down with him.
Iain Paton was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but grew up in South Africa. He has been writing television for the last thirty years, including award winning series such as Isidingo, The Wild, Legacy and SummerTide. He has written a produced radio play, an award-winning theatre piece, and collected a few Safta’s as part of the writing team’s he’s worked with over the years. Lately he has been focused on developing original TV series and features. He lives in Johannesburg with his wife and two children, and enjoys hiking, reading, and golf. He is at his happiest when sitting under a waterfall. He is absolutely delighted to be attending The Owl Screenwriting Workshop.
In the near future, where eros (intense desire for another person) is considered a disorder that can be treated with a pill, three disparate characters meet in a “love rehab center” only to find themselves caught in a love triangle as the world faces a “romantic apocalypse”.
Born in Nafplio, Greece, I studied Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Sunderland, UK, and hold an MA in European Communication from the University of Amsterdam. I currently live in Athens and work as a scriptwriter for Greek TV shows. I have also worked in production management in both Greek television and cinema. I’m fascinated with TV writing because it lets you explore your characters in more depth, like the novels I love. When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with friends or reading, while trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to resist the outrageous demands of my two cats.
Bizarre or supernatural occurrences force various ‘toxic faces’ – everyday characters drawn from real-life, present-day Greek society – to confront the consequences of their actions and beliefs.
Minos Nikolakakis is a genre filmmaker whose work has screened at Toronto, Bucheon, Warsaw, and Fantaspoa, among others. His debut feature, Entwined, premiered in the Toronto Discovery section, and was acquired by Shudder. He has participated in TIFF Writers’ Studio and Filmmakers’ Lab, Zurich Talents Academy, MIDPOINT Institute, Berlinale, and Sarajevo Talents. Along with Vassilis Economou, he is also the co-founder of ASPHALT, an Athens-based production house that specializes in genre content. Minos is currently developing his next feature film and a series.
When a true crime fan becomes convinced that she’s discovered a new serial killer, she’ll stop at nothing to outsmart him. Not even when that costs the safety of her family and friends.
Nadya is a screenwriter & director with a love for stories that highlight the small human facing world-changing events. She graduated from Screenwriting at FAMU International in 2018 and the TV Showrunning program Serial Eyes in 2020. She was chosen as a writer’s apprentice at Frank Spotnitz’ Big Light Productions in 2021. Nadya was a staff writer on the TV show “Franklin” for the Spanish company Grupo Black Panther, and on “Alpha”, a TV show for bTV Bulgaria which premiered in February 2024. She recently finished post-production for her documentary debut feature “I’m not a bad man” which is now living its’ festival life. Nadya has also won the BBC International Playwriting Georgi Markov Award, and was a finalist at the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival One Act Play Competition.
When the daughter of the director of the CPS is murdered, he appoints DCI CHURCHILL lead investigator. Against explicit orders, she chooses to also continue with a dangerous, undercover assignment. With the clock ticking on the high-profile murder, can CHURCHILL crack both cases before her two worlds collide?
Pearse has won the Atlanta Film Festival, the ScreenCraft Residency, WeScreenplay, Scriptapalooza TV and the FadeIn Pitch Fest. A table read of his feature script, MORE THAN ONE IDIOT BROTHER, produced by Manifest media, was Apple’s #1 podcast in fiction in May, 2023.
Pearse’s screenplay, PUNIC, is under option at Shona Films; his screenplay POTTER’S GROUND is under option at Virago Films; his pilot BALLYKILLZOMBIE has been optioned by PLP. Pearse was part of the team whose reboot of SILVERHAWKS was recently optioned by Fox Animation.
His episode of “The Head” (S3) is currently streaming on HBO Max. Pearse is repped in LA by Zero Gravity.
When a thrill-seeking couple find an opportunity to pay their spiralling fertility debts by turning their tourist adventure business into a niche euthanasia service, they jump – literally
Roger Monk is a screenwriter, script editor and producer. His feature film Walking on Water won the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Screenplay, Independent Film (IF) and Australian Critics Circle awards for Best Original Script and the Teddy at Berlinale (2002). Most recently he co-developed, wrote and script edited Mr. Midnight for Netflix 2022, which won an Asian Academy Award (Singapore). He was an Ep writer on The Unusual Suspects (2021) for SBS, nominated for the Best Miniseries AACTA. Currently he is developing TV comic drama Mortal Coil with Magpie Pictures and comic murder mystery SLAY with Endemol Shine. He wrote a feature film Paradise for Aquarius Films that is currently financing. Other TV credits include S1 & 2 of the Emmy® Award winning Nowhere Boys, S1 pilot was an AWGIE nominee. Secret Life of Us, Dance Academy, (AWGIE nominee) Doctor Blake Mysteries , East of Everything S1&2 and Itch S1.
When an estranged brother and sister grieve the loss of their father, they discover his death is related to a 2000-year-old cult. As they investigate further, they must put down the baggage of their past and learn to become siblings again, or risk losing each other forever.
Growing up speaking Spanish, Greek and English at home, Spiro developed an early interest in language, which inspired him to write. His first foray into screenwriting was as a young boy, writing scripts for his Star Wars figures, where they battled his sister’s giant, menacing Barbie dolls—and he’s been writing ever since.
Spiro won Best Original Screenplay at the Ohio Independent Film Festival for his first (unproduced) feature script. He’s a graduate of The University of Michigan, The NHMC Writing Program, the PGA’s Power of Diversity Program, and NBC’s Writers on the Verge Program.
Professionally, Spiro has written on and been involved in production on hundreds of episodes of TV in the hour-long and half-hour spaces. He co-created the web series Chadam, a cult-fave based on the eponymous character. He’s developed and pitched series to major networks and studios including MGM, The CW, NBC, Netflix, Hulu, Apple+ and Amazon. Spiro’s credits rage from comedy (George Lopez) to dramas (Arrow, Grimm). Spiro has sold three pilots, and developed several others with producers, and IP holders.
To help inspire the next generation of writers, Spiro created and produces the “Intro to TV Writing” panel at San Diego’s Comic-Con, currently in its fifteenth year. Spiro is also an educator, and was selected as Humanitas Prize’s Writer-In-Residence for The Writers Room program at Hollywood High School for the Spring 2025 semester, where he taught students how to write a spec TV script. He also lectures in screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University.
Scott Myers has written over thirty movie and TV projects at almost every major Hollywood studio and broadcast network. His screenwriting credits include K-9, Alaska, and Trojan War. Since 2008, Scott has hosted GoIntoTheStory.com, the official screenwriting blog of the Black List and named Best of the Best Scriptwriting Website by Writer’s Digest. Author of The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan), Scott is currently an Associate Professor of screenwriting at DePaul University.
Screenwriter, director, and co-founder of EXTINT, a multilingual script consulting agency helping filmmakers maximize the international potential of their scripts. Elina collaborates with labs such as Cine Qua Non Lab (Mexico) and Coofilm (Spain), has taught at The Core School, Séptima Ars, and EFTI in Madrid, and served on the selection committee for MFI Script 2 Film Workshops. Her scripts have been selected by prestigious film labs, including Berlinale Script Station and the SGAE Foundation, and her short films have won awards from the DGA. Elina is currently developing two feature films and a series. She holds a B.A. from Yale and an M.F.A. from Columbia.
Brendan Fitzgerald is an internationally renowned executive in the content industry, with a career spanning over two decades of experience in key markets such as the United States, Latin America, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Throughout his distinguished career, he has played crucial roles in the creation and development of premium content, establishing himself as a key figure in the evolution and expansion of the global audiovisual sector.
Since January 2024, Brendan Fitzgerald has served as the CEO of Secuoya Studios, a leading Spanish studio committed to producing high-level content, aiming to become a global leader in creating premium projects for television, film, and OTT platforms. Under his leadership, Secuoya Studios has launched an ambitious expansion strategy, seeking to diversify its catalog across various areas, including series, films, unscripted content, and long-form productions.
Before assuming his role at Secuoya Studios, Fitzgerald was Senior Vice President of English-language International Co-Productions at Sony Pictures Television, where he played a key role in managing co-productions and building business relationships between major studios and international networks. During his time at Sony Pictures, he helped establish key agreements that strengthened the company’s presence in international markets and contributed to the success of various productions.
Fitzgerald is also recognized for his contribution to the audiovisual sector in Spain, having been named Honorary Ambassador of the Spain Film Commission. This recognition highlights his impact on the global industry and his commitment to international collaboration in content creation and distribution.
Jarmo has been Head of Drama at YLE since 2015. His background includes working as Professor of Film Directing and Head of the Department of Film, Television and Scenography at Aalto University, Helsinki. Since 1992 has worked as director, scriptwriter and producer with numerous productions for cinema, television and theatre.
Since 1999, Larry Bass has built Shinawil into a leading Irish production company behind hits like Dancing With The Stars, The Voice of Ireland, and MasterChef Ireland. Expanding into scripted drama, Shinawil has developed series with international partners, supported by Screen Ireland and major broadcasters. Notable projects include Miss Scarlet & The Duke (PBS), The Catch (Channel 5), Clean Sweep (RTE/Sundance Now), Maryland (ITV), and Doll Factory (Paramount+). Feature films include The Miracle Club, which premiered at Tribeca 2023, and The Lighterkeeper, now in post-production. In 2024, Borderline, a crime drama, launched on MGM+, Roku, and ZDF.
O2 Filmes Executive Producer for Development since January 2021, developing projects like Max’s “City of God – The Fight Rages On” series and Prime’s “New Bandits”, Gustavo Gontijo has a long career in entertainment beginning as a writer with Globo Studios in 2000. In 2014 , he was appointed Drama Weekly Content Manager, developing the hits UNDER PRESSURE, MISTER BRAU, IRON ISLAND, SUPERMAX, SECOND CALL, JAILERS and other 20 shows, in a total of over 30 seasons broadcasted. Gustavo was personally in charge of taking those shows to prestigious Festivals like the Berlinale, TIFF, SXSW. From 2019 to 2020, he was the content manager for Globo Filmes with the main focus in features.
During his career he’s worked for all major Hollywood studios and TV networks. His produced credits include Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the family comedy Firehouse Dog; and the TV series Professionals. Michael won a Saturn Award for co-writing (with Mike Werb) the John Woo-directed action thriller Face/Off, which the New York Times deemed “one of the best 1000 movies ever made.” Michael has also taught screenwriting in the MFA program at UCLA, at Story Academy in Gotland, and at Hollins University.
Tina Gharavi is a visionary filmmaker and BAFTA-nominated storyteller redefining outsider narratives. Born in Tehran and raised in the U.S. and Europe, she fuses bold artistry with raw authenticity. Her breakout feature, I Am Nasrine (2012), earned a BAFTA nod for its powerful portrayal of exile. Gharavi’s fearless work spans Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra and her upcoming third feature, Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day starring Tim Spall, Lily Allen and Haley Bennett. Founder of Bridge + Tunnel Productions and a professor at Newcastle University, she champions underrepresented voices but in her spare time she dreams of beekeeping in Iran. Represented by Independent Talent in the UK and Gersh in Los Angeles, Gharavi divides her time between the UK and Paris.
Matti Halonen (Nymphs, Bordertown, Estonia) has been 35 years in the professional film and drama business. He has produced several feature films and over 100 hours of high-end drama, with production airing on Netflix, Amazon prime, and HBO.
Brendan is an award-winning Northern Irish Writer-EP, with international co-pro experience in TV, features and bestselling books. Past work with CW, WB Discovery, Lionsgate, Sony, BBC, CBC, NBC, AMC, Viaplay, Acorn, Universal, Elisa, SBS. Most recently: 2025 Sherlock and Daughter starring David Thewlis; two seasons of hit series The Man Who Died for Elisa, AMC/Acorn; Cold Courage for Viaplay, AMC+, Britbox and Lionsgate. Previous indie feature films for Sony, Nordisk and Lionsgate include multi-award winner Johnny Was and The Riddle, Books include Amazon UK bestseller Under the Wire for Random House. Formerly a freelance international features journalist in 77 countries.
Shelly Goldstein’s first play, COMING ATTRACTIONS, ran for almost two years in Chicago. Legendary Hollywood producer Garry Marshall saw it and hired her as a sitcom writer at Paramount. Since then she’s written hundreds of hours of television, including the Emmy-winning PBS special, CHICAGO VOICES and Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVAS SIMPLY SINGING. She’s a senior writer on 2025’s SHERLOCK & DAUGHTER, starring David Thewlis. Shelly has written for top talent including Stephen Colbert, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Sharon Stone, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson & Yoko Ono. She is a proud past winner of the New Yorker’s iconic Cartoon Caption Contest.
Residing in London as a dual US/UK citizen, Marc Lober works with diverse media enterprises with mandates to build or simply improve upon their local/regional if not also international: content creation/development and physical productions, acquisitions, and/or co-production capabilities. As one of the most experienced international multi-genre creative content and programming executives, and an Emmy and International Emmy-nominated and Bafta-Award winning Executive Producer; skilled in conception, acquisition, development, sales, strategic partnerships and co-productions, direct physical production and management/financial oversight, of both scripted and unscripted projects; formats and originals.
A seasoned media executive, I began my career in Marketing and Sales Management for the music industry in Iceland, representing Sony Music and Warner Music. I later transitioned into production, co-founding Wiz-Art (now STORM), a leader in digital content. I launched PoppTV, Iceland’s first 24-hour music TV station, and founded VYRE, a UK-based content management company. I’ve held executive roles at Sagafilm and 2AM Films, overseeing international investments and Nordic expansion. With deep expertise in content creation, business development, and media innovation, I’ve played key roles in shaping the digital and broadcast landscape in both Iceland and the broader Nordic region.
A multifaceted media executive, Erik Pack has an industry-wide reputation for achievements in content creation, development and distribution. He currently serves as SVP, Global Sales & Co-Production at Boat Rocker. In this role, he leads the day-to-day international strategy for Boat Rocker’s premium scripted and documentary content, across UK and EMEA, as well as developing and sourcing new scripted projects in the regions for co-production. Erik’s proven business acumen at top media firms like Gaumont Television, Hallmark Entertainment, Power and New Line Television, along with his deep roots in the creative community, is why he us both a valued media executive as well as a respected creator of content. Erik has unrivalled experience working with content platforms and broadcasters all over the world, working on critically acclaimed content on both sides of the Atlantic.
Maria Kivinen manages international sales and co-productions of Nordic drama series, documentaries, remakes, kids & youth programmes, music & performing arts globally to her wide network of clients of TV and Streaming platforms she has built over her twelve year career at Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company. In addition to this, Kivinen is RADA trained dramaturg. Kivinen also produced her debut play, The Idealist, at the Tara Arts Theatre London and Brighton Fringe Festival by her company at the time, Odd Stumble. Kivinen has expertise of selling and financing TV and film content globally creatively and commercially. Over the years Kivinen has built a network of clients from all major TV and streaming platforms around the World.
Julien Leroux was born in Paris France in 1980. After completing a double master of European business and management, he started his career in 2004 working for TV France International, the association of French TV international distributors, then joined France Televisions as sales manager. In December 2005 he joined AB International Distribution (now Mediawan Rights) as SVP of Sales and Acquisitions working on shows such as Mafiosa, Desperate Parents or Dragon Ball. In 2011 he joined Newen Group and actively participated in its international expansion and sale to TF1 Group in 2015. He ran the international distribution arm of Newen until 2017 working on international hit series such as Spiral, Witnesses or Versailles before moving to London to launch the UK activities of the group
In May 2018 he joined Canadian TV studio Cineflix to lead their scripted activities across production, financing and distribution launching hit shows such as CBC’s Coroner, TV3 Russia’s An Ordinary Woman and Scandi political drama The Minister. In June 2020 it was announced Apple was acquiring the first season of TEHRAN a new Israeli spy drama series co-written by Moshe Zonder (Fauda) which Julien Leroux executive produced. The series launched in late June in Israel to record breaking ratings and later
in September worldwide on AppleTV+ and quickly became one of their most watched series. In January 2021 Julien Leroux announced the launch of London based new production company Paper Entertainment which focuses on “exciting, thrilling, crazy and emotional stories” from all over the world in addition of producing the next seasons of TEHRAN for Apple.
Graduated from the IAD and holder of an MBA from the Solvay Business School, Arnauld de Battice began his career as a freelance director. Next, he worked as production manager and associated producer. In 1999, after working with RTL-TVI as director of content, Arnauld decided to become an independent producer and created AT-Prod, a TV and cinema production company. Arnauld’s line-up now includes 11 feature films, 180 TV-movies, 40 TV series, 30 documentaries and many upcoming projects.
Arnauld is also a lecturer at the MBA ESG in Paris and The Mediafaculty and regularly appointed as an expert for MEDIA program.
Andreas co-founded Story House. He is an award-winning writer, producer, and director. He is head writer and showrunner of the critically acclaimed drama series ‘Dignity’ for Joyn, Amazon and HBO. He also executive produced ‘Sprite Sisters’, a family entertainment movie for Walt Disney Studios. Andreas also is the executive producer and showrunner of the historical drama series ‘Sisi’ for RTL, ORF, TF1. As Chief Creative Officer, Andreas heads all scripted operations at Story House.
Tracy Brimm is Head of Film and Television at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, leading independent London agency representing top writers, directors, and creatives across film, TV and theatre. She joined Casarotto in 2017 to lead Creative Affairs, cultivating global industry relationships and facilitating strategic connections between the agency’s clients, exceptional content and creative partners. She is passionate about championing filmmakers who tell bold, globally resonant stories that inspire and entertain.
Raised and educated in Fontainebleau, France, Tracy earned a BA from Brown University. She began her career at International Creative Management in Los Angeles after graduating from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program. At ICM she represented and launched international filmmakers’ careers and played a key role in global content packaging and financing.
She went on to serve as President of TF1 USA, where she oversaw English-language productions for the French broadcaster, including Todd Haynes’ Far from Heaven. Prior to joining Casarotto, Tracy was co-founder and producer at Forward Films. Her producing credits include Kristian Levring’s The Salvation (Cannes Film Festival 2014), Grabbers (Sundance Film Festival 2012) and BAFTA-nominated, Michael Powell Award winner Skeletons.
Meg is currently EVP of Worldwide Content for Globalgate Entertainment, a consortium of companies including Lionsgate, Rai Cinema, Nordisk, TF1, Lotte, Tobis, Rakuten, Televisa and other international distributors and producers to create commercial local-language films and television.
Recent film credits include THE TURKISH COFFEE TABLE (2025), SCHITTEREND (Holland, 2024), START ME UP (France, 2024), WEDDING DRESS (Philippines, 2022). On the television side, Globalgate has several series in the works, including RESET GAME, KING’S RANSOM, and three localized versions (Irish, Korean, Mexican) of the Dutch series SWANENBURG. As a producer, Meg recently released the film FREUD’S LAST SESSION starring Anthony Hopkins, and just wrapped the UK-German co-production VIRGINIA WOOLF’S NIGHT & DAY.
Isabel Dréan is a screenwriter, director, producer, and digital visionary based in Los Angeles. She began her career in horror and psychological thrillers before pivoting to Christmas movies — a shift that transformed her trajectory, leading to five of her scripts being produced in just 18 months.
She teaches masterclasses for screenwriters and travels the world as a mentor in international labs and creative residencies, helping writers develop their voice, strengthen their concepts, and find pathways to getting produced.
As a digital visionary, Isabel has been at the forefront of storytelling innovation for over a decade. She launched her own curated webseries platform, developing and producing over 50 original series well before Quibi and other streamers entered the space. During this period, she successfully sold her murder mystery series to a studio, cementing her reputation as a creator capable of merging digital innovation with commercial storytelling.
Now, as microdramas and premium vertical series rise globally, Isabel continues to lead the charge. She leverages her deep understanding of audience behavior, platform-native formats, and emerging monetization models to guide writers, producers, and studios through the evolving entertainment landscape. She is also the founder of THE HUB, a curated global network connecting filmmakers, producers, and financiers, which has already generated shopping agreements, co-productions, and career-changing collaborations.
She continues to develop features, series, and innovative digital projects across genres — showcasing her ability to merge traditional filmmaking with next-generation formats and her dedication to bold, compelling storytelling.
Irina Ignatiew-Lemke is a media executive and creative producer with over 25 years of experience in the international film and television industry. She is the founder of Boxworks Media, a boutique company focused on developing and producing smart, commercial scripted content for global audiences—true to its editorial mission of delivering popcorn with relevance.
Through Boxworks, Irina works across international co-productions, content strategy, and creative consulting. The company is also home to her podcast Unwritten+, which explores how creative careers unfold across cultures and borders, as well as Pitchcraft, a coaching format helping storytellers and executives sharpen how they shape and present ideas. She contributes a regular column on the German media market for C21Media and teaches International Co-Productions at film schools and workshops.
Before launching Boxworks, Irina held senior leadership roles at companies including All3Media Fiction and Red Arrow International, and has worked for and with brands such as Lionsgate, Magenta TV, Discovery Communications Germany, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. She is based in Munich and works internationally.
Julia Keller is a writer and director. NOW.NOT., produced by Bettina Brokemper / Heimatfilm, is her first feature-length film. She has a BA in Fine Arts and graduated from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and received her training in Great Britain, Canada, Cuba and Germany. This was followed by further training courses such as “Beyond Stereotypes – diverse storytelling” and the “Winterclass – serial writing and producing” as well as the OWL workshop/Athens Filmoffice. She is the founder of the online platform SERIAL CONNECT, which connects writers and producers across Europe.
The Owl is a workshop geared towards writers only. Producers are welcome to join us in Athens for the pitching event and B2B meetings.
Unfortunately we cannot accommodate writing teams at this stage.
Yes, writers with or without representation are welcome to apply; provided they have a proven track record of their work.
Absolutely! We got some incredible applications in the past and unfortunately we are only able to accommodate few screenwriters each year. Please feel free to re-apply with the same project.
We use application fees to pay our independent readers, who carefully evaluate hundreds of scripts, through multiple rounds. The Athens Film Office covers the cost of the lab programme as well as accommodation and meals in Athens for the successful applicants.
The Owl will select eight (8) TV drama pilot scripts and eight (8) feature film scripts.
All scripts are carefully assessed by independent readers through multiple rounds of evaluation. Shortlisted applicants will have an interview with a panel of judges.
Certainly, you are welcome to apply with more than one project – though please note that each project should be submitted as a separate application as it will be assessed separately.
No; only one copy of the script will be accepted.
Yes, as long as you can show that the entity holding the option has granted permission to workshop the material.
We welcome creativity regardless of the project’s theme or genre. We will prioritize projects that can be produced/shot in Greece. Greece offers a wide variety of locations, so a project does not necessarily have to be set in Greece to be produced/shot here.
Unfortunately, because of the large number of applications, we are unable to provide feedback if your project is not selected.
Yes, all The Owl participants will have the chance to participate in the Industry Days and get the chance to pitch their projects in front of a group of industry professionals and invited guests.
Each year a selection committee composed of Greek and International industry experts awards the Best Feature Film and the Best TV Pilot.
The Owl will cover participant’s accommodation, food and local experiences during the workshop. Participants are expected to cover their own travel to Athens.
