Lucky 8 Added to Film Independent’s 2009 Screenwriting Lab Edition

Apparently Sundance isn’t the only kid on the block for Screenwriting Labs, Film Independent (the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival) have announced eight lucky projects that get to take part in “an intensive five-week incubator designed to help writers improve their craft, and take their current scripts to the next level in a nurturing, yet challenging creative environment.”

The eight participants (see after the jump) will be mentored by The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys‘ producer Meg LeFauve will be joined by guest speakers: Allison Anders (pre-prod with Smile Now Cry Later) , Shauna Cross (wrote the novel and screenplay for Whip It!), Rodrigo Garcia (Mother and Child is having its world preem at TIFF), Dito Montiel (in pre-prod with The Brotherhood of the Rose), Kay Schaber-Wolf, Michael Sucsy (in pre-prod with The Goree Girls), and Ligiah Villalobos (scribe for La misma luna).

The 2009 Screenwriters Lab participants and projects are (with descriptions provided by Film Independent):

El Flaco, by Jeff Seymann
In Arizona desert towns just beyond the Mexican border, young Flaco and his father Gonzalo harbor illegal immigrants for a local “coyote” to repay an old dept.

The End of Something, by Rory Kelly and Tim McCarthy
Rachel, a down and out recovering alcoholic, and Isaac, a young mentally ill drifter, meet by chance at a truck stop off the interstate and journey deep into the Oregon wilderness together in search of spiritual rebirth.

Grievous Angel, by Jessica Hundley
Exploring his role as the catalyst for a country rock movement that had him collaborating with The Rolling Stones and The Byrds, Grievous Angel is the amazing true life and tragic early-death tale of Sixties music legend Gram Parsons.

Gringita, by Monica Bider
American Helen Hartwellis comfortable life in Mexico City that she shares with telenovela writer Ernesto, turns grim when a large inheritance exposes Ernesto to possible extortion, violence, and family conflict.

Future Weather, by Jenny Deller
In this coming-of-age drama about coping with uncertainty, a 13-year-old girl’s plans to save the planet from global warming are trashed when her flaky single mom skips town to find herself.

I Am Not Werner Ernhard, by Steven Schardt
A man joins Werner Erhard’s EST, a seminal self-help program in early 70’s San Francisco, and finds himself caught between his own redemption and the ethics of an organization some would call a cult.

The Prettiest Girl, by Sasha Isaac-Young
Two friends try to keep things quiet after a girl they invite to go camping with them disappears into the woods.

Touchback, by Philip Flores
Pushed by a sick contest created by his older brother Truck and his friends known as “Tough Club” into the highly sexualized underworld of high school, smart, but awkward freshman Ted struggles to break free and overcome the dark fate that has trapped his brother.