Film Writers' Association Mumbai announces the 3rd Indian Screenwriters' Conference

Venue: St. Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Dates: February 25, 26, 27, 2013, 10 AM to 6 PM

First day: While Indian cinema and TV has been making rapid strides of progress in recent years, expanding the bandwidth of creative and professional freedom ever so often, there are also unanswered questions coming up: How much of India's changing social reality does popular entertainment really reflect? Have our stories become allergic to the real issues surrounding us? And, if at all, we use them for dramatic purposes, how are they really represented? What is the impact of that?

The terrible gang rape in December triggered off a national debate where one pertinent question repeatedly being asked is: How does popular cinema and TV portray women and the gender equation? Why has machismo become so integral to the definition of the new hero? And, what are the subliminal messages leaking out of our scripts?

FWA believes that it's time for some soul-searching! Screenwriters, as the original architects of narratives that engage the popular imagination, must get discuss and reflect on such issues, and collectively introspect on the question of social responsibility of our profession. Respected social scientist Shiv Vishwanathan will deliver the keynote address.

Second day: The Conference will showcase the new and interesting work being done by screenwriters in cinema and TV. How are older conventions being challenged, and broken? What is the new ground being charted by these emerging voices? What does that imply for the future of Indian screenwriting?

Third day: The newly amended Copyright Act has caused much exultation, and also some confusion. Top legal experts will demystify it and explain its implications for film and TV writers. And then, the Minimum Basic Contract, which FWA has negotiated with the producers associations, will be announced and explained.

850 screenwriters and writer-directors are expected to participate. This is the most important event for screenwriting in the country, and ought to impact the profession in a significant way.

Confirmed participants include: Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, Ashutosh Gowariker, Anurag Basu, Rakeysh Mehra, Govind Nihalani, Sriram Raghavan, Sudhir Mishra, Amit Khanna, Vipul Shah, Jabbar Patel, Vikramaditya Motwani, Bejoy Nambiar, Abbas Tyrewala, Amole Gupte, Habib Faisal, Navdeep Singh, Girish Kulkarni, Umesh Kulkarni, Lekh Tandon, Abhishek Sharma, Shridhar Raghavan, Kumararaja (Aranya Kandam), Rituparno Ghosh, Hariharan, Urmi Juvekar, Ishita Moitra, Manu Rishi Chadha, Leena Yadav, Prasoon Joshi, and others. More confirmations are rolling in every day. Will you be there?

Also, Tom Schulman (Oscar winner for 'Dead Poets Society') and Rebecca Kessinger (Asst. Executive Director of Writers' Guild of America) will be there as our guests since FWA and WGA are planning several collaborative initiatives.

Since seats are filling up fast, we suggest that you visit www.fwa.co.in and register. If there is a problem, e-mail screenwritersconference@gmail.com

Screenwriters, this is our chance! If you want to make a difference, be there!

Note: Only FWA members can attend the Conference. (So, if you are not a member yet, become one!)