ETIENNE LABUSCHAGNE

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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I’m a trial lawyer, specializing in public law, based in Pretoria, South Africa.
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
When I heard of a suburban Pretoria housewife, who was a Mossad spy and assassin in her heyday, this sparked my interest in writing a novel roughly based on her life. I then received so much anecdotal information in addition from people who knew her , that it sparked a pilot script for a series. The golden nugget was that she was nanny to the current King of Jordan .I placed the pilot in the time frame of the 1970  Jordanian civil war and the birth of Black September.  This historical backdrop has not been featured in mainstream television.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
The research sparked scenes that we champing at the bit to be written.The episode was outlined and then structured , using a beat board on Final Draft. The episode was written over three weeks.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I love bringing historical events with dramatic potential to life. This story has such potential. I hope to see it produced. And then I would like to focus on other untold stories from the Middle East conflict.  
 
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
I entered the full script. The reason was that the female protagonist is only introduced after an act of terror that occupies the first act.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
My favourite television show is Fauda. It was refreshing in the sense that characters on both sides of the Arab/Israeli conflict were treated with compassion and respect. Shared humanity is a powerful unifying force where the is political conflict and distrust.  That resonates with my experience of the transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
I am a novice screenwriter and can hardly speak from a position of strength. However, a strong character driven plot can cover a multitude of problems.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
The novel I mentioned above needs to be translated into English. Further I am getting three self-illustrated books of bedtime stories for children ready for publication. And then I am planning to write another pilot for a drama series set in the Middle East .