Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin Panel
The WWBL for the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin 2020 Panel
By Cecilia Gigliotti
The Women Writing Berlin Lab, in conjunction with the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin, presented a panel of writers last Thursday night to discuss their own creative experiences and field questions from the local community.
Women* talking writing
Over an hour-long conference hosted on Zoom, four writers—three Berlin-based and one live from Chicago—representing the WWBL spoke about their backgrounds, projects, and goals within the discipline of writing. The evening then expanded by running down a list of frequently asked questions and interacting live via chat with the audience. Allia Sadeghipour, Elba Quintero, and Francesca Ferrauto together with and Crystal Joy demonstrated the variety of ways one can approach, engage in, be inspired by, and share creative work.
Your amazing panelists for the night
Getting personal
The Zoom screen toggled back and forth between the “Corona pod” of Berlin-based panelists and the home office of Crystal, currently in Chicago. It made for an intimate setting that reflected the personal histories related by the panelists—perhaps more intimate than the kind of pre-pandemic arrangement creative crowds would be accustomed to, like a stage with four chairs and a microphone to pass around.
As such, the women took a lively, conversational tone, summarizing the respective journeys that had led them to identify as writers:
Elba described her perspective as a poet first and foremost who was consciously pushing the limits of her comfort zone and exploring other genres including creative nonfiction;
Allia mentioned the ways in which an intersectional identity and teaching career have informed her writing, leading her to fiction subgenres which she has come to cherish, such as the ghost story;
Crystal gave an overview of her tenure as a screenwriter and the particular tenacity, schedule, and structure she has developed in order to succeed at it;
Francesca, a marketing specialist by trade, talked about how she got involved in the Berlin writing community and the different styles of writing it has exposed her to.
A word from the crowd
The panelists used a list of pre-coordinated questions as a springboard for discussion, ingeniously put together by Natalie MacMahon, the FFFB founder and host of Thursday night panel. The Q&A tackled issues such as: how to overcome writer’s block, and how to make time for writing in the midst of a busy schedule. The panelists also took questions from the chat. Attendees ranged from seasoned writers who used the skill in some professional capacity to newbie writers who wanted to learn where to begin. Luckily the panelists had the range to be able to speak to an entire spectrum of experience.
Natalie MacMahon - Founder of FFFB (Female Filmmaker Festival Berlin)
Women* talking writing well
“Practice makes progress. Don’t sleep on your own work!”
…remarked Crystal, replying to a question about surmounting perfectionism with a refreshing twist on the old adage. She stressed the importance of getting something done to begin with before thinking about how it needs improving or falls short of the writer’s expectations.
Elba, Allia, and Francesca echoed similar sentiments, repeatedly praising the free-writing exercise — a writer jots down whatever enters her mind so long as her pen does not leave the page for a prescribed period —. The practice of constant, uninterrupted activity, they made clear, will make a difference not only in the quality of your writing but in your confidence whenever you approach it. They assured listeners that perfection is usually an elusive goal and that the real point of writing was to create a steady, comforting venue for storytelling.
Resources and takeaways
Given each of the panelists’ different areas of expertise, both in form and genre, there was much talk—especially during the audience Q&A—about the various styles, objectives, and pitfalls of writing. The four speakers cited databases and resource lists that they referred to regularly in their own writing and promised to make available to the attendees on the WWBL site, via this very article you are reading (congrats!).
One genre they touched upon was science fiction —as this is the focus of this year’s Female Filmmaker Festival—whose notable and reliable databases include Bornhomme’s Sci-Fi and Speculative Fiction List. Whereas Allia kindly provided her own personal compendium of sci-fi topics and subtopics. These lists serve a twofold purpose: to alert writers to the myriad niches their work can fall into and to warn them off certain tropes and stereotypes that can often accompany these niches.
The panelists expressed a commitment to helping writers of all experience levels start from a solid foundation and learn to create meaningful stories that ring true, whether in fiction or any other category, as it is often custom at all WWBL events (virtual and non).
The WWBL is on a roll!
First and foremost the WWBL wishes to thank the FFFB for this wonderful opportunity! This panel is just a taste of the lively artistic discourse facilitated by the amazing women who contributed to this panel, making it an evening to remember! The WWBL plans to host similar events in the future, as well as to share all forthcoming projects via accessible digital platforms as social distancing restrictions remain in place in Berlin. Those in attendance appreciated the opportunity to hear from accomplished writers with diverse relationships to the writing world, including me, Cecilia (hello!).
Secondly, the evening served as a comforting reminder that art can thrive even in spaces of isolation and that artists can find ways to commune and connect despite the forces keeping them apart. Hence, if you too would like to support fellow women* writers, we encourage you to check out our upcoming events. In particular, if you want to hear more from the talented Crystal, you’re in luck!
Film Writing Masterclass with Crystal Joy
Head over to the WWBL Online Shop and book now your spot in this 8-DAY MASTERCLASS + ONE-ON-ONE EDITING (3 lectures + 5 days dedicated to writing).
We look forward to hearing from you!