The mentoring program with Ellis Freeman took place from April 14 to 17, 2026. At the invitation of Associate Professor Tereza Brdečková, FAMU welcomed him for the fourth time.

Over four days, the “Writers Gym” workshop focused on the creative development of film projects and on revitalising the writing process in a playful and practical way. Drawing on improvisation games and creative writing exercises, participants worked with a range of techniques aimed at generating ideas, developing characters and relationships, structuring plot, and clarifying thematic focus. Ellis Freeman worked with two groups of students, with each session addressing a specific area of storytelling—creativity and inspiration, characters and relationships, plot, and theme—and including practical tools for use during the writing process. Free-writing exercises were also used to help bypass the critical editing mindset and open up more intuitive and exploratory thinking.

Ellis Freeman is a London-born screenwriter, script consultant, and writing mentor. His screenwriting credits include Princesa, which premiered at Sundance and won Best Foreign Narrative at LA Outfest, as well as the feature films January 2nd and Coming Down. For five years, he served as Head of Screenwriting at DFFB in Berlin, where he continues to teach and mentor. Over the past two decades, he has taught internationally at institutions including the London Film School, AFI, CalArts, FAMU, and Berlinale Talents. Alongside his teaching, he works as a script consultant on feature and short films and mentors emerging writer-directors throughout their development process.