RE: Masterclass: The Art of Screenwriting with John Romano
American Film Showcase – Trieste, May 20, 2026
The U.S. Embassy in Italy, American Corner Trieste / Associazione Italo Americana FVG, and the American Film Showcase are pleased to invite you to an exclusive FREE masterclass with acclaimed American screenwriter John Romano.
Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues who may be interested.
The Art of Screenwriting with John Romano
📅 Date: May 20, 2026
🕙 Time: 10:00 – 12:00 (2-hour masterclass)
📍 Location: American Corner Trieste / Associazione Italo Americana FVG
Piazza S. Antonio Nuovo, 6 – Trieste
🗣️ Language: English
👥 Open to:
- Writers
- Screenwriters
- Filmmakers
- Film studies students
- Professors
- Actors
🎟️ Registration
👉 RSVP online on this LINK
- Advance registration is required
- For additional information: aia.fvg@gmail.com tel 040 63 03 01
What to expect
- Insights into Hollywood storytelling for film and TV
- How to adapt novels into screenplays
- Techniques for strong, character-driven narratives
- Real examples from major films and TV series
- Behind-the-scenes perspective on the industry
About John Romano
- Screenwriter of The Lincoln Lawyer, Intolerable Cruelty, Nights in Rodanthe, American Pastoral
- Writer/producer for Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Party of Five, Monk and many other shows
- Emmy®-nominated television writer
- Former professor at Columbia University, USC, and MIT
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Rachel Gandin Mark will also be present at the Masterclass.
Director of International Programs at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Develops global consultancies
Sole producer of The United, Disney’s first Arabic language feature film
Former Creative Consultant for the Sundance Institute in Jordan.
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Program Director of the American Film Showcase, the U.S. State Department’s film and television diplomacy program produced by USC, working with embassies in more than 100 countries. At USC, she develops global consultancies, including collaborations with leading institutions such as Riyadh University of the Arts, Netflix Grow Creative, and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, as well as partners across the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Previously, she was the sole producer of The United, Disney’s first Arabic language feature film, and served as a Creative Consultant for the Sundance Institute in Jordan. She is a frequent speaker on media and cultural diplomacy. Rachel holds an M.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from UCLA.Join us for a unique opportunity to learn directly from one of Hollywood’s most experienced storytellers.
Complete AFS Bio of John Romano
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JOHN ROMANO—the grandson of native-born Italians from Benevento, Avellino, and Salerno—grew up in and around New York and earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at Yale. He later taught English at Columbia University. Specializing in the novel, he wrote a book on the works of Charles Dickens, along with reviews, poetry, and essays, before discovering that his natural home was in screenwriting.
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He began in independent film (Key Exchange) and was soon summoned to Hollywood by the producers of Hill Street Blues—for which he wrote the final, Emmy-nominated episode. In television, he went on to write and produce for more than 20 series (Monk, Party of Five, etc.), while creating three series of his own, including Sweet Justice (with Cicely Tyson).
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While working on a TV movie for Francis Ford Coppola (Dark Angel, starring Eric Roberts), he was asked to adapt a novel for the big screen: The Third Miracle, directed by Agnieszka Holland and starring Ed Harris. This led to a period of writing for both film and television. His film work includes the original Intolerable Cruelty (with George Clooney and the Coen Brothers) and adaptations such as Nights in Rodanthe (Richard Gere), The Lincoln Lawyer (Matthew McConaughey), and American Pastoral, based on Philip Roth’s novel.
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Along the way, Romano has lectured at Princeton, USC, and Yale on the relationship between Hollywood entertainment and the humanities. He has two daughters and lives with his wife in Santa Monica, California.
Complete AFS Bio of Rachel Gandin Mark
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Program Director of the American Film Showcase, the U.S. State Department’s film and television diplomacy program produced by USC, working with embassies in more than 100 countries. At USC, she develops global consultancies, including collaborations with leading institutions such as Riyadh University of the Arts, Netflix Grow Creative, and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, as well as partners across the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Previously, she was the sole producer of The United, Disney’s first Arabic language feature film, and served as a Creative Consultant for the Sundance Institute in Jordan. She is a frequent speaker on media and cultural diplomacy. Rachel holds an M.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from UCLA