PAPER BARK / THE JOURNAL
Stories behind
the story.
Film analysis, screenwriting craft, conversations about cinema, and the ideas shaping the next generation of filmmakers.
Perspectives for your next film.
Latest stories
Fresh perspectives, written for storytellers.
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Festival du Film Merveilleux 2026: What Its Winners Teach Short-Film Writers
Paris’s Festival du Film Merveilleux 2026 honoured imaginative shorts from 12 countries. What its winners reveal about story structure, animation and craft.
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How to Write Subtext in Screenplay Dialogue Without Making It Vague
Subtext is not simply dialogue that avoids saying what a character means. It is the tension between what a character says, wants, does and refuses…
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Aanikoobijigan (2026): Rethinking Time at Sundance and True/False
Aanikoobijigan won Sundance’s NEXT audience award and screened at True/False. Explore its Indigenous perspective on archives, repatriation and cinematic time.
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Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass: A Sundance-to-Tribeca Comedy
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass travelled from Sundance to Tribeca. Explore David Wain’s comedy, festival response and road-movie writing lessons.
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Barbara Forever (2026): How Archives Become Living Cinema
Barbara Forever documents pioneering filmmaker Barbara Hammer. Explore Sundance and Berlinale recognition, archive storytelling and the ethics of editing a life.
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Jaripeo (2026): A Rodeo Documentary About Identity and Looking
Jaripeo (2026) explores queer identity in Mexico’s rodeo culture. Discover its Sundance and Berlinale journey and lessons in documentary perspective.
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Filipiñana (2026): How a Golf Course Becomes a Story About Power
Filipiñana won a Sundance 2026 Creative Vision prize. Explore Rafael Manuel’s golf-club drama and the power of setting, class and images in filmmaking.
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Bedford Park at Sundance 2026: The Power of a Difficult Homecoming
Bedford Park won Sundance 2026’s debut feature special jury prize. Discover Stephanie Ahn’s family drama and what filmmakers can learn about writing a homecoming.
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Dune: Part Three (2026) — Can a Hero’s Story Become a Warning?
Dune: Part Three arrives December 2026. Here is what is confirmed about Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Messiah adaptation and the screenwriting challenge of a hero’s legacy.