Ep218 - Anna Winger, Screenwriter Netflix’s ‘Unorthodox’ & ‘Deutschland’

Anna Winger has done a little bit of everything. She got her start in photography, where she did some commercial work and some documentary work, then wrote a novel, but if you have to summarize her career, she’s a storyteller. The writer-producer is known for Deutschland 83, Deutschland 86, Deutschland 89, and the new Netflix series, Unorthodox. Her latest project is the “story of a young ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life abroad.” In this interview, Winger describes her journey from photographer to novelist to screenwriter, trusting intuitive instincts, writing her first screenplay at age 40, an interest in humor and curiosity, and her fish-out-water formula for finding intriguing characters. If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5