AI IN FILM & TV INDUSTRIES: CREATIVE MODULE WORKSHOP WITH MARTIN PERCY London 17-18 January
INTIMACY COORDINATION FOR FILM TV WORKSHOP WITH DAVID THACKERAY Berlin 21-22 Fenruary
LONE SCHERFIG
DURATION: 2 Days HOURS
21/22 . 03 . 2026
LOCATION: Lisbon | Portugal
PRICE: 599EUR (399EUR Until 26th December)
VACANCES: 25
CONTACT: filmlab@fest.pt
LONE SCHERFIG IMPROVING WRITING & DIRECTING TECHNIQUES WORKSHOP
ABOUT LONE SCHERFIG
Lone Scherfig is an Academy Award–nominated, Silver Bear–winning writer and director whose films have been celebrated at the Berlin International Film Festival, Sundance, Cannes, TIFF, and by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. With a career spanning more than four decades, her work has earned Oscar and BAFTA nominations, major international jury prizes, and sustained global audiences, establishing her as one of the most influential European filmmakers of her generation.
Scherfig first emerged as a significant cinematic voice with her debut feature The Birthday Trip, which was selected for Panorama at the Berlinale. Scherfig’s global breakthrough came with Italian for Beginners (2000), the fifth official film of the Dogme 95 movement. A landmark of Scandinavian cinema, the film became one of the most commercially successful Nordic films ever made, while also achieving critical acclaim. It won the Silver Bear – Jury Grand Prix and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, alongside numerous international awards. Notably, Scherfig redefined the Dogme aesthetic by creating a film of warmth, humour, and emotional accessibility, expanding the movement’s artistic possibilities.
Her first English-language feature, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, toured major festivals worldwide and received awards across Europe, North America, and Asia. Praised for its tonal courage and emotional nuance, the film further demonstrated Scherfig’s mastery of character-driven storytelling and her rare ability to handle difficult themes with empathy and restraint.
In 2009, Scherfig directed An Education. The film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, received three Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, and garnered eight BAFTA nominations. It also launched Carey Mulligan’s international career, earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, a testament to Scherfig’s exceptional work with actors and her sensitivity to performance. An Education remains a reference point for literary adaptation, tone control, and emotionally precise direction.
Following this success, Scherfig directed a series of high-profile British productions, including One Day, a global box-office hit adapted from David Nicholls’ bestselling novel; The Riot Club, a sharp examination of power and privilege; and Their Finest, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and screened at Sundance and the London Film Festival, earning praise for its ensemble performances and tonal sophistication.
In 2019, The Kindness of Strangers opened and competed at the Berlin International Film Festival, reaffirming her continued engagement with socially resonant storytelling.
Alongside her feature film work, Lone Scherfig has played a major role in television, directing and shaping series such as Taxa, Quiet Waters, Better Times, and serving as creator and conceptual force behind The Astronaut Wives Club (2015). More recently, she created and directed The Shift (2022), further expanding her work in long-form narrative storytelling.
Across her career, Scherfig’s films have been honoured by the Academy Awards, BAFTA, Berlinale juries, international critics’ associations, and festivals worldwide. Her work is widely recognised for its clarity of intention, deep respect for actors, and its ability to transform intimate human stories into universally resonant cinema.
For FEST FILM LAB, Lone Scherfig offers participants a great opportunity to engage with a filmmaker whose career exemplifies artistic integrity, international success, and sustained creative relevance. Her workshop draws directly on decades of award-winning practice, offering filmmakers insight into storytelling, directing actors, and shaping films that connect powerfully with audiences across cultures.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
This intensive two-day FEST FILM LAB workshop with writer and director Lone Scherfig is designed for filmmakers who want to deepen and refine their work as writers and/or directors.
The workshop focuses on the craft of storytelling for the screen, with particular attention to scene work, character, and the relationship between writing and directing. Participants will be encouraged to rethink how they approach scenes, actors, dramatic structure, and cinematic imagination.
Rather than prescribing rules or formulas, the workshop invites participants to explore how stories actually come alive: how intention translates into action, how scenes gain emotional weight, and how directing choices reshape what is written on the page. Lone Scherfig will draw on her own experience across film and television to illuminate the creative decisions behind the work, while remaining closely engaged with the participants’ questions and material.
Across the two days, the workshop will explore topics such as:
Finding a concept where story, aesthetics, and budget meet
Strengthening scenes through structure and dramatic devices
Understanding actors’ processes and how to direct performance
Developing dramatic instinct and cinematic thinking
Working intuitively while maintaining strong narrative focus
Participants are encouraged to submit a short description of the project(s) they are currently working on, along with a brief note outlining any specific areas they would like Lone Scherfig to address. This material will help shape the focus of discussions and exercises, allowing the workshop to respond directly to the group’s interests and needs.
The workshop is intended for writers and/or directors with prior experience, typically those who have completed several short films, television episodes, or feature projects, and who are looking to refine their craft rather than learn introductory principles. The group will be limited in size to ensure an in-depth exchange and a meaningful working atmosphere.
The workshop will be conducted in English and follows the FEST FILM LAB philosophy: an intensive, experience-driven format focused on creative process, reflection, and practical insight, led by a filmmaker actively engaged with the realities of contemporary filmmaking.
PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT
The workshop is intended for writers and/or directors with prior experience, as well as filmmakers interested in deepening their understanding of storytelling, scene work, performance, and the relationship between writing and directing.
WORKSHOP LOCATION
Lisbon, Portugal
16 hours
Duration: 2 days
Dates: 28th - 29th of March 2026
Location: London UK
Price: 599EUR, (399EUR discount of 30% until 26th of December)
Maximum number of participants: 25
By registering to the workshop you agree with FFL terms and Conditions
REGISTER FOR THIS WORKSHOP ON THE LINK BELOW:
ABOUT LONE SCHERFIG
Lone Scherfig is an Academy Award–nominated, Silver Bear–winning writer and director whose films have been celebrated at the Berlin International Film Festival, Sundance, Cannes, TIFF, and by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. With a career spanning more than four decades, her work has earned Oscar and BAFTA nominations, major international jury prizes, and sustained global audiences, establishing her as one of the most influential European filmmakers of her generation.
Scherfig first emerged as a significant cinematic voice with her debut feature The Birthday Trip, which was selected for Panorama at the Berlinale. Scherfig’s global breakthrough came with Italian for Beginners (2000), the fifth official film of the Dogme 95 movement. A landmark of Scandinavian cinema, the film became one of the most commercially successful Nordic films ever made, while also achieving critical acclaim. It won the Silver Bear – Jury Grand Prix and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, alongside numerous international awards. Notably, Scherfig redefined the Dogme aesthetic by creating a film of warmth, humour, and emotional accessibility, expanding the movement’s artistic possibilities.
Her first English-language feature, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, toured major festivals worldwide and received awards across Europe, North America, and Asia. Praised for its tonal courage and emotional nuance, the film further demonstrated Scherfig’s mastery of character-driven storytelling and her rare ability to handle difficult themes with empathy and restraint.
In 2009, Scherfig directed An Education. The film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, received three Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, and garnered eight BAFTA nominations. It also launched Carey Mulligan’s international career, earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, a testament to Scherfig’s exceptional work with actors and her sensitivity to performance. An Education remains a reference point for literary adaptation, tone control, and emotionally precise direction.
Following this success, Scherfig directed a series of high-profile British productions, including One Day, a global box-office hit adapted from David Nicholls’ bestselling novel; The Riot Club, a sharp examination of power and privilege; and Their Finest, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and screened at Sundance and the London Film Festival, earning praise for its ensemble performances and tonal sophistication.
In 2019, The Kindness of Strangers opened and competed at the Berlin International Film Festival, reaffirming her continued engagement with socially resonant storytelling.
Alongside her feature film work, Lone Scherfig has played a major role in television, directing and shaping series such as Taxa, Quiet Waters, Better Times, and serving as creator and conceptual force behind The Astronaut Wives Club (2015). More recently, she created and directed The Shift (2022), further expanding her work in long-form narrative storytelling.
Across her career, Scherfig’s films have been honoured by the Academy Awards, BAFTA, Berlinale juries, international critics’ associations, and festivals worldwide. Her work is widely recognised for its clarity of intention, deep respect for actors, and its ability to transform intimate human stories into universally resonant cinema.
For FEST FILM LAB, Lone Scherfig offers participants a great opportunity to engage with a filmmaker whose career exemplifies artistic integrity, international success, and sustained creative relevance. Her workshop draws directly on decades of award-winning practice, offering filmmakers insight into storytelling, directing actors, and shaping films that connect powerfully with audiences across cultures.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
This intensive two-day FEST FILM LAB workshop with writer and director Lone Scherfig is designed for filmmakers who want to deepen and refine their work as writers and/or directors.
The workshop focuses on the craft of storytelling for the screen, with particular attention to scene work, character, and the relationship between writing and directing. Participants will be encouraged to rethink how they approach scenes, actors, dramatic structure, and cinematic imagination.
Rather than prescribing rules or formulas, the workshop invites participants to explore how stories actually come alive: how intention translates into action, how scenes gain emotional weight, and how directing choices reshape what is written on the page. Lone Scherfig will draw on her own experience across film and television to illuminate the creative decisions behind the work, while remaining closely engaged with the participants’ questions and material.
Across the two days, the workshop will explore topics such as:
Finding a concept where story, aesthetics, and budget meet
Strengthening scenes through structure and dramatic devices
Understanding actors’ processes and how to direct performance
Developing dramatic instinct and cinematic thinking
Working intuitively while maintaining strong narrative focus
Participants are encouraged to submit a short description of the project(s) they are currently working on, along with a brief note outlining any specific areas they would like Lone Scherfig to address. This material will help shape the focus of discussions and exercises, allowing the workshop to respond directly to the group’s interests and needs.
The workshop is intended for writers and/or directors with prior experience, typically those who have completed several short films, television episodes, or feature projects, and who are looking to refine their craft rather than learn introductory principles. The group will be limited in size to ensure an in-depth exchange and a meaningful working atmosphere.
The workshop will be conducted in English and follows the FEST FILM LAB philosophy: an intensive, experience-driven format focused on creative process, reflection, and practical insight, led by a filmmaker actively engaged with the realities of contemporary filmmaking.
PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT
The workshop is intended for writers and/or directors with prior experience, as well as filmmakers interested in deepening their understanding of storytelling, scene work, performance, and the relationship between writing and directing.
WORKSHOP LOCATION
Lisbon, Portugal
16 hours
Duration: 2 days
Dates: 28th - 29th of March 2026
Location: London UK
Price: 599EUR, (399EUR discount of 30% until 26th of December)
Maximum number of participants: 25
By registering to the workshop you agree with FFL terms and Conditions
REGISTER FOR THIS WORKSHOP ON THE LINK BELOW: