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2021 Semi-Finalists


Posted on Oct 4, 2021

In order to choose the Grand Prize and Honorable Mention winners for Screenplay Festival, there are three rounds to the competition. In the first round, every script is read by at least two judges and rated regardless of genre. The screenplays with the highest ratings move on to the second round!

The most frequent question we get asked is, “What percentage of scripts make it through the first round?”  This year, the First Round screenplays listed below represent the top 50% of entries that we receive.

We appreciate everyone’s hard work and would again like to congratulate everyone for their great writing!

Semi-Finalist Round Results

Movie: Action / Adventure

Adventures of an Honorable Scoundrel by Michael Casey
American Gulag by Michael Casey
B.L.A.C.K. by Allen Jones
Blood Runs Red by James Gilbertsen
Cesar and Max by Susan Klos
Chief Nip by Dawn Brown
Days Remaining by Nathan Zevenhuizen
Dead In The Water by Russ Martin
Delivery Boy by Jeremy Sless
Escape from EveryWorld by Paul Shiban
Everglades by les katz
Kamikaze Jade by Arnel Banzon
Keeper Of The Watch by Ricardo Espinosa
Leaving Arizona by Mark Karinja
Mammoth Revenge by Leanne Wake
Mannaz by Morgane B
Preacher’s Daughter: Giant Slayer by Gregory Bonds
Real Heroes by Richard Hohenrath
Roswell ’97 by Samuel Bollen
Sergeant Freeman by Gloria J Browne-Marshall
Sixgun Saint by Warren Lane
South of Purgatory by Algis Danaitis
TARO: Legend of Japan by Blue Spruell
The Caretaker by Gerald Teaster
The Euripides Engine by Peter Andrews
The House on Park Place by Debra Karr
The Impairer by Pozsgai Zsolt
The Legend of Lizzy Flynn by Paul Awad
The Maccabees by Zev Ledman
The Mayor of Armageddon by Anna Guerrero
The Minlet by Malik Stalbert
The Next Gen Spies by Rocco Geary
The Revenge of The Christ by Ruben Varela
The Rommel Gambit by John Doble
The Seer’s Crystal by James Gilbertsen
Three of a Kind by CV Herst, Virginia Travers, & Ruben Maria Soriquez
To Hell by Matthew Rafferty
Weapon by Michael J Bowler
Wolflike Grin by Demian Cuthbertson

Movie: Comedy

.Omissions. by Jessica Sadler
A Girl, A Beer and a Cigarette by John Arnau
And No One Mourned by Kyle Rogers
Are you Sirius? by Kristin Anne Fieseler
Battleground State by Jon Holmes
Benjamin Lee High School by John Pastore
Better Than It Was (fcsa) by Lynelle Souleiel
Black Shabbas by Max Lehman
Central Red by Davon Gilliam
Children’s Party War by Warren Lane
Fantasy Clash by William Mullins
Flash and Stretch by Jim Norman
Free Agent by Leigh Hunt
go-LOVE-go by John Griffin
Gods of Rock by Roi Tamkin
Going For Broke by Alec Cuddeback
Hattie’s Hard Hats by D.J. Broderick
Home for Christmas by Danielle Silverstone
If Walls Could Talk by Jonathan Aboaf
Jefferson, Franklin and Larry by John Martins III
Justice in Bulk by Jay Strong
Loonatoona by Shockadelic
Love Is Afoot! by Michael LaFata
Open Casket by Richard Stirling
Penelope’s War!! by Nancy Ellis
Stand Tall! by Vincent Paterno
TESStosterone by ERIN ELIZABETH KEEFER
The Adventurers by Emmanuel Flaire
The Loser’s Club by Jonathan Turner Smith
The Night Before (the other 7 nights) by Chen Drachman
The Not Ready for Prime Time Family by Richard Willett
The Officiant by Carla Miles
The Strip Club by Laura Belle
The Syntax of Life by Kristin Anne Fieseler
The Travesty of Romeo and His Ho by Jim Sullivan
The Zombays by Lance Barnett
Tribe by Laila Abdo
Undercover L.A.P.E. by Christopher Prince
We Now Know by Lan Artis

Movie: Drama

A Siren’s Sweet Whisper by Fred G Stemme
Angry and Afraid by Laurie Cho
Ash Wednesday by Bryan Artiles
Austin! A Love Story by Keith Carey
Back Porch Secrets by Tanya Hilson
Beguiling Dreams by Fred G Stemme
Between the Salt and the Sky by Pamela Hunt
Bound by Australia Kincannon
City Dwellers by Kirk Kolar
Cold Blue Hearts by Dean Harakas
Drama Department by Richard Willett
Face Painters by Giovanni Sanseviero
Fateville by Gary Blackwood
Fins by Kevin Brunner
Flat Head by Amir Abbasi
In Between The River by Tishia Malone
In Ottie’s World by David Preece
More Than One Idiot Brother by Pearse Lehane
Nour by Maitha Alawadi
Only Trees Hear The Silence by Brandon Troeller
Peace Hero by Amir Abbasi
Ruby’s Diner by Tanya Hilson
Sarah Tracy by Lori Bauman
The Desert Shrine by V.R. Marianne Zahn
The Exit Strategy by Michelle Quirk
The Failed Domestication of Nicholas G. by Pierre St-Jacques
The Gentlewolf by Willow O
The Last Day of Paradise by Kiki Denis
The Long Trip Home by James Hsiao
The Man Doctrine by Christopher Prince
The Mountains Are Calling by Eva Bennett
The Movement by Dina Six
The Sheriff by Andrew Crane
Time, Space, And The Poet by John Turner
Travis by Brian Day
Violet by Sarah Deakins
We The People by Abdallah Saleh
Win A Date With Rachel Ciemone by Regina Junior
Winnie & Clyde by Matthew Rafferty

Movie: Thriller/Horror

A Lovely Mess by Brandon Trask
A Weeping in the Woods by Cailin Tamplin
ArACNEphobia by Stephen Chen
Blood Roots by David Wurawa
Burn Pattern by Laura Kemp
Dark and Stormy by Rick Purdy
Dark Tastes by Daniel Couto
Devil’s Chair by Warren Lane
Dying For the Suburbs by Rick Purdy
Flash Card by Joseph Stephen Meadows
Forever After by Emil Faithe
Fractured by Wes Eastin
Fulfillment by Jeremy Christensen
Hate the Player by Julian Tepfers
I am awake by Mikhail Koptel & Svetlana Biryukova
I Didn’t Want to Remember You Dead by Rudy Riveron Sanchez
Love Thy Neighbor by Reverend Kyle Love
Malady by Cesar Caballero
MALLed by Janna Jones
Mantis by Theo Hogben
Mia by Matt Townsend
More than a Friend by David Preece
Murder Cabin by Nick Bankhead
Nocturnal by Peter Hardy
Operator by Fatima Litim
Out of Body by Gary Blackwood
Perfect World by Emil Faithe
Pickman’s Model by James Van Fleet
Quatch by Jasper Winters
Rigged by Steven Ellis
Senior Haunting by John Morrisey
Stranded by Cesar Caballero
The Deadtime Man by Benjamin Pollack
The Hiding by Christian Hearn
The Life That Wasn’t by Emilio Santín
The way to a man’s heart by Alessandro Berellini
Three Black Sheep by Sam Reynard
Time, Space, And The Poet by John Turner
Worst Fears by Bryan Bakker

Television: Half Hour Script

Amateurs by Kirsty Budding
Back in Business by Jim Norman
Barcadia by Annique Arredondo
Be My Guest by Jim Norman
Best Four Years – ‘Speed Dating’ by Josh Perry
Checked Out by Andrew Ortiz
Climbing and Digging by Colin Dodds
Cringe by Warren Lane
Damsel by Avery Girion
Deadline by Phil Valentine
Gospel According to Admin by Grace Fetterman
Gray Space “Still Serving” by Peter Andrews
Grin & Bear It by Jacqueline Fisher
Hacks: New York, New York by Shannon Constantine
Haunted by Madeleine McCann
Losing the Plot by Nicola Morris
Manly Men of the Mountains by David L. Anderson
Nobody Likes You When You’re 23 by Katrina Magat
Performing Love by Vanessa Kalil
Racism Is Funny by Greg Fusco
Sheep’s Clothing by Warren Lane
Starsearch by Alexis Quance
Ted Lasso “The Tryout” by Geoffrey Prather
The Big House by John Griffin
The Classroom by RYAN CHRISTIAN
The Creek Dweller in the Bayou by Melissa Caudle
The Gang Gets Diverse by Jordan Champagne
The Spotlights by Warren Lane
The Telltale Snore by Gregory Sarno
The Z by Danielle Silverstone
What We Do In The Shadows “Sallie Mae” by Billy Lorusso
What We Do in the Shadows “Mummy’s Curse” by Jessica Sproge

Television: One Hour Script

And Call Me in the Morning “The Story of Thalidomide” by Richard Willett
Animal DOCS by Heidi Morrell
AntiT.R.U.S.T. by Jay Bednar
Ballycotton by James Shanklin
Berlin Boys by Marc Cohen
Carolyn by Kevin Watts
Chicago Underground by T.J. Barkwill
Connie by Gerald Teaster
Cream City by Jeffrey James Keyes & Matt W. Cody
Credence by D B Colbert
DILF by Orlando Wood
Dummy “Speak from the Gut” by Michael Cirelli
Georgia Beats by Gregory Vines
Gilding the Lily by Wayne Watkins
Half Bad by Laura Fortier
High Water by Caitlin Brands
Inflection Points by Peter Andrews
Ivy League by John Griffin
Killer by Jack Salvatore
Lake Town by Rob Harmon
Lieners “First Day of School” by Brian Savage
Lineage by Michael Crews
Mr and Mrs Muse by Rob Styles
Necropolis by Caledonia Hanson
Newcomers by Brian Scanlan
On Patrol by Linda Rebman
QB by Brett Scieszka
Return Path “No Way Back” by Janine Pecenkova
Sarah Startup by Gregg Greenberg
Scars From Another Pain by Mariana Rosa
School of Reform by Brandon Troeller
SEED: The Beginning of the End by Rob Skiba
Shepherds Gone Wild by Joey Maranto
Solomon’s Ring by Warren Lane
Suburban Wildlife by Joan Sutton
The Earliest Kind by casey tillison
The Evangelical Cell by Timothy Patrick O’Neill
The Malta Scrolls by Carlos Mello (C. F. MELLO JR.)
The Manor by William Mullins
The Vineyard by Jake Rood

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2020 Winners


Posted on Oct 22, 2020

Congratulations to the Grand Prize and Honorable Mention winners for Screenplay Festival!

Reading, judging, and ranking scripts is a very difficult and long process. The scripts listed below made it through to the end and we applaud their great work.


Grand Prize Winners


Movie: Action/Adventure : Kill the Prince by Laura Fortier
Movie: Comedy : Publish or Perish by David Liban
Movie: Drama : The Final Candidate by Steve Hernandez
Movie: Thriller/Horror : Bad Summer by Richard Stringham
Television: Half Hour Script : The Brew House by Kevin Matthews
Television: One Hour Script : Ruin by Justine Browning
Movie: Action/Adventure : Damn the Valley by Daniel Clark


Honorable Mention Winners


Movie: Action/Adventure

Damn the Valley by Daniel Clark
Hectic by Samantha Brennan
Inversion by Suzy Stein
Little Psychos by Alex Flaster
Minor Alterations by Shay Thurmon


Movie: Comedy

Gallows Humor by Demian Cuthbertson
Hit Girl by Wendy R Williams
The Breakup List by Grant Lyon
The Cookoff by Evelyn Pitt-Stoller
The Real Thing by Matthew Papadopoulos


Movie: Drama

Audrey’s Children by Julia Fisher Farbman
Land of the Rising Sun: A fictional tribute to Biafra by Ngozi Obi
The Coyote by Andrew Yusi
The Lies We Tell Ourselves by Courtney Froemming
Undesirable by Rodolfo Alvarado


Movie: Thriller/Horror

Birthmark by Damon Russell, Mylissa Fitzsimmons & Brenden Hubbard
Bone Men by Charles Becco
Carnivorous by Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Friday Night Frenzy by Richard Stringham
Murder Incorporated by Lawrence Moore


Television: Half Hour Script

A. P. Bio: The Crush by Paula Dixon
Camp Co-Ed by Ava Feneberger
Docents by Grace Fetterman
Duck. I Have Heroes by Devin Wilson
New Bunkerville by Alex Diedrick


Television: One Hour Script

Confidently Conflicted by Chloé Linn
Hidden Blood by “Seda Anbarci”
Rock Bottom by Tiffany Jackman
The Bliss Killer by LeLe Park
When In Mexico by Jorge Castro-Salinas

 

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2020 Finalists


Posted on Oct 6, 2020

In order to choose the Grand Prize and Honorable Mention winners for Screenplay Festival, there are three rounds to the competition. In the second round, every script is read by at least two more judges in addition to previous readings. The screenplays with the highest ratings move on to the final round! The scripts listed below deserve recognition as Screenplay Festival Finalists.

The most frequent question we get asked is, “What percentage placement does being a Finalist make me?”  This year, Finalists represent the top 20% of entries that we receive.

We appreciate everyone’s hard work and would again like to congratulate everyone for their great writing!

2020 Finalists

Movie: Action / Adventure

36 Hours – Rajan Gulati
Addictive – “T.L. Tribble”
And Death Shall Have No Dominion – Ery De Jong
Black Tiger – Karl Mather
Critical Error – “Samantha Brennan”
Damn the Valley – Daniel Clark
Earth and Sky – Kimberly Cronkite
Fled – Paul G. Andrews
Guards – Michael Oduah
Hectic – Samantha Brennan
In The Redd – Jason Loring
Inversion – Suzy Stein
Karachi Dreams – Alexander Devereaux
Kill the Prince – Laura Fortier
Last Chance Cafe – John Rice
Little Psychos – Alex Flaster
Marshal Dodge – Brad Catherman
Massive Destruction – Julia Lyon
Minor Alterations – Shay Thurmon
Paladin – Bridget Bell McMahon
Rebel in a Modern Age – ed Munter
Rebel Rising – Sarah Taylor
Sarcophagus – John Montgomery
Seven Washington Place – Larry Leinoff
The Eye of Midnight – Anthony Sands
The Pawnbroker – J.A. Brown
The Unfavored One – Ruby Smith

Movie: Comedy

Age Bracket – Mitch Emoff
American Money – Karen E. Johnson and Timothy A. McGhee
American Road Trip – Cassandra Schneider
Assassin Gram – Benjamin Pollack
Billy Forbes Couch potato – “David Fisher”
Breaking Rule Number Three – “Donald Hauka”
Brook Farm – Alexander Wake
Buff Nuggs – Judy Lowe
Building Utopia – John Montgomery
Eggs – James Shockley
Gallows Humor – Demian Cuthbertson
Gay For Jesus – Jason Laurits
Happy Medium – Aaron Lieben
Hit Girl – Wendy R Williams
In Another World – “Bridget Addison”
Inside Out – Patrick Farrell
Loserville – John Montgomery
Meet Me at Maxim’s – Adam Korbitz
MegaBall$ – Marc Baron
Power Couple – Peter Andrews
Power Move – Michael Ellis
Publish or Perish – David Liban
Shut-In Santas – Joe Doran
Snowflakes – Mark Perlick
Spy-chology – Danielle Newport
Super Turbo Overdrive – Peter Hsieh
Taming Holden Caulfield – Virginia Austin
The Breakup List – Grant Lyon
The Cookoff – Evelyn Pitt-Stoller
The Devil’s Stick – Chris Reina
The Grim Job – Anthony Sands
The Hotel Palmyra – John Montgomery
The Love Docta’ – Brus Messinger
The Real Thing – Matthew Papadopoulos
Tobacco Man – Mark Marinovich

Movie: Drama

175 – Yael Deynes
A Devil in the Pines – Stephanie Holman
Act Naturally (Big and Rich) – Kenny Rice
An Unfamiliar Life – Toni D’Antonio
Audrey’s Children – Julia Fisher Farbman
bGone – Scott Marshall Taylor
Black Star Rising – Doug Williams
Bloody Mary – Jon Hampton
Class of 1940 – James Morrison
Clean Living – Kim Townsel
Destiny’s Grace – Kirby Freeman
Drenched – Roopal Badheka
Fractal – Euroy Tan
Happy Night – Deirdre Timmons
Her Seventh Death – Virginia Austin
Innocent One – Christopher Buonopane
It Chooses You – Jordan Galland
King of Swing – Alessandro King
Land of the Rising Sun: A fictional tribute to Biafra – Ngozi Obi
Like Normal People – John Montgomery
Maeta’s Story – Charles DeRykus
Paddy’s Tonsorial Emporium – Ronald Milburn
Raggedy Ann Heart – Heather McPhaul
Roya – Mahmoud Salimi
ScareActor – Kim Donovan
Smidgely, Alabama 1974 – “Stacey Bean”
Special Arrangements – Patricia Salier
Stealing Dreams – Salvador Paniagua
Stories I Told My Father – William Ebert
The Adoption – Linda Cattani & Mark Schimmel
The Anthropology of Pez the Dispenser – Collin Colson
The Buzzing Tree – K. Carlton Mayfield
The Coyote – Andrew Yusi
The Culling – Conor Gallagher
The Desert Shrine – V.R. Marianne Zahn
The Final Candidate – Steve Hernandez
The Girl With The Paintbrush – Christie Allen
The Lies We Tell Ourselves – Courtney Froemming
The Snow Pony – Stephanie Holman
The Statue Garden – Peter Hsieh
There is No One in Hell – Nijean Philippe
They Call Me Terrorist – “Amrita Singh”
Touch of Grey – Daniel Talamantes
Undesirable – Rodolfo Alvarado
Visceral Fatherland – LeLe Park
Warpaint – Helen Taylor
What We Leave Behind – “David Duty”

Movie: Thriller/Horror

Bad Summer – Richard Stringham
Between the Walls – “Carmen Brucato”
Birthmark – Damon Russell, Mylissa Fitzsimmons & Brenden Hubbard
Bone Men – Charles Becco
Carnivorous – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Faithful Shadow – Kevin J. Howard
Final Interview – Lou Peterson
Free Range – Howard Bennett
Friday Night Frenzy – Richard Stringham
GASP – S. C. S.
Glitterfish – Robert Castle
Good & Evil – Stephen Kayfish
Invisi-Grizz – Dion Hicks
Maelstrom – Stephen Wise
Monochrome – Chloë J. Hightower
Murder Incorporated – Lawrence Moore
North Moody Road – Ronald Ecker
Room Service – Joseph D’Urso
Rush Week – Michael Bretten
Soul Passage – Patrick Mediate & Kristin Ilagan
Terror Trip – Darrin Thompson
The Good Go First – Jerome Velinsky
The Most Dangerous Game – Jonathan Anthony
The Night Hike – Rob Stennett
The Queen of Death – Cindy Pelligrini
Vermin – Chris Warner
VXX – Bridget Bell McMahon

Television: Half Hour Script

A. P. Bio: The Crush – Paula Dixon
Blood From a Stone – John King
Camp Co-Ed – Ava Feneberger
Community Theatre – Richard Wilson
Complex* – Jake Marin
Curb Your Enthusiasm – Larry’s Celebrity Poker – Scott Marshall Taylor
Dingle Berry – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Docents – Grace Fetterman
Duck. I Have Heroes – Devin Wilson
Fogies – Collective Punishment – Peter Andrews
Gobble – Pilot Script – Troy DeWinne
Good Lord – Matthew Neff
Graphers – Jeremy Engler
Grass Fed – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Home, Sweet Homeless – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Honor Among Thieves – Richard Chi
Incredibull – pilot – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
It’s Always Sunny In Phildelphia: The Gang Gets Diverse – Jordan Champagne
Keisha is Coming to Lagos – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
La Isla Bonita – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Lady Parts – “Bonnie Gross”
Love, LTD. – Ada Lee Halofsky
My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad – Russell Robertson
My Neighbors The Nudists – Russell Robertson
New Bunkerville – Alex Diedrick
Side Effects May Include – Avery Girion
Soleil Falling – Jacques Point Du Jour
Special Days – Blake Rice
Stand-Ups – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Surface Tension: Let Them Eat Cake – “Shane Walsh-Smith”
That’s The Spirit – Kelly McInerney
The Brew House – Kevin Matthews
The Family That Appraises Together – Paula Dixon
The Tommy Sessions – James Skowyra
Where You Are – James Brown III

Television: One Hour Script

¡Viva, La Click-Ka! The Television Series – “Rodolfo Alvarado”
1-Star Review – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Beverly Hills Finest – Anthony Sands
Blue Spice Queen – Dean Harakas
Caregivers: In Sickness and Health – Tessa Clare
Colossus – Adam Stayberg
Confidently Conflicted – Chloé Linn
Dead Inside – Guilherme Martins
Dead Patch – pilot – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
Desert Star News – robert haus
Great White Way – Lawrence Fecho
Here Kitty Kitty – Dana Hammer & Marcus McGee
Hidden Blood – “Seda Anbarci”
In The Shadows of November (script) – Bill Albert
It’s hot in L.A. – Philipp Senn
Jungle Jam – Benjamin Pierce
Knight Errant – “Sabina Sattar”
Kurds of Nashville – Peter Andrews
Lie With Me – “Allen Amanna”
Mission Appleseed – pilot – Trent Miller
Phoenix – Jed Sutter
Quantum Bits – Mark Perlick
Rock Bottom – Tiffany Jackman
Roderick – Danny Lewis
Ruin – Justine Browning
Sit.Com – Steve Murray & Robert Meredith
The Bliss Killer – LeLe Park
The Even Darker – “Edi Ibok”
The Factory – Kevin Brunner
The Great Revealing – Mark Perlick
The Imperfects – pilot – Ruben Estremera & Gregory Wolk
The Merc Club – Blake Tamarkin
The Townhouse – David Neal
The Worst Heroes – Alison Gonzalez
The Wrong Candidate Pilot – John Ravitz
Wanted Dead – Glenn Lissner
When In Mexico – Jorge Castro-Salinas

 

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