Nassau, Bahamas – October 12, 2015 – Back by popular demand! The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) is proud to announce the return of its popular Screenwriters Residency Program (formerly known as the Filmmakers Residency Program), which provides screenplay writers from around the world with the opportunity to receive invaluable mentoring from industry professionals.  The program is also accepting applicants to attend for full tuition until October 31 -- details and entry page here. 

BIFF’s Screenwriters’ Residency Program seeks to nurture new filmmakers and screenwriters by providing them with an unrivaled opportunity to spend a full day with accomplished professionals who make a living working in the industry from Los Angeles and New York.

The esteemed group of Screenwriters’ Residency advisors presiding over this year’s program and evaluating candidates includes Vince Gerardis (producer of HBO’s “Games Of Thrones”), Dan Guando (EVP Acquisitions, Production & Development at The Weinstein Company), Taylor Benzie (Literary Manager at Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment), Sean Covel (producer of “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Beneath” and “Café”), Matthew Helderman (co-CEO at Buffalo 8 Productions and Bondit) and Cameron Cubbison (development executive and co-founder of ScreenCraft).  Congratulations to the selected attendees and to all the screenwriters who made it to our list of 2015 quarter-finalists. 

Emerging screenwriters selected to participate in the program are:

• Amanda Glassman with her script “A Most Dangerous Current”
• Andrew Wood with his pilot “Human Resources”
• John J. Griffin with his script “Crater”
• Karyn Kobayashi with her script “To Provincetown”
• Kendell Courtney Klein with her script “Chas Addams”
• Pamela Jaye Smith and Monty Hayes McMillan with their script “The Cuban Circuit” 

The program will take place in Harbour Island Eleuthera during the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), from December 1st – December 4th, including introduction to mentors and one-on-one meetings. Towards the end of the week participants will come together so that each person can ask questions in a group dynamic. Finally, the advisors will meet with each other and give feedback on each project, which will provide the filmmaker with comments from an impressive cross-section of expertise and perspectives.

BIFF Founder and Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool said, “This is always an exciting time in the lead-up to the festival, announcing the writers who will join us in our spectacular Bahamas setting for four days of intense and enjoyable career and project development. Our impressive lineup of industry experts mentoring these writers will ensure this is a creatively fertile residency for the participants. We are thankful to Buffalo 8 Productions and ScreenCraft for their support to continue this sought-after and highly regarded program”

The 2015 Screenwriters’ Residency Program is presented by Bahamas International Film Festival, Buffalo 8 Productions and ScreenCraft, and is held over the first four days of the festival.

BIFF 2015 begins Tuesday, December 1st in Nassau and runs through Saturday, December 12th. Additional announcements pertaining to the Festival will be made in the coming weeks. For additional information please visit www.bintlfilmfest.com.

About the Bahamas International Film Festival

The Bahamas International Film Festival is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing the local Bahamian community and international visitors with a diverse presentation of films from around the world. In addition to offering films that might not otherwise be released theatrically in the Bahamas, BIFF provides a unique cultural experience and set of educational programs and forums for exploring the past, present and future of cinema.   

The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) was launched in 2004 with its mission as a non-profit organization dedicated to create a cine-literate arts community, bridging cultures, gaining knowledge, and attracting a targeted tourism sector through the film industry.

Over the years. BIFF has attracted A-List celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Chaz Ebert, Debra Messing, Danny Glover, Heather Graham, Alan Arkin, Sir Sean Connery, Roger Corman, Daryl Hannah, Sophie Okonedo, Anna Faris, Naomie Harris, Zoe Kravitz, Lenny Kravitz, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Roger Guenveur Smith, Lee Daniels and many more

BIFF has showcased more than 800 films from countries around the world exposing The Bahamas to an international audience of filmmakers.