The CineComédies Lab writing residency

About CineComedies Lab

Created in 2018 and sponsored by Pierre Richard, the CineComedies Lens-Liévin Festival is an event dedicated to comedy cinema in all its forms. This popular, cinephile festival’s mission is to help people discover or rediscover the great classics of comedy, as well as rare films by great auteurs. CineComedies also promotes the emergence of new talent through its writing residency (CineComedies Lab) and its “Label Coup de Cœur CineComedies”, awarded throughout the year to comedies demonstrating the highest artistic standards.

After a partnership in 2021, around the first Rencontres Professionnelles, the FIFCL and the CineComedies Lab are launching a perennial collaboration in 2022. If the aim of this writing residency is to contribute to the emergence of new talent and the development of the art of comedy in cinema, what could be more logical than to invite apprentice screenwriters to our beautiful city, during the Liège International Comedy Film Festival?

Why a writing residency dedicated to comedy?

Comedy is the most popular genre. In France, it accounts for two-thirds of all cinema admissions. Despite its undeniable success, comedy too often suffers from a lack of quality in scriptwriting.

The cornerstone of a film, the screenplay is the tool that triggers financing and casting. Yet the screenplay remains the poor relation of French cinema, representing on average only 3% of a film’s budget (compared with 10% in the USA). Comedy is certainly the most demanding genre in terms of writing.

The writing residency

The aim of the residency is to support authors in the delicate development phase of their screenplays, helping them to resolve problems of dramaturgy or rhythm, or to explore the various narrative possibilities. In a spirit of exchange and cross-fertilization, they are supervised by consultants who are themselves screenwriters, and are confronted with the difficulties of writing on a daily basis.

They are also trained in the art of the pitch, an essential exercise in convincing professionals to finance a project.

Since 2022, the CineComedies Lab has been pursuing its development on a European scale. In partnership with the Liège International Comedy Film Festival, the call for projects is open to candidates from France, Belgium and other French-speaking European countries.

Selected scriptwriters now benefit from 3 work sessions. Projects are presented to European producers at the Liège International Comedy Film Festival.

The residency is also supported by Wallimage, via the Wallimpact line, which supports the development of projects. A conditionally recoverable advance of €50, 000 is granted to the Belgian producer of the winning project, and RTBF offers €17,500 for a Belgian-initiated project.

Since the creation of the residency, 29 projects have been developed. Several of them have been optioned by producers and are the subject of a development agreement. The latest is with Belgian director Emilie Sornasse and her film project “Le Temps des conquêtes”, which has attracted the interest of producer David Borgeaud (Roue Libre Production).