I hate to travel.  I know that sounds strange from someone who is “on the road” as much as I am.  But I find the prep, packing, getting to the airport and the flight very anxiety producing.  What I LOVE is my arrival.

I arrived in Munich and got my bags.  German airports are, as you would expect, a model of efficiency.  The baggage claim is right outside the gates, rather than in a crowded baggage hall for all arriving flights.

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The workshop location manager was there to meet me, we grabbed his rental car, picked up a dear friend, the head of eQuinoxe Germany, and drove up into the alps.  The scenery is spectacular on the road.  Several small villages along the way have the most glorious paintings of religious scenes or local scenes of brewing, baking, flowers or dancing painted on the exterior walls.

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Schloss Elmau was our destination, a fabulous resort and cultural hideaway tucked away on it’s own in the foothills of the alps.  Tired after a long trip I headed for the Hammam, a marble turkish bath and took a long steam treatment. I could feel all my tense muscles unwinding.

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Then I headed out to the outdoor pool.  The water is heated to about 98 degrees and was surrounded by patches of snow.  There were two naked German men in the pool as well. In  fact, there are always naked Germans in the pool.  This is my fourth trip to Elmau for eQuinoxe and it’s a startling fact of life that there is very little body self-consciousness at these kind of spa resorts.  I am sticking to my modest flowered one-piece thank-you very much.

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Next I hit the sauna for the heat to dry my hair and bathing suit.  Large windows again looked out over the snow.  Heavenly.  A quick shower and I dressed for dinner with some of the other advisors.  Then off to bed for a long restful sleep.  Arrival bliss!

I just returned from the fabulous eQuinoxe Germany International Workshop at Schloss Elmau near Munich.  The next workshop will be held in Ireland in April.  Here is the official information

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SPRING  2010

Sixth Intl. Screenwriters´ Workshop & Master Class

Dear Writers and Producers,

The Call for Projects for our 6th. International Screenwriters´ Workshop & Master Class is beginning. Our new online application is available now on our website.

Deadline for applications is 12. November 2009.

The International Screenwriters´ Workshops are geared towards writers with experience with at least one feature script produced. The workshops only deal with screenplays for the cinema. Scripts should be at an advanced stage (recommended is at least 3rd. Draft) of development in order to get the full advantage out of the one-on-one meetings with the advisors.

•    EU/EEC Writers who have had at least one script produced are eligible to apply

•    Screenplays for cinema may be submitted beginning immediately (1st. Drafts are not accepted)

•    There are no fees for the selection process.

•    Scripts may be submitted in German or English in industry standard format and pagination

•    If project is pre-selected, an English translation for the international jury must be provided in 14 days.

•    If your project is invited, the workshop assumes travel, food and lodging for the writers.

•    If your project is accepted, producers should plan to attend the end of the workshop.

Travel costs are not covered for producers, however, food and lodging costs are assumed

•    The workshop is held in the English language.

New Application Process:

The application will be available on our website.

To apply:  1) please send an email to: [email protected]  requesting a password for an application with project name, 2) a password will be sent to you per email, and 3) upon receiving a password, one can revise and save the application online before completing (printing out, signing and submitting per post).

Timeline:

Projects pre-selected for the international jury will be informed early February 2010.

The international jury selection will be the beginning of March.

Workshop scheduled for late April 2010

Our website is helpful to browse, should you require additional information,

please don´t hesitate to contact us by email or phone.

Best wishes,

Your éQuinoxe Germany Team

NEWS:

HELEN  written and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck received THE VOICE AWARD 2009 with “The Soloist”, “Michael Clayton” and “Lars and the Real Girl”

FOR A MOMENT, FREEDOM written and directed by Arash T. Riahi is the Austrian candidate for Best Foreign Language Film and is the recipient of 22 international awards

www.ForAMomentFreedom.com

éQuinoxe Germany e.V.

Feilitzschstrasse 1

D-80802 München

+49 89 38 47 60 27

www.equinoxegermany.de

[email protected]

Here is a description from the Equinoxe workshop website http://www.equinoxegermany.org/:

“An international jury selects 10 talented screenwriters to participate in the workshop. These ten screenwriters come to the one-week workshops and meet on the basis of one-to-one discussions with ten advisors from all over the world – internationally known and experienced writers, directors and producers– who without remuneration share their knowledge and experiences with the most promising talent the European and international film scene has to offer.”

“Twice a year scripts can be submitted for selection. Mid-May is the deadline for the autumn workshop. Beginning of November is the deadline for submission for the spring workshop.”