A screenwriting development program supported by Hollywood heavyweight Meryl Streep and Australia’s own Nicole Kidman is heading Down Under for the first time, offering female and nonbinary writers over 40 the chance to develop their projects alongside industry veterans.
The Writers Lab, which aims to combat ageism and gender bias in the entertainment industry, will launch its inaugural Australian and New Zealand program on the Gold Coast in April 2027.
Twelve writers from across the region will be selected to participate in the five-day intensive, running from April 30th to May 4th. The program will feature one-on-one mentoring sessions, group workshops and opportunities to develop feature film and television scripts.
Among the confirmed mentors are Rita Hsiao (“Mulan,” “Toy Story 2” and “The Monkey King”), Liz Doran (“My Brilliant Career,” “Please Like Me”) and Briar Grace-Smith (“Cousins,” “The Strength of Water,” “Swift Street”).
Streep, a longtime supporter of the initiative, has championed its efforts to create more opportunities for experienced female screenwriters. “The Writers Lab provides practical tools and spirited encouragement for the work of screenwriters whose point of view, fruit of their age and gender, has been consistently undervalued in the marketplace,” she said.
Kidman similarly highlighted the importance of mentorship for women navigating the industry later in their careers: “A lot of times there’s not the opportunity for women, especially as they get older, to be mentored. And that’s what the Writers Lab does.
“The more women’s stories we see, the more women are empowered,” she added.
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Founded by Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, the Writers Lab has operated for 12 years, with programs previously held in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe.
The expansion comes as gender inequality remains an issue in Australia’s screen industry. According to Screen Australia’s 2024–25 “Gender Matters” report, women accounted for just 33% of writing roles and 32% of directing roles across feature drama productions entering production in 2023–24.
While representation has improved in Screen Australia-funded projects, women, nonbinary and gender-diverse creatives still held only 45% of writing roles and 36% of directing roles in funded feature drama productions in 2024–25.
Across the Tasman, a 2021 NZ On Air diversity report found that women accounted for 48.8% of writers and 42.7% of directors on publicly funded screen projects. While the figures suggest greater gender parity in writing roles, women remained underrepresented in directing positions.
The inaugural local program will be led by Kaiden and Wilon, alongside Australian programming director Brooke Hemphill, who previously participated in the international lab in 2023. The initiative is supported by the Screenrights Cultural Fund, Minderoo Pictures, Screen Queensland, the WeirAnderson Foundation and the South Australian Film Corporation, with additional community partners including AFTRS, WIFT New Zealand and Screen Vixens.
Applications open on November 11th and close on December 11th, 2026. Eligible writers must submit a 20-page sample from a feature film or television pilot script to be considered for one of the 12 places. See here for details.