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On Friday, in its biggest commitment to film and TV production incentives in more than a decade, the state appropriated $10 million to fund the Visual Content Act of 2006. The act will essentially award grants to productions that meet criteria of in-state shooting, hiring and spending. How quickly will this impact the state? As soon as this weekend’s Nashville Screenwriters Conference, according to NSC director Rachel Nemuth. “Now that film incentives are happening, we’re getting even more interest from people in attending,” said Nemuth, now in her third year as head of the annual writers’ gathering, which runs Friday through Sunday at the downtown Hilton. “We see ourselves as a cog in the wheel of the film community. The more support we get, the more we can give.” Not that the conference seemed to be having trouble. In its eight years, the NSC—co-founded by screenwriter Les Bohem (The Alamo), producer Karen Murphy (This Is Spinal Tap) and entertainment-industry accountant Gary Haber—has hosted talents such as John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), John Ridley (Three Kings) and former Nashvillian Tom Schulman (an Oscar winner for Dead Poets Society). The thinking was that visiting L.A. notables would see what the city had to offer, while aspiring local screenwriters could make valuable West Coast connections. But the conference has paid attention to past complaints—that the same guests returned every year, that access to them was often restricted, that volunteers (including local screenwriters) were sometimes treated more like extras. This year, Nemuth says, the NSC has changed its structure and location to make it a friendlier, more social event. And at the risk of offending some frequent panelists, the event widened its search for guests beyond (ahem) the usual suspects. This year’s lineup has a strong anchor in filmmakers Mary Harron (American Psycho), Charles Stone III (Drumline) and James Gunn (Slither)—three vastly different writer-directors who handle unabashedly commercial material with wit, intelligence and a personal stamp. Gunn’s script for the superior Dawn of the Dead remake showed how to rework a classic with respect, while Stone is simply one of the most promising mainstream directors to appear in years. And here’s hoping Harron makes it out to the Belcourt, where her delightful The Notorious Bettie Page continues to draw crowds after a second held-over week. If the state’s trying to lure more production work to Tennessee, talents like Harron, Stone and Gunn are precisely the folks who need to be reeled in. They’re joined by several screenwriters with interesting projects in development, including Neil Tolkin (whose The Dance may end up as a starring vehicle for Nicolas Cage and 50 Cent) and Howard Rodman (who penned a true-crime project for Julianne Moore called Savage Grace). Dan Madigan, the only panelist with a writing credit on WWE Smackdown, still has the slasher movie See No Evil haunting local theaters; maybe he can explain what his deal is with eyeballs. Perhaps even more emphasis, though, is being placed this year on television, a medium where writers command far more power and respect. The keynote event this year is Friday night’s sneak peek at the TNT miniseries Nightmares and Dreamscapes, an anthology of Stephen King stories starring William H. Macy and William Hurt. Writers April Smith and Lawrence D. Cohen (who scripted one of the great horror movies, Brian De Palma’s Carrie) will be on hand for the screening at the Belcourt, with a reception preceding. Greg Walker, showrunner for the CBS smash Without a Trace, will also host a panel with series writer Jan Nash. Nemuth hopes that the Hilton’s cavernous downstairs lobby will give the conference an on-site hangout where attendees and panelists can mix socially. Her model for the NSC, she says, is Austin’s Heart of Film conference, “where everyone is really passionate about writing, and it’s a wonderful event socially.” If this year goes well, the conference will add panels on indie filmmaking and documentaries to broaden its scope. There are many other guests at the Nashville Screenwriters Conference—high-powered agents, executives from CBS and TNT, music supervisors representing Warner Brothers and Disney. But for now, let’s leave the focus on the writers. As one Nashville screenwriter said, explaining the conference’s appeal to Hollywood scribes, “Writers come out here and get treated like kings—like stars. It doesn’t happen often.” The Nashville Screenwriters Conference takes place Friday through Sunday at the downtown Hilton. Walk-up registration is $180. Call 254-2049 for more details. For a schedule, a full list of panelists and more information, see www.nashscreen.com.