David Lynch MFA in Screenwriting (online)
The secret to inspired screenwriting
What makes a great storyteller – someone with meaningful ideas and the passion to express them? It’s time to approach screenwriting with consciousness.
At the innovative David Lynch MFA in Screenwriting, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique while acquiring the knowledge you need to become a professional screenwriter. The practice of TM will help you grow personally while you sharpen your writing skills and gain access to deeper levels of your creativity, discovering how — as David Lynch says — to catch the big fish.
Unable to relocate? No problem. Our program is structured so that students can complete the requirements of their MFA over two years while balancing their commitments in their home communities.
Residencies
A celebration of the students and guests of the DLMFA in Screenwriting and their time together in Fairfield
Each semester begins with an intensive residency during which students attend lectures, panel discussions, master classes, staged readings, and workshops led by a combination of university faculty members and internationally recognized entertainment industry leaders.
- One fall intensive is held in person for US students on the MIU campus in Fairfield, Iowa, during their first semester and online for international students.
- All other residencies will be held entirely online for both foreign and domestic students.
Meditation and the creative process are central to this program and make it unique among MFA paths. These residencies offer windows of opportunity to meditate, dive within, and focus on your own creative process.
More information about residencies for international students
Learn from industry experts
Past residency instructors and expert guests have included Oscar-winner, producer/writer/director Peter Farrelly (Green Book, There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal); award winner Matthew Weiner (Mad Men, The Romanoffs, The Sopranos); script doctor and author Dara Marks,(Inside Story); filmmaker Susan Seidelman (Smithereens, Desperately Seeking Susan, Making Mr. Right); television producer Michael Rauch (Instinct, Royal Pains, Beautiful People); screenwriter E. Max Frye (Something Wild, Foxcatcher, The Alienist, HBO’s series Band of Brothers.); award-winning writer Kate Purdy (Netflix series Bojack Horseman, Amazon Prime series Undone, Joe and Kate, MADtv, and Cougar Town.)
Infopack
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MFA in Screenwriting infopack
For program requirements, deadlines, costs, and more.
Meet industry leaders
Students will meet industry notables throughout the two-year degree path, during which they will hone the skills they need not just to write but to market their thesis screenplays to agents, producers, and studio executives.
Distance learning with a personal touch
At the conclusion of each residency, you will continue your coursework online under the guidance of a dedicated mentor, an industry professional, and an educator who will monitor your progress. In addition to providing comments on student writing projects, mentors will lead group workshops using guided exercises, analysis of published scripts, screenings, and group discussions all designed to help students attain the tools they need to develop their ideas into marketable screenplays.
Instead of traditional letter grades, our MFA path uses narrative evaluations to give you in-depth, personalized feedback on your learning. This liberates you to focus more deeply on your growth as an artist.
Advanced script analysis
In the course Advanced Script Analysis: A Creative Approach to Uncovering Deeper Levels of Meaning in Storytelling, students will discover the keys to crafting their own successful scenarios, with an eye to works that tell transformational stories of personal meaning to their authors, through the careful study and analysis of award-winning screenplays.
Diving Deep into the Art of David Lynch
In this unique course, you will discover the connection between meditation and creative expression. By closely studying the selected work by Lynch as inspiration for our own creative processes, we will look deeply into the way Lynch crafts his films once ideas have come to him.
Transcendental Meditation and the Creative Process
In this course, students discover how to use the Transcendental Meditation® technique to develop a unique and authentic voice as a screenwriter, by diving within to explore the creative process from the depths of the transcendental self. This course is the basis of all study at MIU.
Advanced Business and Marketing
This course will take place at the conclusion of the program and will focus on current best industry practices for pitching, publicizing and selling one’s projects. It connects directly to the final optional residency in Los Angeles, during which students will have the opportunity to put into practice concepts covered in this course.
What our students say
“You all curated such an AWESOME cohort. I joined MIU wanting to meet the types of people who would be attracted to a program like this and to learn from introspective teachers who were consciously aware of themselves and the world. It is everything I could have hoped for and more.”
“My time at MIU was pivotal – a truly life changing involvement. I have spent the last 30 years within educational institutions and my experience at MIU was the most enriching, inspiring and gratefully challenging time as both a student and an educator. I have never been a learner in such a nourishing, student centered environment and I’m so grateful to have received that.”
“I am thrilled with my choice to enroll in this program as it incorporates Transcendental Meditation into the creative process. Developing a meditation practice is integrated into the curriculum and I have been surprised and delighted by how much TM has enhanced my creativity. The instruction is top-notch with every instructor bringing professional credentials and experience to our classes. The combination of intensive residencies with online classes is the perfect mix of hands-on and remote learning.”
“I applied to this program not quite knowing what to expect. As soon as I met my fellow students, I found we were all passionate about storytelling, eager to hone our creativity and expand our consciousness through the addition of TM. The low-residency aspect has allowed me to seamlessly integrate the program into my normal life. It has helped me as a writer, and as a human being.”
“DLMFA was so unique in its holistic education of both the mind and the soul. Tapping into that deep source of oneness through TM inspired depths of creativity in all aspects of my life. I feel so much more connected to who I am as a writer and my creative purpose. I’m grateful for the heart of the program and its inspiration to connect students to their creativity through consciousness.”
“DLMFA is my Academy Award. They put me on the stage and gave me everything I needed to rekindle my dreams of becoming a screenwriter. They have the expertise and showed me a clear path to where writing is valued and rewarded. Thank you for changing my life.”
“The David Lynch MFA in Screenwriting has been a profound addition to my life. Not only am I receiving a superior education in the craft of screenwriting, but through Transcendental Meditation I now have unlimited access to my creativity in a deeper way. Writer’s block is a thing of the past and what I now write comes from a more authentic place. In this program, I have grown not only as an artist but as a person.”
“I have earned my living as a writer for over 30 years but rarely has my craft been as tested or improved as with the Screenwriting MFA Program at the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts. I signed up to take myself back to the beginning, where my work had enthusiasm, integrity, and had not been dulled by the rigors of a tough business. To my surprise, the system of ‘meditate and create’ actually stripped away decades of tarnish and helped me reinvest in what makes writing magical. If you want to ‘catch that big fish’ or simply uncover important writing for yourself, grab a ticket to Fairfield, Iowa and apply to the David Lynch MFA in Screenwriting.”
“The David Lynch MFA in Screenwriting has broken away from the competitive, monotonous, and out-dated nature of many other schools, programs, classes, workshops, etc. They are determined to bring passion and art back into screenwriting while focusing on what makes your personal voice truly special. Until now, I’ve never found a group so supportive in even my craziest idea, and never once have they asked the dreaded question of ‘Did you think about how you’re going to market this?’”
Get started by contacting Adriene
Adriene Crimson is this program’s admissions counselor for US students. Adriene will provide you with all the details of becoming a student, including connecting you with the program director or faculty.