Media@McGill presents screenwriting mini-conference
How to make it as an English screenwriter in Quebec
Dispelling the widely held notion that all Anglophone screenwriters live in Toronto, Media@McGill is pleased to present a Writers Guild of Canada conference on English screenwriting in Quebec. Aspiring television and film writers will have the chance to meet several celebrated English-language, Montreal-based screenwriters on Monday, February 12, at 7:00 pm, in Room 232 of the Leacock Building, 855 Sherbrooke St. West.
The conference panelists include screenwriters Bruce M. Smith (Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story), Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik (Bliss, Cold Squad), Leila Basen (Bon Cop, Bad Cop) Anne-Marie Perrotta (What’s with Andy?, Caillou) and Steve Gallucio (Mambo Italiano). They will talk about how they got started in the business and are able to make a living in a predominantly French-speaking market.
Anne-Marie Perrotta, an animation writer and story editor says, "Quebec screenwriters who write in English have been hurt even harder due to provincial tax credits that lure work away to Ontario or B.C., and by a province where the majority of series and films are written and produced in French. Despite all that, many of us have been able to make a good living and write successful movies and television series."
Based in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies, Media@McGill is a hub of research, scholarship and public outreach on issues and controversies in media, technology and culture. Its activities are supported by a range of sources, notably the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation.