OVER 40 WITH A SCRIPT IN THE DRAWER? STREEP-BACKED WRITERS LAB LANDS IN AUSTRALIA
If you have a film or TV script tucked away in a drawer and a nagging feeling that you have missed your chance, this one is for you.
The Writers Lab, an international screenwriting program for women over 40 backed by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, is coming to Australia for the first time.
The first Australian and New Zealand intake will gather on the Gold Coast in Queensland in 2027, as Variety Australia reports.
What is the Writers Lab?
The Writers Lab was founded by Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon and has been running for 12 years.
Until now it has been held in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe.
The program supports women and non-binary screenwriters aged 40 and over, with the aim of tackling ageism and gender bias in the screen industry.
Streep has long been a supporter, describing the lab as offering "practical tools and spirited encouragement for the work of screenwriters".
Kidman has spoken about how women, particularly as they get older, are often not given the chance to be mentored.
For anyone who has ever felt invisible after a certain birthday, that message will land.
How the Australian program works
Twelve writers from across Australia and New Zealand will be chosen.
They will spend a five-day intensive together from 30 April to 4 May 2027.
The days are packed with one-on-one mentoring, group workshops and time to develop a feature film or TV script.
The mentors are Rita Hsiao, Liz Doran and Briar Grace-Smith.
Australian programming director Brooke Hemphill knows exactly what the experience is like, having taken part in the international lab herself in 2023.
The program is supported by Screenrights Cultural Fund, Minderoo Pictures, Screen Queensland, the WeirAnderson Foundation and the South Australian Film Corporation.
Community partners include AFTRS, WIFT New Zealand and Screen Vixens.
How to apply to the writers lab
Applications open on Wednesday 11 November 2026 and, according to Variety Australia, close on Friday 11 December 2026.
You will need to submit a 20-page sample from a feature film script or a TV pilot.
If you want to find out more first, the organisers are holding an open call webinar today, Friday 6 November, at 1pm AEDT.
Registration details are on the Writers Lab Australia and New Zealand page.
You can also check the frequently asked questions on the Writers Lab website before you start.
Why it matters
The numbers show why a program like this is needed.
Screen Australia's Gender Matters report for 2024 to 2025 found women held 33 per cent of writing roles and 32 per cent of directing roles in feature dramas that went into production in 2023 to 2024.
There have been encouraging signs, too.
In feature dramas funded by Screen Australia in 2024 to 2025, women, non-binary and gender-diverse creatives held 45 per cent of writing roles.
Programs like this help keep that momentum going.
A few practical tips before you hit send
Give yourself time to choose your strongest 20 pages, rather than rushing out whatever you wrote most recently.
Ask a trusted friend or writing group to read it with fresh eyes.
Read the eligibility details carefully on the official site, and note the closing date in your diary.
And if you have not written a word in years, this could be the nudge you need to dust off that idea.
It is never too late
So many of the stories we love on screen come from life experience, and women over 40 have plenty of it.
Raising children, building careers, caring for parents, surviving heartbreak and starting again are the stuff of great drama.
Whether or not you apply this year, the arrival of this lab is a lovely reminder that your voice still matters.
Now, where did you put that notebook?
