Dr Michela Cortese
Lecturer, Screenwriting
Dr Michela Cortese is a lecturer in screenwriting and television studies who has been teaching and researching in higher education since 2014. She is currently a module leader on the online MA Writing for Script & Screen at Falmouth University.
Cortese’s doctoral research in 'Script Development and Interdisciplinary Collaborations in the Production of Climate-Fiction Films' has led her to international partnerships and publications, such as her chapter about filmmaking in the first Handbook of Climate Change Communication (Springer, 2018) and her articles about climate-change documentaries in The Conversation, UK.
Cortese is the co-founder and co-chairman of The Script Department, a production company that develops scripted podcasts and showcases the work of screenwriters from around the world. She regularly collaborates with writers, directors and producers across the UK, Ireland, Italy and the US.
As part of her work with the industry, Cortese co-wrote and produced the audio thriller The Dead Cry Out (2018), performed by Allen Leech (Downton Abbey, The Imitation Game, Bohemian Rhapsody), and the audio thriller Italia Noir: Murder on the Amalfi Coast (2020), featuring Dylan Kussman (Dead Poets Society, Jack Reacher, The Mummy). Cortese also co-produced A Ball in the Brain (2020) in collaboration with BAFTA winning writer Stuart Urban, featuring Pip Torrens (Poldark, The Crown, Succession).
