– Guests including Frank Spotnitz and James V Hart will headline a programme of master classes, panels and screenings, while three Polish films will compete for the festival’s main screenplay award
The Channel 4 series Summerwater, which will open the festival
The Script Fiesta festival returns to Warsaw for its 14th edition from 25-29 March at the Elektronik Cinema. Dedicated entirely to the craft of screenwriting, the Polish event will once again combine industry discussions, master classes, screenings and workshops, bringing together international guests and local filmmakers to reflect on storytelling across film, television and other media.
Organised by the Warsaw Film School, Script Fiesta positions itself as a meeting point between inspiration and practical knowledge, spotlighting the most notable screenplays produced in Poland over the past year while addressing broader questions surrounding the development, promotion and production of audiovisual projects.
This year’s programme is structured around two strands: hands-on sessions focused on professional skills and industry practice, and analytical discussions examining specific films, storytelling techniques and production models. According to artistic director Artur Zaborski, the aim is to provide participants with practical tools while also encouraging deeper reflection on contemporary screenwriting.
Across the festival, panels will address topics spanning the entire development process, from the earliest stages of writing to questions of audience engagement and legal frameworks. Sessions will explore how screenwriters can connect with contemporary audiences, how audience research and audience design tools can support storytelling decisions, and how creators can navigate international markets. Other discussions will examine the practicalities of acquiring rights to true stories, negotiating contracts and identifying potential legal pitfalls in production agreements. The programme will also include workshops on writing radio plays and series, as well as sessions on how screenplays attract actors and their representatives.
The analytical strand of the programme will centre on master classes delivered by the festival’s international guests. Frank Spotnitz, co-creator of the long-running series The X-Files, will discuss the construction of multi-season television narratives and the techniques that sustain audience engagement over extended story arcs. Meanwhile, James V Hart will reflect on his experience writing large-scale productions and literary adaptations, drawing on his work on Bram Stoker’s Dracula to examine the process of translating literary material into cinematic storytelling.
As at previous editions, the festival will also feature a live screenplay analysis session led by Maciej Ślesicki, a director and screenwriter, and the founder of Script Fiesta, who also serves as the chancellor of the Warsaw Film School. In addition, two panels organised under the patronage of the Polish Film Institute will present the institute’s programmes supporting short-film production and screenwriting scholarships.
Alongside the industry programme, the festival will present several screenings and premieres. Script Fiesta will open with a special screening of the British television series Summerwater, based on the novel by Sarah Moss and produced for Channel 4. The episode presented in Warsaw, titled “The Zaliskevcius-Piotrowskas”, will be followed by a Q&A with Polish actress Anna Próchniak and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter John Donnelly.
The closing screening will present the Polish premiere of an episode from the international series Kabul [+see also:
series review
series profile], directed by Kasia Adamik and Olga Chajdas. Set during the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, the series follows multiple characters navigating the chaos surrounding the evacuation of civilians from Kabul.
A central element of Script Fiesta remains its screenplay competitions, particularly the Main Competition, recognising the best Polish screenplay of the past year. Twelve productions were initially shortlisted, from which the jury selected three finalists: Under the Grey Sky [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mara Tamkovich
film profile] by Mara Tamkovich, The Altar Boys [+see also:
film review
interview: Piotr Domalewski
film profile] by Piotr Domalewski and Home Sweet Home by Wojciech Smarzowski.
Tamkovich’s Under the Grey Sky is a drama inspired by events in Belarus in the wake of the contested 2020 presidential election, following a young journalist confronted with escalating violence against protesters. Domalewski’s The Altar Boys takes the form of an intimate coming-of-age story centred on a group of boys serving at Mass in a small town, whose friendships are tested by moral dilemmas. Meanwhile, Smarzowski’s Home Sweet Home examines violence and hypocrisy, unfolding as a dark social drama focusing on violence against women. The winning project will receive the festival’s main prize for film screenwriting, valued at PLN 50,000 (€11,700). Following the screenings, audiences will also have the opportunity to meet the filmmakers behind the competing projects.
Beyond the core programme, Script Fiesta will also expand its scope to adjacent audiovisual fields, including panels dedicated to video games, a Music Video Night and additional practical workshops. All events are free of charge, though prior reservation of tickets is required.
Script Fiesta 2026 is organised by the Warsaw Film School with the support of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Polish Film Institute and the City of Warsaw.
