5th Cannes Screenplay List Applications

For the list's 5th anniversary, we're inviting all women and non-binary filmmakers and screenwriters with projects in development and financing stages to apply. In addition to the list nominations—which are promoted to industry professionals—we're planning a special, exclusive pitch event with a curated guest-list of high-profile investors and producers in Cannes. Stay tuned for next announcements in the coming weeks!

Applications are still open until March 15 at wscripted.co/impact

Focus on Inaugural Cannes Screenplay List Nominees

As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of the list, we are excited to highlight the work of all list nominees, starting with the Inaugural Cannes Screenplay List, which will be highlighted in our fifth anniversary booklet promoted with the industry, producers and agents.

Since the first edition of the list, it has been an honor to promote outstanding scripts by women and non-binary writers during the Cannes Film Market. In 2021, we had the pleasure to announce a first-of-its-kind partnership with MUBI (The Substance) to present the list, which has been the exclusive partner of the list ever since. The list has also received support from A-list filmmakers through two special juries, including Academy Award nominee for Best International Feature Mounia Meddour (Papicha), Camille Griffin (Silent Night), and Funa Maduka (Waiting for Hassana) in 2023; BAFTA-winning actress and producer Vanessa Kirby (The Crown), Nathalie Marchak (@catcall), and Nathalie Álvarez Mesén (Clara Sola) in 2024. It's been a true honor to nominate such incredible talents and collaborate with a jury of female thought leaders shaping the path for women in film across the globe. Together, we have made the Cannes Screenplay List a prestigious list that has grown into a movement boosting the production of female-led content. Click below to discover the nominees of the Inaugural Cannes Screenplay List on our @wscripted instagram!

Wscripted’s partner organization STOWE LABS’s Writer’s Retreat regular applications close March 3!

Application Season for Stowe Story Labs’ 2025 Writers’ Retreats is now open. Writers’ Retreats are five-day, in-person programs focused on script feedback and project advancement planning. Retreats offer three one-on-one meetings with three different industry mentors, direct access to working industry professionals, instructional content, writing exercises, peer group sessions, and shared meal and social time designed to help form professional relationships in this collaborative industry. Participants will leave the program with actionable script notes, a plan to further develop the work, and a network of new peers and colleagues.

Stowe supports artists’ professional development through Fellowships and Scholarships. Learn more and apply here: https://bit.ly/3BgrLA7 

The Regular Deadline is March 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM PT.

Wscripted’s partner organization THE WRITERS LAB just opened its 2025 applications!

Our friends at The Writers Lab are celebrating their 11th year! Submissions for their 2025 Int’l Lab open February 25th.

Supported by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and now Natalie Portman, The Writers Lab is the only program in the world devoted exclusively to script and career development for women and nonbinary writers 40+.

International submissions of both Features and Pilots (both 1-hour and ½-hour) in English will be considered. 12 promising projects will be selected for an in-person retreat in New York in November, 2025. (Dates subject to change.)

During the four-day Lab, Mentors and Writers engage in rigorous script development through one-on-one mentor meetings, small group and panel discussions, peer workshops, story rooms, and more. In the following months of ongoing development, TWL mentors guide writers through the revision process with actionable feedback and offer strategic advice and advocacy with the help of partners, industry leaders, and their talented peers.

Previous TWL lab winners have gone on to secure management, make The Black List, and have their screenplays produced.

Regular Deadline: April 1st

For more information, please visit twlstories.org

Annual Partner

Wscripted’s Cannes Screenplay List is presented by MUBI. MUBI is offering 60 days of great cinema to all Wscripted’s community. Click below to redeem MUBI’s free offer and start streaming today!

What we are watching this week on MUBI

The Substance by Coralie Fargeat

The Girl with the Needle by Magnus von Horn

How to have sex by Molly Manning Walker