The four scriptwriters who will be further developing the script in the coming months are Luis Cardoso, Debbie Simmons, Jessica Palmeiro and Nélia Matos.

The Algarve Indie Scriptwriters Workshop completed with the selection of two storylines created by scriptwriters who live and work in Portugal, which will later become a new TV series filmed and produced in the Algarve.

Eight experienced producers and scriptwriters from Portugal and the UK spent three days working alongside ten local scriptwriters at Spy Manor Productions in Ferragudo, creating two unique stories that will eventually be pitched to international streaming services. The motto of their initiatives is "About the Algarve, produced in the Algarve, watched around the world”, inspired by NETFLIX’s ethos of providing entertainment that transcends languages and borders. It followed all current health regulations due to covid-19

Filming of "There's Always Hope" in the Algarve

Rather than choosing well-known scriptwriters to select the themes and develop the storylines of the TV series, Spy Manor Productions and The Algarve Film Collective have chosen to take the opportunity to involve the local community in order to find and promote local talent. Spy Manor Productions in association with The Algarve Film Collective developed the novel immersive workshop which followed all current health regulations due to COVID-19. This workshop is a powerful platform for local talent to connect and engage with experienced peers from the Portuguese and British filmmaking community.

The workshop included very important guests including Manuel Claro who represents the Portugal Film Commission, Manuel Baptist who is in charge of Loule’s Film Office and finally film producer, scriptwriter and producer Gonçalo Galvão Teles. In addition to these important guests, Spy Manor Productions welcomed key guest speakers and mentors which included Pedro Lopes, who is the author of Netflix’s first Portuguese series titles Gloria. Vera Casaca an amazing screenwriter and director behind the films “on the Phone with God” and “If Poirot was here” and the talented Luis Campos were also part of the workshop who founded Squatter Factory. Emily Morgan, David Allain, Peter Ogunsalu and Harry Klunder along with Nissan Stern were also key mentors and knowledgeable speakers.

One of the activities of the workshop was the creation of a dedicated Instagram account with the handle Script.In.Motion and the hashtag #ScriptinMotion to encourage all writers to share their day to day challenges, tips and inspiration for their own creative process. The account can be viewed on https://www.instagram.com/script.in.motion. Additionally, to learn more about Spy Manor Productions and the activities related to the Algarve Film Collective please visit www.SpyManor.com.