The 15th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival kicks off next Thursday, March 30 and over its 12 day run will present several free workshops and discussion panels for filmmakers and film lovers as part of their "Set In Philadelphia" programming track.

For screenwriters, the Festival offers two workshops-

Marketing Your Screenplay - April 1, 11:00am to Noon
Get tips from the pros on marketing your script to the people who can make it happen. Location- Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square

The Second Draft - April 8, 1:30pm to 4:30pm
A hands-on workshop for experienced screenwriters who want to enhance the readability of their scripts by learning essential post-editing techniques. Location- University of the Arts,Terra Building, 211 S. Broad Street, Rm. 1225


For film lovers who love talking about movies, the Festival is offering a series of Cine Cafes, with discussions being led by University of Pennsylvania film professors. This year, the Cine Cafe topics will include-

Cinema of the Muslim World- Monday, April 3 - 5:00pm
Rotunda - 4014 Walnut Street (next to The Bridge Cinema)
Led by Pardis Minuchehr, Penn Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department

Documentary- Wednesday, April 5 - 5:00pm
Last Word Bookshop - 3925 Walnut St.
Led by Timothy Corrigan, Penn Cinema Studies Program and English Department

Regional Filmmaking- Friday, April 7 - 5:00pm
Voices & Visions Bookstore - The Bourse, 4th St. lower level(across from Ritz at The Bourse)
Led by Nicola Gentili

Business in Film- Monday, April 10 - 5:00pm
Penn Bookstore, 2nd floor music section, 3601 Walnut Street
Led by Peter Decherney, Penn Cinema Studies Program and English Department

Music And Film- Tuesday, April 11 - 5:00pm
World Cafe Live - 3025 Walnut St.
Led by David Copenhafer, Penn Music Department


For more information on the events being offered by the Philadelphia Film Festival, check out their website.