Until a month ago I thought that the fact that I got an agent and met my heroes at the LSWF was the greatest thing about it. I was a FOOL, I tell you. A FOOL!
Over the past few weeks I’ve realised that the very best thing about the festival is the people and the community. Advisory warning: genuine emotion in this blog and few cheap gags – please read anyway. By way of a series of good wishes and kind offers from various people involved in the festival, I found myself in conversation with Chris Jones about stepping up, taking action and paying it forward. This led to him sharing the story of a real life Wonder Woman.
Cate Wood Hunter had been chosen as part of a delegation from South Africa to the LA Film Expo but government funding cuts meant that she wasn’t able to go. The Writers’ Guild of South Africa then asked her to be part of their delegation to the London Screenwriters’ Festival but, again, finances were against her. So far, so frustrating but hey – we’re all struggling, right? WRONG! Not compared to this girl! Cate has been diagnosed with cancer three times. THREE. The third time she was diagnosed (slap bang in the middle of an M.A in Screenwriting), she was told it was untreatable.
She promptly wrote a fantastic screenplay and completed her M.A whilst finding alternative ways to heal herself. Seriously?! I find myself staring hopelessly at my laptop when I’ve got a bad cold! She wrote a screenplay and got herself an M.A whilst battling cancer! If anyone deserves to go to the festival, it’s Cate!
So, with MASSIVE support and help from Chris, I set up an Indiegogo campaign to raise the money to get her here. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-get-cate-to-the-london-screenwriters-festival-television#/
What a privilege it has been.
The LSWF community is astonishing in its warmth, love, and generosity. Cate has been overwhelmed by the kindness of ‘strangers’ BUT the people involved in the festival treat each other as friends, even before we’ve even met. And I’m not just talking about the delegates; we merry band of hopefuls, chasing our dreams. I’m talking about EVERYBODY, from the festival organiser, Chris (who I suspect is not actually human since he manages to organise the festival, run CREATE 50, write a screenplay that makes it to the semi-finals of the Nicholl Fellowships AND offer help, support and sheer positivity to anyone and everyone – AND BREATHE) to the people who will be speaking at the festival. We’ve had donations from a BAFTA winning television writer and from the writer of an Oscar nominated film. They don’t just flash the cash – they’ve offered luck and love and can’t wait to meet Cate at the festival.
And it’s made me realise what a special thing this festival is. Never mind the Pitch Fest, the Script Labs, the Writers Room, the Script to Screen, the trillions (only slight exaggeration) sessions run by writers/producers/directors/script editors/actors – although these are all FANTASTIC.
What is JOYOUS is the willingness of everyone involved to help each other. Be it a cheery message on Facebook to say ‘well done’ or ‘better luck next time’, or a fiver here, a tenner there, to help a dream. There is a feeling, a spirit at the LSWF that we’re all in this together, whether you’re starting out with a nugget of an idea for a script or you’ve got a row of shiny awards to alleviate the insecurities.
These past few weeks have reignited my hope and faith in human nature. THANK YOU.
Lisa McMullin
@lisamcmullin
Posted by a member of the London Screenwriters’ Festival team.
