So you think you can write a film? Be it comedy or drama ¿ whatever your genre ¿ aspiring screenwriters are being offered a rare opportunity in Bermuda, the chance to hone their scripts at a seminar taught by Hollywood pros.

The three-day 'Scriptwriting for Hollywood', features a trio of writers who have successfully marketed their work in Tinseltown ¿ David Garrett, Brian Sawyer and Gregg Rossen. The Bermuda International Film Festival and Butterfield Bank invited them here under the auspices of BIFF's Bermuda Film Academy educational programme. Participation is limited to 36.

"David, Brian and Gregg are working screenwriters who know how to get a screenplay written, and also how to navigate the Hollywood system," said BIFF director Aideen Ratteray Pryse.

"This is a very practical, hands-on seminar that will give you advice from the trenches about how to create and sell a commercial, successful script. We expect that it will be extremely popular, and so we are advising early sign-up."

The event takes place from June 20-22 at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, the first of four film-related seminars planned over the next 12 months.

"When we started the BIFF Film Academy summer film production camps for kids, one of the first questions we were asked concerned when we would do something similar for adults," said BIFF deputy director Duncan Hall, in explaining how the event came about.

"So, we do think there is demand for this kind of seminar. We expect it will attract those people on the island who already make films, as well as members of the arts community and others who may have had a screenplay idea, but aren't sure about how to get one written. We also think people will attend as a matter of general interest. Whatever a participant decides to do after the three-day seminar, it will be an awfully interesting way to spend a weekend.

"Managing growth, and finding the financial means to support growth are our biggest challenges. In 2000, we were a 28-film festival over seven days in two cinemas.

"This year, we screened 79 films over nine days in four cinemas. And, over the last eight years, we have added a 44-film children's film festival, a film series that screens a film monthly at the BUEI, and eight weeks of summer film production camps for kids. We have proceeded carefully, growing in areas where we thought demand would support the programmes we have added. In each case, the community has responded by supporting our newest initiative ¿ and that has encouraged us to do more."

Successful seminars led by the Hollywood trio at festivals in the United States, Stockholm, Reykjavik and Sydney, inspired BIFF to approach them about having one here. Equally as compelling were their combined biographies, detailed by a BIFF spokesperson: "Mr. Garrett has written scripts for directors Ivan Reitman at Dreamworks, Tom Shadyac at Universal and Peter Segal. He co-wrote Deuce Bigelow: American Gigolo, and wrote First Pet and Corky Romano for Disney. He has co-written and produced a dozen pilots, series and specials for ABC, NBC, CBS, UPN, Comedy Central, Showtime and Fox.

"Mr. Sawyer's short film Tex the Passive Aggressive Gunslinger played at a variety of film festivals around the world, including BIFF in 2001. He works closely with Mr. Rossen, who won the Student Emmy Award for Best Comedy for his short film, The Grail Guy. His most recent short film, The Revenge of the Red Balloon, debuted at Slamdance in Park City and has won several festival awards."

The spokesperson added that the pair has sold two comedies ¿ Nascar Girl, to New Line Cinema, and Guida, to Revolution Studios. They also sold the dance-spoof pitch Save the Last Dirty Flashdance for Footloose Billy Elliott, to Tapestry Entertainment.

He continued: "They are currently developing Model Family, a TV pilot starring Jamie Kennedy for Twentieth Century Fox Television based on the short film they wrote, directed and produced. They recently co-wrote Pixar's 20th Anniversary Special for ABC (and) are currently producing the John Delorean picture Hard Driving, which is currently being written by Marcos Efron."

An introductory session to the seminar will be held on Friday, June 20, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Two full-day sessions will follow ¿ on Saturday, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and on Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The sessions will explore the creative, business and motivational challenges that every screenwriter faces. The seminar will educate participants in the fundamentals of screenwriting and the Hollywood system, presenting the tools that aspiring screenwriters need to create marketable scripts.

"Going forward, our focus will continue to be on quality, on refining what we already do and seeking ways to make our various events and initiatives better," added Mr. Hall.

"We will also keep an eye out for areas where we might grow, but do so carefully to ensure that we operate within our means."

Cost of the seminar is $199. To register, visit www.biff.bm.