FilmForward and script consultant Sarieke Hoeksma present a series centered on the professionalisation of script development in film and television. This third edition is a Masterclass and Deep Dive with Hungarian screenwriter and director Gyula Gazdag. Apply to this Deep Dive by Monday 23 March, 14h00.
In the process of developing a film script, a screenwriter or filmmaker often works closely with someone who reflects with them on the storylines, structure, characters, themes, dialogue, genre, tone and more. This role goes by many names: script consultant, script editor, story editor, script advisor, script coach, dramaturg or head of development, among others. The variety of titles and roles within this profession is in line with the many ways in which script consultants contribute to the development of a film. They work closely with writers, yet often independently, with limited insight into the methods of other script consultants.
This programme aims to connect script professionals from the Dutch and international film industry to share their views and perspectives on script development. How do script consultants approach the analysis of a film script? How do they engage in dialogue with the filmmaker? And how do they navigate working across cultures and within an international context?
The third Masterclass and Deep Dive in this series features Hungarian screenwriter and director Gyula Gazdag. The Deep Dive takes place in the afternoon, for which we will select eight participants. Apply to the Deep Dive by Monday 23 March, 14h00.
Who is this Deep Dive for?
This Deep Dive is intended for script consultants, script editors, script coaches, and other script professionals. In a small workshop setting, you will delve into script consulting together with Gyula Gazdag. Full programme details will follow soon.
Practical information
Date: Thursday 9 April 2026
Location: De Brakke Grond, Nes 45, Amsterdam
Time schedule:
10:00 – 12:30 | Masterclass Script Consulting, followed by a networking coffee
13.00 – 14.00 | Lunch
14.00 – 17.00 | Deep Dive Script Consulting, followed by drinks
Costs: €150,00 excl. VAT (this includes the programme of the entire day, including Masterclass, lunch, Deep Dive, and drinks after)
As a creative or cultural worker registered in The Netherlands, you might be eligible for financial support from Werktuig PPO. See the website of Werktuig PPO for eligibility and rules.
For this workshop the cancellation policy is as follows:
- If you cancel more than 14 days before the workshop day, you will receive a full refund of the ticket price.
- If you cancel between 7 and 14 days before the workshop, you will receive a 50% refund of the ticket price.
- If you cancel within 7 days of the workshop day, you will not receive a refund.
About Gyula Gazdag
Gyula Gazdag is a screenwriter and director of film, theater, and television, and is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. He has served as the Artistic Director of the Sundance Filmmakers Lab since 1997. He was a creative advisor at the Maurits Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam for more than a decade and has worked with new talent at the Script Station of the Berlinale Talents (2006-2025) and at Sarajevo Talents (2014-2023). His feature films include A Hungarian Fairy Tale (Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival, one of the year’s 10 best films selected by the Village Voice, Best Feature Film by the Hungarian Film Critics, screened in 20 film festivals worldwide, including Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes), Stand Off (Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival), Lost Illusions (Best Screenplay Award at the Hungarian Film Week), Swap, Singing On The Treadmill, and The Whistling Cobblestone (Best First Feature by the Hungarian Film Critics).
Gazdag has also directed documentaries, including A Poet On The Lower East Side, Hungarian Chronicles, Package Tour; The Banquet, The Resolution (cited as one of the best 100 documentaries of all time on the International Documentary Association’s list), The Selection, and The Long Distance Runner. Most of his films have been banned for periods in Communist Hungary, and have been denied foreign exhibition, some of them have been banned again in 2012. For the stage, Gazdag has directed Candide, The Bald Soprano, The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Tempest, Tom Jones and The Hothouse, among other plays. Gazdag was named one of the ten best film teachers in America by Daily Variety in 2010. He is one of the two recipients of the inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.