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June 2024 in Arezzo

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Patti Parisi

Patti Parisi is a professional writer and journalist. Her education is in anthropology from Colorado State University, journalism from University of Colorado, and screenwriting from UCLA, NYU, Second City, and Screenwriting Master Class. She has written comedy, dramatic comedy, dramatic features, and animated shorts, in addition to her journalistic work in print, radio and television. She is currently finalizing a historical sports drama biopic.

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Colleen Ward

Colleen Ward has worked in the Australian screen industry for nearly three decades and has a wealth of experience in all levels of television production, across many genres, primarily in unscripted drama, reality and lifestyle. After a false start at University earned her a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Colleen knew the financial world wasn’t for her and instead she found her way into the world of radio in the early 90s.  A few years later, she made the move into television where she was to learn all aspect of the production process. In 2011, a move into Post Production was where she found her storytelling really came to life.  Whether crafting for a high drama reality show, or an emotional human story that pulls at the heartstrings, Colleen has been in high demand as a freelancer, creating TV for most of Australia’s leading production companies. Currently employed as a Supervising Post Producer, she works with other Producers to help guide them in creating their own compelling stories. Colleen currently lives 125 kilometres from Sydney with her horse-whispering wife.  She works primarily from home in an attempt to find some work-life balance in the country air.  Sometimes she finds it, sometimes she doesn’t.  It’s a work in progress.

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Christine Pluviose

Christine is a Brooklyn College graduate in Film Production, she thrives behind the camera, specializing in screenwriting and directing. She's also honed her documentary filmmaking skills with organizations such as the Maysles Documentary Center and DCTV. Christine has contributed to diverse projects, including short docs, experimental films, and narratives exploring themes like the Black Caribbean experience, comedy, drama, mental health, and interpersonal dynamics.

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Suzy Miller

I love to challenge conventional stereotypes, and have a portfolio of TV series and Features reflecting my own distinctive lens of the world. A background pre-motherdom in drama development at Film Four, my journey included Film Editor to Script Editor to Single Mum Social Entrepreneur/TEDx Speaker. Now finally doing what I love more than anything. Writing.  I completed an MA in Screenwriting (Distinction), and my first short script in 2021 was inspired by my mum's early stage dementia. I wrote and produced a short film that has been accepted into numerous festivals and placed in many - including an Honourable Mention at the London International Film Festival 2023. The film is the 'antidote to The Father' because, like most of my work, I make people laugh whilst exploring challenging subjects. I was accepted onto Stowe Narrative Lab 2023, and a TV pilot was Winner of a Comedy Pilot Competition out of nearly 800 scripts platformed by The BBC Writer's Room. During a PhD at Goldsmiths I’ve written a cinematic horror and am re-imagining that as a binaural immersive audio series, and writing/producing a binaural 30 minute audio drama with a local Sussex crew of collaborators. Although screenwriting is my focus, I also need to get stuff made, because it improves my writing. My focus as a writer is to influence positive change. Not tell people what to think, but move them emotionally to consider perspectives they may not have thought deeply about before. I use comedy a great deal to achieve this. My life experiences reflect the stories of ‘invisible’ audiences who are currently not adequately represented - whether diverse through age, gender or disability. After a life time of child rearing, I’m also pretty current on what the younger generation are up to as well. I am choosing this life as a full time passion, giving up a sensible career in marketing despite the financial consequences. I live in a shed in my garden and rent out rooms in my house to get by. And I’ve never been happier.  https://suzymiller.co.uk

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Dominique Saint Malo

Dominique began her industry career as a reading committee member for the Nantucket Film Festival. Ever since, she's freelanced on productions with Hulu, Netflix, NBCUniversal—among others—and her most recent script ANAPHORA has just been shortlisted by Barnstorm Fest. Passionate about social justice and her Latin background, this cafe con leche-connoisseuse writes love stories that explore cultural bounds as well as moral ambiguity (whether dangerous, funny, or both). 

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Divija Mohan

Divija is a comedian, writer, and storyteller born in Mumbai and raised in the hills of southern India. Her career as a journalist, education consultant, and comedian led her across the UK, the US, and India. She has worked for prestigious organizations such as GQ, Twitter, and Screen International. She is an Alfred P. Sloan finalist with an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. She is currently in her third year of the BAFTA Newcomers Programme. Divija’s writing focuses on the lives of immigrants, the legacy of colonialism and mental health in the South Asian diaspora, and the experiences of Tamil women in America. Her writing reflects the rich historical and cultural diversity of India and brings it to screens for an international audience. Her short film “Scattered” won the Honorable Jury Mention at the 10th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival. When she is not writing, she is creating viral Tiktok videos tackling social issues in the South Asian community.

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Tegan Ware

Tegan Ware is a filmmaker, theatre director and writer based in the Illawarra and Sydney regions of Australia. Tegan studied at the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television (2019-2020) where she worked on over 50 short film projects including  her graduate project Crow (2022) which she wrote and directed. She studied screenwriting as part of the UCLA Professional Program (2022-2023) and studied directing part time as part of NIDA’s Director Studio program (2023). She has developed work as part of the Merrigong and South Coast Writers Centre Playwright Program (2022)  and is currently in development of a new theatrical piece through the Merrigong X artist program (2023-2024) . Ware’s short screenplay ‘In the Garden’ (2021) was selected as part of the official selection in the Siren Screenplay Competition (2021). Her play 'Cicada' was shortlisted for the 'Patrick Page Playwright Award' (2024). She has written for and collaborated with production companies Knockout Productions and Three Quarters Productions and has made music videos for artists such as Ellen Soffe and Little Green.

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Josh Baker

Josh Baker is a Halifax, Nova Scotia based screenwriter who works as a film researcher and script reader. Since obtaining a BFA in Film Studies in 2017 Josh has continued to finesse his screen-writing skills through numerous screen-writing programs. His most recent project, Straight Baiting, a one-hour comedy drama series based on his own experience as a deeply closeted high school student in the early 2010’s won Daniela Saioni’s TV Comedy Series Premise Creation Challenge competition.

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© 2024 Nostos Screenwriting Retreats

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