Script to Screen with the support of Screen Rights present a new script development pathway for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent (DDN) screen storytellers in Aotearoa
Have a story you want to tell on screen? Want to strengthen your screenwriting craft, develop your ideas and better understand how to take your work forward in the screen industry?
Control + Alt = Script (CAS) is a new development initiative from Script to Screen designed specifically for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent creatives.
The programme recognises that Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent storytellers bring perspectives, experiences and ways of seeing the world that can enrich the stories we see on screen. At the same time, barriers to accessing training, development opportunities and industry pathways mean these voices remain significantly underrepresented in the Aotearoa screen sector.
A DDN-centred approach to screenwriting
CAS offers an opportunity to explore story and screenwriting craft and develop a short-form screen story with the ambition of seeing it produced. By placing Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent creatives at the centre of the learning environment, the programme approaches disability and neurodivergence as a creative lens, recognising that different experiences, perspectives, modes of communication and ways of processing the world can shape how stories are conceived and told.
Participants will engage with the craft and industry conventions of screenwriting while also creating space to question them:
What does the story need?
What does the writer intend?
How can that intention be communicated effectively to an audience and to the collaborators who may help bring the story to the screen?
The aim is not to prescribe one way of writing, but to give participants the craft, language and tools to make deliberate creative choices and communicate those choices effectively.
Stage One | Foundations
Develop the foundations of your story and your screenwriting craft in a one-day workshop
Join award-winning filmmaker and author Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Hinerangi) for a practical and engaging workshop that puts your storytelling through its paces.
Whether you’re new to screenwriting or have more experience, Stage One starts with a short-form story at an early stage of development. Drawing on short films, music videos and excerpts from feature films, Michael will explore some of the fundamental elements that make stories work on screen, with opportunities to apply them to your own idea.
You’ll explore:
- how character, motivation and conflict drive a story
- how purposeful cinematic choices shape the audience experience
- how powerful images can carry story and meaning
- how to identify the heart of your story and communicate it effectively
You don’t need to arrive with a finished screenplay or polished project. The workshop is an opportunity to explore, test and shape an idea you want to see on screen, and consider how different storytelling choices might strengthen it.
By the end of the day, Michael’s goal is for you to have a stronger understanding of the storytelling tools available to you and a practical toolkit you can continue applying to your own work. You’ll also have developed your short film idea towards a clear one-paragraph synopsis, giving you the option to apply for the two-day Stage Two development workshop in November.
Auckland: Saturday 26 September 2026, 9am – 4pm
Wellington: Sunday 27 September 2026, 9am – 4pm
Registrations are now open for Stage One
The foundation workshop is designed for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent creatives who:
- have an idea for a short-form screen story they want to develop
- are beginning or emerging in their screenwriting practice
- want to strengthen their understanding of screen storytelling craft
- are interested in applying what they learn directly to their own project
- want to build confidence and develop their screenwriting practice
You do not need a completed screenplay, professional screenwriting credits or a polished pitch to apply.
Your project can be at an early stage. We want to understand the story you are interested in telling, why you want to tell it and where you would like your screenwriting to take you.
Registrations Open: NOW
Registration Closes: Friday 16 September 4:00pm
Stage Two | Development
Take a short-form project further through focused script development in a two-day intensive
Following the foundation workshops, participants who want to take their project further will have the opportunity to apply for an intensive two-day development workshop. A smaller group will be selected based on the readiness of both the writer and their project, and what they hope to achieve through this next stage.
Stage Two is for writers and projects ready for a deeper level of development. Participants will interrogate and strengthen their story, explore how their creative intentions translate to the page, and develop their work with greater attention to the expectations of collaborators, funders and the wider screen industry.
Led by international story developer, Nicole Dade, this intensive will explore premise, theme, storyworld, character, form, conflict, dramatic engine, how to connect with your audience, cinematic storytelling, and rewriting. The intensive recognises that Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent storytelling may explore and expand beyond ‘conventional’ approaches to screenwriting craft.
Selection for Stage Two seeks applicants who can identify clear and achievable next steps for their project, such as developing their idea towards a short film funding opportunity, working with collaborators, or moving the project towards production.
Auckland: Saturday & Sunday 7-8 November 2026 9:00am – 4:00pm
Applications Open: 2 October 9:00am
Applications Close: 16 October 4:oopm
Stage Three | Feedback
Get dedicated feedback on the work you have developed
Following the intensive, Stage Two participants will have time to apply their learnings and work towards a specific development goal. They will then submit relevant material before taking part in a dedicated feedback session with a script advisor, focused on that goal.
This final stage provides an opportunity to receive focused feedback, reflect on how the project has developed, and consider the next steps for moving the work forward.
Biographies
Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker and author whose work has screened internationally at festivals including Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and Locarno. He is the recipient of the 2020 Te Aupounamu Māori Screen Excellence Award, recognising excellence in Māori filmmaking.
Michael’s recent screen work includes co-creating, writing and executive producing the New Zealand-Irish crime series The Gone, now spanning two seasons. He is currently adapting his acclaimed crime novel Better the Blood for television. His extensive television career includes creating and writing Vegas, and writing and directing Beyond the Veil. His feature drama In Dark Places, based on the wrongful conviction of Teina Pora, received a record 11 NZ Television Awards nominations, winning Best Feature Drama and Best Director.
Nicole Dade
Nicole Dade is a highly regarded story developer, writer and script producer whose work connects stories with global audiences.
Her recent production credits include script producer on Barrumbi Kids (SBS/NITV), and associate producer and script editor on Leah Purcell’s feature film The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson. She is also Development Producer for Oombarra Productions. Through her international consultancy and training company, Dept. of Stories, Nicole designs and delivers talent and story development programmes for filmmakers and storytellers of diverse experiences. She created Elements of Story, her own story methodology to break free of outdated ‘rules’ and jargon.
As a senior funding executive, Nicole developed a significant slate of projects at Screen Australia from early stage to production.
Felicity Hamill
Felicity Hamill is a freelance performer and crew member based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara with over 20 years’ experience crossing multiple departments on both local and international screen productions. Passionate about removing barriers to the arts, in 2023 Felicity was selected as one of three from Aotearoa to complete the Bridge 06 UK Access Coordinator Training programme in Sydney,Australia; with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and Screen Australia.
As an Access Coordinator, Felicity supports productions to implement an access first approach across the entire arc of a project, reflecting real life diversity on our screens, within our crews and in our audiences.
