The Annual Selection

Eight Francophone Feature Film Projects supported every year

Historically, this is Le Groupe Ouest’s first writer support programme. Since its beginnings, Le Groupe Ouest’s Annual Selection has coached eight feature film projects every year. The annual call for projects is issued in October and closes in December. Designated in March the laureates benefit from screenwriting coaching over a nine-month period, including four group sessions in residency in the Finistère department of Brittany.

The Annual Selection was the first programme to make a name for itself at Le Groupe Ouest. It has supported the development of scripts that went on to win the Caméra d’Or or the Grand Prix at Cannes, the Best Film at the Goya Awards, the César Awards, blockbusters on Netflix or Shudder, etc.

Supervised by European-level script-consultants, the writers benefit from a working environment designed specifically for them with wild seascapes to stimulate the imagination, in view of group emulation and individual stimulation.

Partners

In-residence Training for writers

Le Groupe Ouest’s Annual Selection programme includes a writing and development follow-up by a duo of scriptwriters-consultants, four collective work sessions in Plouneour-Brignogan and online consultations in between each session. With its project support and writing coaching platform, Le Groupe Ouest enables the selected writers to benefit from:

• A structured development follow-up from April to December by a senior scriptwriter-consultant and three complementary scriptwriter-consultants allowing for the exchange of views and appraisals of each project. Following this the writing and development options are carefully validated.
• A framework designed to enable writers to devote themselves full-time to their projects, removed from the demands of everyday life: residency accommodation and food costs are taken care of.
• Based on discussions and joint reading of projects among the writers at the same stages of development in the same place in residency, generating an often-essential level of emulation and future collaborations.
• Public presentations of the work in progress: an opportunity to gauge audience reactions for the first time. These delivery deadlines are also very helpful for the writer.

Who is this writer support scheme for?

The Annual Selection targets French-speaking screenwriters and writer-directors of feature films – live action & animation – with writing experience (including documentaries) which has resulted in film production and the film’s selection in national or international festivals.

Initially reserved for first to third feature films, prompted by our observations the Annual Selection is now open to more experienced filmmakers and writers. The work groups are more beneficial when there is greater diversity in experiences. The young talent “shakes up” the experienced writers, and the experienced ones bring consistency to the young talent…

It also targets writers from the performing arts, literature, plastic and visual arts, whose works have been made public and selected in national or international events.

It is essential that those wishing to participate in the Annual Selection are already involved in a consistent professional approach to fully assess the commitment required in developing a feature film.