The Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) in Toronto has partnered with New York-based program The Writers Lab to launch a Canadian edition.

The Writers Lab Canada is a three-day intensive for up to eight women and non-binary writers who are 40 or older to develop a film or TV script. The Lab will take place at the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) Ontario office from Dec. 4 to 6.

The program is run in partnership with podcast and community organization the Firecracker Department, which is offering optional script prep sessions for writers.

Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, who co-founded the original program in 2015, will run the Canadian edition of the Lab. The duo will also receive the Best In the Biz Maverick Tribute during FeFF, where they will take part in a Screenwriters Masterclass on July 21.

Kaiden is a former theatre and film critic and served as head of development at Tangerine Entertainment, while Wilon is a former journalist and magazine editor. The Writers Lab (NYC) is supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman.

The Writers Lab Canada will launch at FeFF on Thursday (July 18), with submission open until Aug. 8. Participants are expected to be announced on Oct. 16.

The eight finalists will be selected by a committee composed of screenwriters and story consultants, along with partners from FeFF, Firecracker Department and The Writers Lab (NYC).

The Female Eye Film Festival runs from July 18 to 21.

Image: Unsplash