Nova Scotian Writer Participates in éQuinoxe Germany Screenwriters Workshop

Josh MacDonald of Dartmouth is the first North American writer to participate in the éQuinoxe Germany Screenwriters Workshop.

Through the initiative of Film Nova Scotia, Mr. MacDonald and his project Over Under Through was involved in a unique experience with nine other selected writers from around the world from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1.

Film Nova Scotia recently became a sponsor of éQuinoxe, which opened the program to writers in the province.

An international jury selected 10 talented screenwriters to participate in the workshop, which is held in different European countries in the spring and in Germany each fall.

Mr. MacDonald and the other screenwriters were able to receive one-on-one sessions with 10 advisors from around the world.

The internationally known and experienced writers, directors and producers share their knowledge and experiences with the most promising talent the European and international film scene has to offer.

On the last day of the workshop, the participants took part in an extensive discussion about their script with three advisors and the screenwriter.

Mr. MacDonald, who is also an actor, had two films show at the Atlantic Film Festival this year: Faith, Fraud and Minimum Wage, and The Corridor. He has had several short films shown at past festivals and also hosted the festival's Scripts Out Loud event.

éQuinoxe Germany is an ambassador and supporter of European filmmakers on an international level. Through the independent and effective support of script development, 50 per cent of the scripts from the éQuinoxe Germany workshop become films.

More information about éQuinoxe Germany can be found at www.equinoxegermany.org.

Film Nova Scotia is a provincial Crown agency reporting to the Minister of Economic and Rural Development. The corporation provides a wide range of programs and services to build the capacity and competitiveness of the province's film, television and new media industry. The provincial film industry is the fourth largest in Canada, regularly exceeding $100 million in economic activity annually.