Mutual manipulation is part of life for writers and directors. At least, that was one key lesson from the recent Script to Screen conference held in Toronto.

A highlight of the conference came on Sunday morning during a slow-burn exchange between Hanging Garden director/writer Thom Fitzgerald and his story editor on the project, Odeon Films’ head of development Marguerite Pigott. Pigott served as a moderator on a panel that included Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald spoke openly about how Pigott both challenged and defended his creative voice. Pigott, on the defensive, admitted ‘manipulation is a big part of what we do.’

And she is not alone. Other panels shone a light on the sometimes rocky relationship between writers and directors. In response to a comment about divide-and-rule tactics, panel moderator Rebecca Schechter said, to laughter from the audience, ‘both writers and directors willingly participate in divide-and-rule when it’s going their way.’

The conference, conceived as a means of finding common ground, had its conciliatory moments. Ian Iqbal Rashid, a writer of the u.k. series This Life and conference panelist, mentioned his experience as a first-time director on a film, saying, ‘Had anyone else delivered that film to me from a script I wrote I would’ve killed them. After that, I wasn’t as precious about direction.’

It is this kind of understanding that the conference’s hosts, the Directors Guild of Canada and the Writers Guild of Canada, were seeking to foster through the event, held Feb. 25, 26 and 27. ‘We want the directors to know what it’s like to walk in the writer’s shoes, to cut down on conflict,’ said Allan King, Directors Guild president.

The first-ever such collaborative conference, Script to Screen attracted a wide variety of directors and writers, from Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Mask) to Darren Star (Sex and the City, Beverly Hills 90210) with star Canadian turnouts including Atom Egoyan (Exotica, Felicia’s Journey) and David Cronenberg (Naked Lunch, eXistenZ).

The conference, which had a distinct international flavor, with directors and writers from Scotland, Italy and the United States, was not designed as a deal-making session although rumors of deal-making were whispered through the grounds.

‘It’s important they come together,’ Writers Guild co-chair Jill Golick said. ‘There was an unspoken fear that they [the writers and directors] couldn’t get along.’

Golick is pleased with the results: ‘[Script to Screen] is great for membership, conversation and community.’

The conference also featured a screening of John Swanbeck’s feature debut, the Kevin Spacey/Danny DeVito vehicle: The Big Kahuna (Lions Gate Films). Swanbeck was relaxed and obviously enjoying his time in Toronto. He says: ‘It’s good to work through some of the conflicting interests [directors have with writers].’