Script to Screen

📣 Get in quick, applications for the 2026 South Shorts Screenwriter Mentorship Programme close on Monday!

This initiative supports new and emerging screenwriters who live in or are connected to the South Auckland community through hubs, script development and one-on-one feedback under the guidance of writer and director Briar Grace-Smith (Cousins, Waru).

This programme is made possible thanks to generous support from Foundation North 🌿

🔗 Link in bio for more info and to apply
🗓️ Applications close 1pm, Monday 13 July

The 2026 South Shorts Mentorship Programme is now open for applications!

This initiative is intended for new and emerging screenwriters who live in South Auckland or are connected to the South Auckland community – maybe you grew up there, have whānau there, or feel connected to the community in some other way.

During this mentorship programme (August-November 2026), you will attend a series of one-day hubs alongside like-minded creatives, be led through focused script development and receive one-on-one feedback under the guidance of writer, and director Briar Grace-Smith (Cousins, Waru). Briar has mentored the past 8 years of South Shorts, and she brings considerable experience and knowledge from her own projects.

This programme is made possible thanks to generous support from 🌿

More info and link to apply on our website – https://script-to-screen.co.nz/south-shorts-application-information/

What an excellent way to kick off FilmUp for 2026 💙 Thank you to our speakers Keren Green and Jude McLaren

What a week we had at Story Camp Aotearoa 🤍 Thank you to our incredible participants, advisors, crew and partners

📸

🎬 FREE EVENT | LIMITED CAPACITY

Shuchi Kothari in Conversation with Michael J. Weithorn: Comedy Writing Craft

Script to Screen and Screen Production | University of Auckland, in partnership with Ngā Aho Whakaari, Pacific Island Screen Artists, Pan-Asian Screen Collective, Proud Voices and Women in Film and Television NZ, invite you to a rare and insightful conversation on screen comedy!

Join filmmaker and academic Shuchi Kothari in discussion with five-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee Michael J. Weithorn for a 75-minute deep dive into writing comedy for both television and feature film.

Best known as the creator of The King of Queens and Ned and Stacey, and director of A Little Help and The Best You Can (2025), Weithorn brings over four decades of experience across formats, offering a rare cross-format perspective on how comedy works at every scale.

💡 What you’ll gain:

• Insight into building fully inhabited, original characters
• Approaches to constructing comic conflict and generating momentum
• Understanding how to sustain tone across seasons of a series or feature films
• Reflections on maintaining clarity, discipline, and purpose across a career in a changing industry
• A rare opportunity to hear from a seasoned screen veteran — with time for audience Q&A

✨ Great for:
• Feature writers
• Writers with series ambitions
• Writers at any stage looking to deepen their comedy craft

📅 When: Saturday 21 March, 3:00pm
📍 Where: University of Auckland
🎟 Cost: FREE

⚠️ Limited capacity — secure your spot now via Humanitix or the link in our bio!

📣 Script to Screen is thrilled to announce the addition of two Australian filmmaking teams and their projects selected for Story Camp Aotearoa 2026

✍️ Battle of the Ancestors
Natasha Wanganeen – Writer/Director
Isaac Coen Lindsay – Producer .c.lindsay

✍️ The Malibu King
Edoardo Crismani – Writer/Director

🎬 These filmmakers will be joining Story Camp Aotearoa 2026 from Adelaide along with eight Aotearoa-based teams. Learn more about all participants on our website - link in bio 🔗

🙏 A huge mihi to our partners South Australian Film Corporation for supporting this kaupapa