Anyone wanting to break into the film industry and learn what it takes to write award-winning screenplays has a unique opportunity to hear from an award-winning screenwriter.

Kathryn Burnett, who has won awards as a professional screenwriter will be speaking at a public meeting at the Village Cinema, Tauranga Historic Village from 7-9pm on Monday February 20.

Kathryn is also a playwright, public speaker and writing coach who creates inspiring writing workshops. In 2022 Kathryn won the Best Drama Script at the NZTV Awards, for her co-writing of the tele-feature The Tender Trap.

She has worked in the NZ and Australian television and film industry for over 20 years and has significant television and film credits including episodes of Under the Vines, My Life is Murder, and Fresh Eggs, plus award-winners The Tender Trap, The Cul de Sac and The Amazing Extraordinary Friends. She has developed numerous television series for NZ's major production companies.

Kathryn has worked as a Script Assessor for NZOA and helped many writers and producers move their projects forward. She's a regular guest on RNZ's The Panel and has run sell-out workshops at the Auckland Writers Festival. In October 2019 she was a speaker at the Fourth World Conference of Screenwriters in Berlin. She was also a serving member on the New Zealand Writers Guild board for over five years.

Presented by Film Bay of Plenty, and hosted by Sarah Oemcke and Rosalie Liddle Crawford from the Film Bay of Plenty Screenwriters group, the evening will take the format of a panel discussion followed by a question and answer time with the audience. A break during the evening will provide an opportunity for people to learn more about the local screenwriting group and connect with others.

Kathryn will be fielding questions including what would her earlier writer self do differently while getting established, what are her top tips for writing successful screenplays, what are the most important elements of a good short film, and how does a writer find a producer and funders.

The Film Bay of Plenty Screenwriters group kicked off in March 2020 when New Zealand went into lockdown, with weekly Monday night meetings on Zoom. The group meets face-to-face once a month on a Sunday afternoon thanks to support from Priority One and has regular table reads, as well as guest speakers, writing sessions, and workshops. Members of the screenwriters group were in award-winning teams for the 2022 48Hours filmmaking competition and are working on feature films, documentaries, television series concepts and short films.

The purpose of the screenwriters group is aligned with Film Bay of Plenty's objective to grow the film industry in the Bay of Plenty.

If you love to write, think you have a great story idea for a film, want to be a screenwriter or already have the skills, this Monday evening with Kathryn will help you refine your writing skills and get you going in the right direction.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/screenwriting-qa-with-kathryn-burnett-tickets-545591146807

Tickets are selling fast, and there are limited seats to this interactive session with award winning professional screenwriter and writing coach Kathryn Burnett at The Village Cinema, Monday February 20 from 7pm -9pm.