THE TWO-DAY SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP
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The workshop is open to any writer developing a fiction feature project, regardless of its stage of development (whether a treatment or a screenplay draft) and regardless of genre. Each workshop is dedicated to only four projects, allowing for in-depth work and an individual approach to every participant. Projects are selected with the aim of creating a group whose members can inspire and challenge one another creatively. We discuss every story openly and respectfully, sharing impressions, doubts, and questions. We expect participants to engage fully not only in the development of their own projects, but also in supporting fellow writers. Participation therefore requires attendance throughout both days, familiarity with all projects under discussion, and active involvement in the conversation.
During consultations, we explore topics such as story structure, theme, character motivation, and the backstories of protagonists, supporting characters, and antagonists. We focus on identifying sources of tension and exploring methods of building dramatic conflict. Together, we seek the central dramatic question that can help shape character arcs. We examine whether the stakes of the story are clear, whether the characters’ goals and needs are well defined, and whether these elements place them in situations that compel them to step into an unfamiliar world and discover what lies within themselves.
We believe that a conversation in which an empathetic approach to both the writer and the characters is combined with intuition and proven screenwriting tools can provide the foundation upon which a creator builds a story that is structurally clear, coherent, authentic, and distinctive.
The workshops (formerly known as the Screenwriting Group Meetings) have been organised since November 2015. Since then, we have had the opportunity to discuss feature films, animated projects, projects for young audiences, as well as short and feature-length works. Many of these projects have gone on to receive support from the Polish Film Institute, participate in international development programmes, and enter production.
WORKSHOP LEADERS
The workshops are led by the Foundation’s mentors and founders, as well as script consultants who have completed the Foundation’s flagship year-long development programme, Atelier Scenariuszowe, under their guidance.
Dates: 20–21 June 2026 Time: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Venue: Mazovian Institute of Culture, 12 Elektoralna Street, Warsaw Application Deadline: 10 June 2026 Fee: PLN 1,500 per project
Application Requirements. Please submit the following materials:
Bio or CV outlining your previous creative achievements and/or professional experience
Synopsis (maximum 4,000 characters including spaces) or a one-page project description
Treatment or screenplay
Applications should be submitted as a PDF file named according to the following format and sent to: atelier@scenariuszowe.pl
*In the event of a large number of applications, a selection of projects will be made.
Projects that are not selected for this workshop are welcome to apply again for future workshops or to arrange individual script consultations.
The workshop taking place on 20–21 June 2026 will be led by Karolina Kapusta and Masza Grabowska.
KAROLINA KAPUSTA:
Script consultant, poet, and editor. Author of the poetry book "Fuzja Bordo" (Literary Office, 2023), nominated for the Wiesław Kazanecki Literary Award. A 2024 scholarship holder in literature from the Mayor of Wrocław. A graduate of the Script Atelier (module for script consultants). She studied the anthropology of literature, theater, and film. She has been involved in the film industry for years. She has collaborated with the New Horizons Association during numerous editions of the New Horizons International Film Festival and the American Film Festival. She has also collaborated with the Timeless Film Festival and the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia. For four years, she was responsible for PR services for Netflix films and series on behalf of a public relations agency. She currently works as a PR Manager at Canal+, where she is responsible for the communication and promotion of Polish and international titles. She also works as a promotion and communication strategist on selected titles of the distributor So FILMS (“Flow”, “Little Amelia”).
MASHA GRABOWSKA:
I read. I consult. I evaluate. I have been working in the film industry for over fifteen years. I develop marketing strategies and analyse market trends to help promote film projects in the Polish market, including the “Paddington” film series. I evaluate screenplays and have many years of experience in film PR. I am constantly looking for new challenges and opportunities to grow. I am able to assess a project’s distribution potential and work closely with programming teams. To date, I have evaluated more than 200 screenplays. I know the market and its audiences, and I am not afraid of critical yet analytical thinking. I value openness and dialogue. I listen — but above all, I hear. I always approach working with a screenplay as an exciting journey into the unknown. Over the course of my career, I have worked with HBO Polska, Monolith Films, Platige Image, and Polish producers. I currently work for Kino Świat CANAL+.
