The Way of the Screenwriter - Amnon Buchbinder

July 11 2006

Auckland

For immediate release

Script to Screen Hosts Canadian Writer/Director Amnon Buchbinder

Screenwriting development organisation Script to Screen, in association with the Telecom 38th Auckland International Film Festival, will host Canadian screenwriter, director and teacher Amnon Buchbinder at an afternoon event in Auckland on Saturday July 29th. Buchbinder’s latest film, Whole New Thing, is the second feature directed and co-written by Buchbinder and one of the standout Canadian films in this year’s festival, running from the 13th to the 30th of July in Auckland.

‘Script to Screen is delighted to host an event with Amnon, as he has such a breadth of experience across the fields of writing, directing and teaching,’ says Rebecca Kunin, Executive Director of Script to Screen. ‘Amnon’s emphasis on the independent life of a story encourages writers to let the script take the lead. This may mean that a writer enters unfamiliar territory, but Amnon is careful to note that the best work often takes place when writers are answering questions, exploring their plots and characters and overcoming their own internal obstacles.’

Buchbinder has taught screenwriting at York University in Toronto since 1995. His critically acclaimed first feature, The Fishing Trip (1998), was made in collaboration with his students and won a Canadian Academy Award (Genie). He has worked as a creative consultant and story editor with filmmakers, producers, and screenwriters across Canada and has conducted screenwriting workshops. Buchbinder is the author of The Way of the Screenwriter (2005), a practical guide to screenwriting that incorporates Taoist philosophy into the craft of visual storytelling. His latest film, Whole New Thing, is an oddball gem, beautifully acted from a quick-witted script delicately attuned to its misfit protagonists.

‘Amnon has much to offer experienced writers, and those just starting out,’ says Ms Kunin. ‘I encourage the local writing community to make the most of this rare opportunity.’

‘The Way of the Screenwriter: A Conversation with Amnon Buchbinder’, will be held on Saturday July 29th at 4pm at The Wine Loft, 67 Shortland St, Auckland. No bookings are required for this public event. A $5 donation at the door is suggested.

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Whole New Thing

13-year-old Emerson has been home-schooled in rural Nova Scotia by his counter-cultural parents, a ramrod Greenie dad and a mother whose earthy vivacity is tinged with restlessness. Don, a gifted English teacher, is a closeted gay with a taste for anonymous sex. Emerson has written a fantasy novel to rival Tolkien but he’s not so hot at maths. Obliged to submit to the contemptible public school where ‘those who can’t, teach’, he zeroes in on the one person who might be his intellectual equal. A 13-year-old boy with a crush on him is exactly what this particular teacher does not need. Applying his parents’ liberal attitudes to sexuality and casual nudity, Emerson takes To Sir, With Love to dire lengths, but there’s wisdom and grace in the way writer/director Amnon Buchbinder and writer/actor Daniel McIvor apply the brakes to his premature acceleration into adulthood. “Subtle and consistently surprising... Here’s a coming-of-age film that could become a Canadian classic.” — Now

Screening times for Whole New Thing:

Friday July 28 , 8:45pm, Village Skycity

Sunday July 30, 3:15pm, Village Skycity

About Script to Screen

Script to Screen is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to the development of a screenwriting culture in Aotearoa / New Zealand.

We place writers at the centre of the New Zealand screen industry because Script to Screen recognises the crucial role the writer plays in the filmmaking process. Script to Screen’s programme of talks, workshops, and other events provides opportunities for both established and emerging screenwriters to meet up, share knowledge, and develop their craft.

Script to Screen is a charitable trust that is core funded by the New Zealand Film Commission and governed by a board of trustees. Our trustees are appointed by the New Zealand Writers Guild, Nga Aho Whakaari, and the New Zealand Film Commission.

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