Winner Announced | Overview |  Eligibility | Guidelines

The Djerassi Residency Award/SFFS Screenwriting Fellowship is now closed. The program will re-open in the Summer of 2012.  See below for full details.

2011 WINNER

The San Francisco Film Society announced the 2011 winner: Julie Tosh for her script Program Rose. When octogenarian Alastair Evan’s wife Rose dies, his granddaughter Riley tries to help him; but he rejects her to stay in his garage, tinker with the toys he repairs, and do his errands on his adult-sized tricycle. Then he loses his glasses. She discovers the wreck he has made of the house and takes him to the eye doctor. Alastair and Riley then stop at her lab where he meets one of her caretaker robots. He asks to test a prototype. While Riley sets up an observation lab in the garage, Alastair tinkers with the robot. Riley steps in before he breaks it. Alastair continues to complain about the robot so Riley teaches him simple programming with a laptop and how to download behaviors off of the TV. Alastair has it watch videos of Rose until the robot spontaneously gets him his glasses. He decides to make the robot more like Rose. Alastair teaches the robot to copy Rose’s voice and gestures. He depends on the robot so much that he starts to treat it like Rose until Riley becomes concerned that he may think it’s human. When Riley tells Alastair she thinks it’s creepy, he kicks her out of the garage and tells the robot that he loves it. Alastair continues to tinker with the robot but he can’t get it quite right. Frustrated, he powers down the robot and spends most of his days in bed. He has a terrible nightmare, and he seeks comfort from the robot but it can’t respond in a human way, so he destroys it. Then Alastair races to the lab on his tricycle to tell Riley he needs her more than the robot. She forgives him and together they reprogram the robot to help Alastair’s eyes, not his heart.


For more info: www.julietosh.com



OVERVIEW

Sponsored by the the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, the Djerassi Residency Award/SFFS Screenwriting Fellowship will provide a one-month residency at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program for an emerging or established screenwriter.

Located in a spectacular setting in the Santa Cruz Mountains, 40 miles south of San Francisco, the program provides artists with uninterrupted time for work, reflection and collegial interaction in a professionally supportive and inspirational environment. The Djerassi Residency Award/SFFS Screenwriting Fellowship is supported by a gift from Dale Djerassi.

"With this San Francisco Film Society screenwriting residency at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, two important international arts organizations, dedicated to supporting and enhancing the creativity of artists, have joined forces," says Djerassi. "I very much look forward to seeing the fruits of this collaboration."

Open to both U.S. and international screenwriters, the Djerassi Residency Award/SFFS Screenwriting Fellowship offers living and studio accommodations and all meals at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program from August 10 through September 9, 2010. Residents work and are housed in two buildings on the ranch according to artistic discipline and creative project. Living quarters and studio space consist of a four-bedroom house and a unique, remodeled twelve-sided barn. The Award/Fellowship does not include travel and writing supplies.

2012 Fellowship:
This year's winner will take part in the 2012 Djerassi Residency, which will take place from August 7 through September 6. See below for application instructions.

ELIGIBILITY

Djerassi Residency Award/SFFS Screenwriting Fellowship is open to screenwriters that satisfy the following criteria:

• Applicant must be at least 18 years old.
• Applicant must be either an emerging or mid-career artists, for whom   appointments as resident artists may make a significant difference to their careers, or an established artist with a national and/or international reputation.
• The application, screenplays and treatments must be written in English.
• Scripts must be properly formatted to industry standard. Digital submissions must be in PDF format only.
• Please note that while we encourage filmmakers to apply for to the SF Internation Film Festival, Cinema by the Bay and Filmmaker360 project development program, winning a grant from Filmmaker360 does not guaranteed acceptance into any of the above programs.

Priority will be given to:

• Projects that are vibrant, intelligent, moving and innovative.

Evaluation Criteria

• Filmmaker clearly articulates his or her intended goals for the fellowship
• Filmmaker demonstrates how the fellowship will impact short- and long-term professional and artistic goals.

Restrictions

• Filmmaker may not be a SFFS or Djerassi Resident Artists Program employee or member of any SFFS or Djerassi board.
• Filmmaker may not be a full-time student.
• Project is not work for hire.
• Only one application per project will be accepted.
• Script must not have been optioned, purchased, in production or produced.
• Adaptations of any work (other than your own) are not eligible.
• Scripts by more than one writer are not eligable

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

• The LOI for the 2012 Fellowship is CLOSED.
• Additional materials deadline for finalists is September 7th, 2011.
• Winner will be notified in late September, 2011.
  

How to Apply
The Letter of Inquiry is now closed. Finalists will be selected by August 19th and asked to submit the following:

•  A three to ten page treatment
•  A minimum of ten pages of the script you are applying forLearn more about the Djerassi Resident Artists Program at www.djerassi.org.
• Work Sample: A minimum of ten pages of a previous screenplay (short or feature)
•  A work sample explanation
  

NOTE: Filmmakers with incomplete applications will not be considered.

Send materials to:

SFFS/Djerassi Screenwriting Fellowship
c/o San Francisco Film Society
39 Mesa Street, Suite 110
San Francisco, CA 94129

Review Panel
The Film Society will convene a panel to evaluate applications and award grants at its sole discretion.

Reporting Requirement
Grant recipients will be required to submit a progress report and a new work sample six months from the date of the grant award.

APPLY ONLINE
Our 2011 cycle for the 2012 Residency is now closed. Please check back in Summer 2012 for the 2013 Residency application.