08/08/2025 - A diverse group of 17 international writers have been selected for the new edition of the programme, highlighting stories that bring Greece’s unique landscape and culture to the global stage

Last year's edition of The OWL (© Athens Film Office)

The fourth edition of the OWL Screenwriting Workshop, organised by the Athens Film Office and the City of Athens, will take place from 4-7 October in the heart of the Greek capital. The initiative is designed to cultivate daring and original voices in film and television screenwriting while positioning Athens as a vibrant hub for international audiovisual productions.

Seventeen writers from around the world – including Iceland, Australia, the UK, Greece, Ireland, Bulgaria, South Africa, Canada and the USA – will participate in this immersive programme. Each brings a story shaped by universal themes and the unique narrative possibilities that Greece offers as a filming location. The projects will thus be developed with a global audience in mind.

Among the feature-length projects, UK writer Abraham Adeyemi’s Chasing the Night explores whether a city like Athens can rewrite the story of former lovers who cross paths on the last night of their trips. Also from the UK, Catherine Williams presents Minerva Sturdy, a coming-of-age comedy about an 18-year-old whose solo trip to a Greek archaeological dig challenges her mother’s strict expectations through an unexpected romance. Irish writer Jonathan Farrelly’s (Poster Boys [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) The Dead Don’t Log Out follows a cynical addict confronting deep family trauma through virtual reality therapy.

Greek writer Foivos Oikonomidis’ The Little Ones imagines an advertising campaign for lab-grown miniature fungi-based humans that triggers profound social upheaval. Georgios Feidas’ uMBILICUS_The Strange Adventures of Ulysses George tells of an archaeologist racing to uncover Delphi’s secrets before a shadowy cult intervenes. Canadian scribe Lauren Greenwood’s Self Portrait follows a young artist haunted by a doppelgänger after her father’s suicide. Mary Ann Rotondi’s Hellen of Troy depicts a US divorcée’s Italian trip, which is complicated by a sudden love triangle. Meanwhile, Greek-Iranian-US writer Sophia Kiapos’ Arezou is a poignant story of an 11-year-old girl in post-revolution Iran risking everything to attend secret ballet classes.

On the television drama side, Ioanna Fotopoulou’s The Devil’s Love Song envisions a dystopian future where characters trapped in “love rehab” confront a romantic apocalypse. Greek producer Minos Nikolakakis (Entwined [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Minos Nikolakakis
film profile]) presents his debut series, Occurrence, where bizarre or supernatural occurrences force various “toxic faces” of present-day society to confront the consequences of their actions and beliefs. Greek-US writer Spiro Skentzos’ (Grimm) Monkey Paw centres on estranged siblings who uncover a 2,000-year-old cult linked to their father’s death, forcing them to reconcile their past to survive.

Icelandic duo Guðný Guðjónsdóttir and Dögg Mósesdóttir’s (All Kinds of Sex) Undercurrent is set in 1900, when the arrival of French fishermen and an expelled nun sparks a female-led rebellion in a remote Icelandic village. South African scribe Iain Paton’s What Price Progress follows a ship captain who has been caught smuggling cocaine and who fights corruption in the Greek government. Bulgaria’s Nadya Todorova brings along True Tender Heart, which tracks a true-crime fan whose obsession leads her into dangerous territory. Irish writer Pearse Lehane’s Redraven follows DCI Churchill, tasked with solving the murder of a high-profile victim while juggling an undercover operation. In Mortal Coil, Australia’s Roger Monk tells the story of a thrill-seeking couple who turn their tourist adventure business into a niche euthanasia service to pay off debts.

The workshop offers a four-day, intensive experience where participants collaborate with industry veterans, including studio executives, platform representatives, producers and established agents. The programme is led by professor Scott Myers, a renowned screenwriting expert with more than 30 major films to his credit, alongside Greek screenwriter and director Elina Fessa, co-founder of script consultancy agency EXTINT and a Berlinale Script Station mentor.

OWL’s structure includes this initial in-person workshop in October, followed by remote mentorship through to March, culminating in a pitching session in Athens in October 2026, where the writers will present their polished projects to industry professionals.

Alongside the workshop, the OWL Industry Days event will offer a two-day platform for Greek and international professionals to network through one-on-one meetings, pitching sessions, and panel discussions focusing on co-production and original content development opportunities.

Here are the projects selected for the fourth OWL Screenwriting Workshop:

Feature-film projects

Chasing the Night – Abraham Adeyemi (UK)
The Dead Don't Log Out – Jonathan Farrelly (Ireland)
uMBILICUS_The Strange Adventures of Ulysses George – Georgios Feidas (Greece)
Self Portrait – Lauren Greenwood (Canada)
Arezou – Sophia Kiapos (USA/Greece)
The Little Ones – Foivos Oikonomidis (Greece)
Hellen of Troy – Mary Ann Rotondi (USA)
Minerva Sturdy – Catherine Williams (UK)

TV pilot drama projects

The Devil's Love Song – Ioanna Fotopoulou (Greece)
Undercurrent – Gudny Gudjonsdottir, Dögg Mósesdóttir (Iceland)
Redraven – Pearse Lehane (Ireland)
Mortal Coil – Roger Monk (Australia)
Occurrence – Minos Nikolakakis (Greece)
What Price Progress – Iain Paton (South Africa)
True Tender Heart – Nadya Todorova (Bulgaria)
Monkey Paw – Spiro Skentzos (USA/Greece)