Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman-Backed Writers Lab Set to Launch in Australia

Gold Coast — Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman-Backed Writers Lab Set to Launch in Australia

A screenwriting development initiative supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman is expanding to Australia for the first time, creating opportunities for female and nonbinary writers aged over 40 to develop their work with experienced industry professionals.

The Writers Lab, established to address ageism and gender inequality in the entertainment business, will hold its inaugural Australian and New Zealand program on the Gold Coast in April 2027.

A total of 12 writers from across the region will be chosen for the five-day intensive, scheduled to run from April 30th to May 4th. Participants will take part in individual mentoring sessions, collaborative workshops and script development activities focused on feature films and television projects.

The confirmed mentors include Rita Hsiao, known for “Mulan,” “Toy Story 2” and “The Monkey King”; Liz Doran, whose credits include “My Brilliant Career” and “Please Like Me”; and Briar Grace-Smith, known for “Cousins,” “The Strength of Water” and “Swift Street.”

Streep, who has supported the initiative for many years, has emphasized its role in helping experienced female screenwriters gain greater recognition and access to opportunities.

“The Writers Lab provides practical tools and spirited encouragement for the work of screenwriters whose point of view, fruit of their age and gender, has been consistently undervalued in the marketplace,” she said.

Kidman has also stressed the value of providing mentorship to women as they progress through their careers, particularly those who face fewer opportunities as they grow older.

“A lot of times there’s not the opportunity for women, especially as they get older, to be mentored. And that’s what the Writers Lab does.

“The more women’s stories we see, the more women are empowered,” she added.

Established by Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, the Writers Lab has been operating for 12 years. Its previous programs have taken place in the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe.

The Australian expansion arrives amid continuing concerns about gender representation in the country’s screen industry. Screen Australia’s 2024–25 “Gender Matters” report found that women held 33% of writing positions and 32% of directing roles in feature drama productions that entered production during 2023–24.

Although representation has improved among projects receiving Screen Australia funding, women, nonbinary and gender-diverse creatives accounted for just 45% of writing positions and 36% of directing roles in funded feature drama productions in 2024–25.

In New Zealand, a 2021 NZ On Air diversity report recorded women as holding 48.8% of writing roles and 42.7% of directing positions across publicly funded screen projects. While the findings indicated stronger gender representation in writing, women continued to be underrepresented in directing.

The first Australian and New Zealand program will be overseen by Kaiden and Wilon, together with Australian programming director Brooke Hemphill, who took part in the international Writers Lab in 2023.

Funding and support for the initiative come from the Screenrights Cultural Fund, Minderoo Pictures, Screen Queensland, the WeirAnderson Foundation and the South Australian Film Corporation. Community partners include AFTRS, WIFT New Zealand and Screen Vixens.

Applications will open on November 11th and remain available until December 11th, 2026. Writers seeking one of the 12 available places must submit a 20-page sample from a feature film or television pilot script as part of their application.