Apply now for May/June 2025 retreats!

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Each year Nostos Screenwriting Retreat offers four two-week screenwriting workshops taking place in the Tuscan Countryside. Applications are now open for our Spring 2025 retreats.

The retreat gives independent filmmakers from around the world the opportunity to work intensively on their feature-length narrative scripts or their TV Pilots. It consists of a residential workshop and participants also receive individual feedback. The lab is facilitated by a professional in the field with workshop sessions and one-on-one meetings. Aside from the workshops and the one-on-one sessions, participants have plenty of time for writing on their own. The delicious meals that are provided by our cook are an occasion for the participants to gather and share some social time. All in all, the time at Nostos is a wonderful opportunity to work intensively on one's script while connecting and receiving feedback from other filmmakers in a very inspiring environment.

Awards & Prizes

In total, 8 - 12 writers are selected per retreat. The selected writers are invited to join the next available retreat, where accommodation (single or double rooms) in the Tuscan countryside, all daily meals, and of course the two weeks of group workshops and one-to-one mentorship is provided.

Rules & Terms

To apply, send the treatment of your feature script/TV pilot or draft of your current screenplay, along with a logline for the possibility to be selected for this exclusive two-week writing retreat in the Tuscan countryside.

A team of qualified script readers will judge each script and treatment with a point system in different categories.

* Please note that every submission, in every submission category, receives a 500-word review!

When judging screenplays, these categories include premise-concept, presentation, structure, plot, pacing, dialogue, characters, theme, and style.

For treatments (these must be detailed, 15 to 30 page-long treatments) the readers judge the premise-concept, presentation, and originality of the story.

Your feature script should be no shorter than 60 pages (TV Pilots can be shorter) and no longer than 160 pages. The recommended length is 80 to 125 pages for feature scripts.

PLEASE NOTE:
* We only accept English-language submissions.
* The script you originally submit with your application is the file we will review. Any files updated or uploaded later are not guaranteed to be reviewed. If you would like to change the script uploaded with your submission, please contact hello@nostosscreenwritingretreats.com within 24 hours of your submission.
24 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Heidi-Marie Ferren

    I love this festival and can't wait to attend their next retreat! Everyone is generous, supportive, accommodating and incredibly generous with their time, skill and talent. Thank you all so much!

    January 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Heidi-Marie! We can't wait to have you join us at the next retreat!

  • Lowell Williams

    I can’t say enough good things about Nostos! Brilliant. Go if you can.

    October 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Lowell! We're glad you enjoyed your time at Nostos 📝

  • Julia M. Sauder

    This festival changed my life. The people who ran the retreat were amazing & the hospitality could not be beat. We were so spoiled! The mentors were brilliant. The other writers were outstanding. It was truly an experience that I will treasure always.

    May 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your kind review, Julia! It was a pleasure to have you at the retreat in May 😊

  • Lauren Kent

    I can't say enough about this retreat. Everything from the location and home cooked meals to the skill set of the mentors was incredible, and I made some extremely talented new friends. The daily workshops and one-on-one mentorship sessions helped me hone a project into a polished draft. Would love to go back someday!

    May 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for the kind words, Lauren! It was a pleasure to have you join us ⭐️

  • Eliot Cooper

    Location - Hill above Arezzo Italy on one side and a small village on the other - can't beat it.
    Food - Gormet cook, all meals yummy and healthy.
    Mentors - provided the clarity needed to take screenplays to a high level of what the industry is looking for. Great people who know how to share feedback in a positive manner and very funny story tellers as well.
    Nostos Team - met everyone's needs at the retreat and exploring Italy on the weekends or nearby vineyards in the evening.
    Screenwriters - talented, great stories to be told, some very personal, and all very friendly and willing to help others.

    Lots of time for writing in very peaceful surroundings and also I can't leave out Lalo, the truffle hunting dog, who never got tired of chasing b****. Or the Cat (Tito?) who went missing but turned up based on a Facebook post.

    May 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for the lovely review, Eliot - it was a pleasure to have you develop your script with us at the retreat!