Dear Fellow Writer,

My apologies for this intrusion but I write on a matter of some urgency.

You are probably aware that the annual International Screenwriters’ Festival is set to start next week in Cheltenham, running from Monday 26 to Thursday 29 October. It is the only festival in the world that celebrates both the art and business sides of screenwriting and that brings together both the British and international community of writers.

And it needs you.

The Screenwriting Festival’s reputation has grown from year to year as the place to hear from and meet with the cream of writing talent and key decision-makers and to network not only with fellow writers but also TV executives, agents and product-hungry producers.

This year the line-up is stellar – including James Schamus, Simon Beaufoy and a serious who’s who of writers of the great Dr. Who series. There is a new town centre venue – Cheltenham Ladies College – which boasts fantastic facilities, more space for the many popular practical seminars from lawyers, producers, agents and developers, and a greater opportunity of public engagement with the Festival.

There are Script Bites, where you get to sit round the table with the major speakers and players; Speed Dating – a chance for a one-on-one with producers and agents; and the ever-popular Pitch contest. Former winners are now seeing their projects rolling on to production – so it really does work.

However, we all know that this has been a very tough year and that television and film have been particularly hard hit. Funding, both public and private, is in short supply and, with great regret, some of the Festival’s significant sponsors have had to reduce or withdraw their sponsorship. Without this support the future of the Festival begins to look very uncertain.

I therefore urge you, if you are still undecided, if you have thought of attending but never quite got round to it, if you are wondering if it is a good investment when money is tight, or have been before and are not sure whether to come again this year: please, buy a ticket now.

If you are in a position to sponsor an individual event that would be wonderful. If cost is a major factor (and tickets, though incredibly good value for money, are not cheap) and you are working for a production company, why not ask them if they will subsidise your ticket cost? In return they will get a happier, better informed and even more eager writer. Or they might be interested in sponsoring an individual event.

There are still two and four day tickets available (not very many so don’t delay) and discounts for multiple buys. The Festival or the Writers’ Guild will be happy to put you together with other writers to take advantage of this or you can join up with other writers from your region, old writing course or other writers’ networks. Cheltenham has a great range of places to stay and details are available on the Festival website, along with special offers.

You will, without doubt, be informed, entertained and inspired by the experience, and your ticket purchase will ensure that this festival – our Festival – survives to continue the crucial work of connecting screenwriters within the business and celebrating writers and screenwriting to the wider public.

You can buy tickets from our WEBSITE or TwelvePoint.com at or from The Screenwriters’ Store

I can’t promise Gordon Brown’s vision of Apocalyptic doom if we don’t rally round to help the Screenwriters’ Festival now, but I can say that its survival depends on our support.

Thank you,

OLIVIA HETREED

WGGB Film Committee