I read with a huge amount of interest Marcus Robinson’s article ‘Where are our screenwriting stars?’ in the March 5 edition of Playback – and was immediately prompted to write to you. As a struggling Canadian writer, I wholeheartedly agree with Robinson’s position about the sorry state of Canadian film. To actually look at the figures in black and white gives one pause.

The question of how to fix the problem is a thorny one – for example, I have a completed screenplay which, as a Canadian, I would love to see picked up by a Canadian production company and filmed and shot in Canada, with Canadian actors. But realistically, where am I going to place my screenplay? Why, in the United States, of course. Frankly, I don’t even know where to begin to market my work in my home country. I don’t qualify for membership in the WGC, I don’t have an agent, I’m not cozy with industry insiders.

There seems to be no mechanism in place for working writers to actually get their work seen by the right people. For myself, I’m thinking of placing my screenplay on Inktip.com and praying to the old gods of celluloid that a Hollywood producer will see it, read it and like it. However, this is not my preferred course; I would rather sell it to a fellow Canadian. But how?

Your article asked where all the good Canadian screenwriters are. The answer is simple: we’re here. I’m one of them. We are begging to get our work out there. But how? Just tell us, and we’ll do it.

Anne Cobham