The Athena Film Festival Writers Lab is a three day creative development workshop for emerging writers which provides storytellers with creative guidance, training, industry access, and a valuable supportive network. Applicants must submit a project that features a woman or women characters in a leadership role of position at the center of the story.

The Fall 2023 Athena Film Festival Writers Lab will be held virtually on September 19-21, 2023. The lab will feature one-on-one mentoring sessions with industry experts and experienced writers, peer-topper sessions with fellow lab participants, pitch training, mock writers room, and industry day events including panels and conversations.

The regular deadline to submit is June 26, 2023. Two categories for submission exist. Screenplay and Episodic categories and rules can be found here: https://filmfreeway.com/AFFWritersLab. The festival has contacted the WGA legal department and have been assured that submitting your materials would not put you in breach of strike protocols.