2022 Screenplay Award Finalists

Growing up on a hazardous waste site that’s home to the Mothman legend was a lot for Michael to take in. Stories of outsiders caught between real and imagined horrors are now his sweet spot. He has earned accolades from Academy Award qualifying festivals such as Cinequest, HollyShorts, Austin Film

I am a 33-year-old single mom to a teenage boy and I live on the west coast of Norway. I was a high school dropout who got pregnant at 18. I decided to be a better role model for my son so I went back to school when I was 20. I got my diploma as a truck/bus mechanic. To provide for us I had to work

Joseph Black grew up in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. After hearing his accent, people frequently accuse him of lying about this. He assures those that do that this is the truth, citing that: 1. A childhood filled with movies, TV, video games, audiobooks, and podcasts led to him never developing all

Clark is a produced and optioned screenwriter with a focus on Sci-Fi, Dark Dramedy, and True Stories. Clark has successfully collaborated with Producers and other screenwriters on several projects. Most of his projects are grounded in themes of "the haves and the have-nots", classicism, and coming

The Black List Recommended, Coverfly Top 1%, affectionately called "Monty" by my friends, I love to create compelling dramatic thrillers that explore unknown worlds—honing my craft at NYU and Sundance Collab. Presently developing two pilots and a drama feature, I reside in New York with my family

I am a 63-year-old recovering lawyer living with my wife in Chicago, IL. During the pandemic, I wrote 2 screenplays - "The Third Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump” (a comedy) and "Chicken Tenderized" (a drama) and 2 novels - "Miss Minnie's Boarding House" (an historical family saga) and "Angel's

I was born a vagabond spirit and have yet to learn the meaning of “comfort zone.” My life has been and continues to be sui generis. All that follows is a standard literary CV for an extremely non-standard career. ***** In high school, I was an editor of the underground paper, The Charlotte

I am a 33-year-old single mom to a teenage boy and I live on the west coast of Norway. I was a high school dropout who got pregnant at 18. I decided to be a better role model for my son so I went back to school when I was 20. I got my diploma as a truck/bus mechanic. To provide for us I had to work

Clark is a produced and optioned screenwriter with a focus on Sci-Fi, Dark Dramedy, and True Stories. Clark has successfully collaborated with Producers and other screenwriters on several projects. Most of his projects are grounded in themes of "the haves and the have-nots", classicism, and coming

I am an aspiring screenwriter living in Tucson, AZ. I enjoy using real-life experiences to create compelling dramatic movies for a wide audience. I have worked in the medical field for thirty years and my (sometimes unbelievable) experiences tend to take on new life in my stories.

Jenn Fonteyn was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the hills west of Denver. She holds a BS in Biology and an MS in Applied Natural Science. She is a Science Writer, Screenwriter, and horse enthusiast.

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

Alix Lerner began her screenwriting career after earning her PhD in American history from Princeton University. Now liberated from the constraints of the historical record, she writes about the darkest impulses of ordinary minds and the haunting consequences of everyday choices. She's based in New

Having grown up in North Texas, USA where my choices in life included playing women's sports or going to church, I obviously sided with Satan and got out of there to pursue film school at UT. Since then I've worked in broadcast news, tv/film production and lately as Producer in gaming. Dramatic

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

I'm a musician by day, writer by night, originally from High Wycombe - which genuinely has a chair museum - but now living a seagull poop-spattered existence in Plymouth, Devon. I began pursuing screen/comedy writing in 2015, starting off writing jokes and sketches for radio, before moving on to

Steve Blame lives in Germany. He explored his sexual identity during the rampant homophobia in Britain of the '80s, going from denial to acceptance to the fight against bigotry as his generation's only 'out' TV host. Today, having experienced the up and downsides of fame, Steve continues his

I am a feature film and TV Screenwriter with an MA degree from London Film School and a successful track record at film festivals and contests worldwide, including the prestigious Creative World Awards, The Finish Line Script Competition and The Golden Script Competition. While most of my

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

Wrote and directed following films, Sheppard Boys, Lees Offering, David's Child and The Good Family. Wrote countless scripts and directed countless short films in a 30 year career.

I’ve been writing scripts for over 20 years, ever since I wrote my first screenplay for my BA Film, on a borrowed Olivetti electronic typewriter. Since then, I’ve been writing scripts in my spare time alongside a career as a journalist and copywriter, then a professional comms manager in Government

Aspiring writer/director based in Ireland. I've written and directed numerous shorts, the most recent of which, Hunger, has been selected in festivals around the world winning numerous awards in the process. I hold a first class Honours degree in film production and have three years industry

My adult daughter said, "You know, Dad. seems like you've had 50 careers." The list includes HS English teacher, studio musician, stand-up comic. Was represented by Brenda Feigen at William Morris from 84-87. Swore I'd never return to screenwriting until I did in 2019. Won many awards, top 2% on

Armed with a PhD in English Literature from the University of Rochester, I specialize in female-driven historical dramas that blend my literary expertise and research skills with an ability to tell compelling stories about women who push the boundaries of knowledge, gender, sexuality, politics, and

Bruna is a Portuguese Writer/Director based in London, UK. She has a Master's Degree in Film Directing from MET Film School London and has directed a number of successful and award winning short films. As a screenwriter she has been a winner and finalist in a number of competitions, including the

Jordan Miles explores how a character might define “home”. For Jordan, home is within her semi-dysfunctional family. Inspired by them, she writes coming-of-age stories about black female protagonists and their family dynamics, especially between mother and daughter. She currently attends NYU Tisch

Born in Birmingham, AL but raised in the DC area, today Chicago is the great city I call home. From the moment I received my first red circled "A" in grade school for a short story about a day at the beach, I knew I was a writer! However, I grew up in a family where writing was not seen as a viable

Adele Smaill writes thrillers and horror - mainly features. She started writing screenplays a year into the pandemic and has not yet come down from the high of reaching the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finals. Local to usually sunny Adelaide, Australia, she's also lived and worked in the

Chris lives by the sea in Narragansett, Rhode Island USA. He has written nine features, three television pilots, and a number of short screenplays. He enjoys developing the worlds in his dramas. His experience as a psychologist has been a great source for interesting characters, each with their

Raised in LA, Madison spent her time acting, writing, and pretending to be a dinosaur. She now works as an erotic romance writer, a fun way to stun people into silence at parties. In her scripts she showcases diversity in all its forms, fueled by the experiences of both herself and others. She

Sean Slater is an actor-writer-producer born in the UK and raised in California. His work includes the features “Empire Gypsy”, “Target: St. Louis” and “Target: Philadelphia” (available on Amazon and Tubi) as well as the forthcoming competitive eating documentary “ScarfFace”. He holds an MA in

A business journalist with a creative writing minor, Zachary Phillips graduated from the University of Maryland in the Spring of 2019. In addition to several years as a professional writer and editor, he worked on the inaugural "Maryland Night Live" show at College Park, serving as the now-annual

British-Australian Kirsty Zane writes genre-blending dark comedy screenplays – from sci-fi to romantic comedy and crime. Accolades include Grand Prize (Short) at Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) Screenwriting Competition (2021) judged by readers from Gersh & CAA; Finalist 2022 Atlanta Film

Paul is a semi-retired attorney and mediator in Denver. He began writing screenplays in 2017 as a hobby and has won several competitions. His practice consists primarily of legal malpractice cases on behalf of plaintiffs.

The following is a true story. Long before I knew how to read and write, I already knew I wanted to create horror stories. I was a kid from Mexico City who was afraid of the dark but loved scary monster movies. So, horror films became part of my life. Probably I was the only 6-year-old who knew The

Bernhard is a writer, marketeer and carpenter with several years of experience as a screenplay editor, holding a BA in Screenwriting from Staffordshire University and an M.Litt. in Film Studies from the University of St. Andrews. Most recently, his award-winning short drama Tree o' mine was optioned

Mike Cymanski is a writer from Northern California, who grew up devouring classic Hollywood films. Mike had a successful career as a professional stage actor and later as an acting professor at San Jose State University. He’s a graduate of UCLA’s professional screenwriting program and writes Action

Sean Slater is an actor-writer-producer born in the UK and raised in California. His work includes the features “Empire Gypsy”, “Target: St. Louis” and “Target: Philadelphia” (available on Amazon and Tubi) as well as the forthcoming competitive eating documentary “ScarfFace”. He holds an MA in

Oconomowoc, Wi-based writer with an affinity for writing darkly comedic Neo noir contemporary westerns.

Johnny is an Irish born Silicon Valley coder turned TV dirty cop turned grounded sci-fi screenwriter. He's an optioned screenwriter in 2022 that has 6 scripts in Coverfly's Top 1%, is a Final Draft Big Break Top 5 (2 x Finalist), a CineStory Runner-Up (2 x Top 3), 8/10 on Blcklst.com, a Page Awards

Brian Michaels, Actor, Composer, started his creative path in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Now residing in Los Angeles, Brian's current passion is screenwriting where his works have been nominated for a number of screenwriting awards.

Erial Tompkins is an LA-based genre writer with roots in television marketing as an award-winning copywriter and trailer editor. Her love of storytelling is rooted in strong, diverse characters, American history, spectacle, and hope. Before moving to Los Angeles, Erial studied at Emerson College in

Parker Sack is a writer from Atlanta, who is currently studying Film production at NYU. Beginning his career as an actor, it wasn’t long before Parker fell in love with screenwriting and all things production. He has been part of productions such as Dopesick, The Hate U Give, Coat of Many Colors

38, from Sheffield, England. Amateur screenwriter, full time factory worker. No accolades or achievements to promote, no other idea how to market himself. Please help.

Luke was born in Rome, Italy, grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and attended William & Mary, where he mainly studied Ultimate Frisbee. He continues to do so in Los Angeles. Luke is fascinated by myths and modern physics. He spends his free time poring over books of legends and sifting through stories

David's a commercial director in New York who's done a wide range of ads and brand films for Democrats and progressive causes, including in the last four Presidential campaigns, as well as major financial and retail brands. His quirky sci-fi short, Silo, is a Vimeo Staff Pick and you would like it

Sean Slater is an actor-writer-producer born in the UK and raised in California. His work includes the features “Empire Gypsy”, “Target: St. Louis” and “Target: Philadelphia” (available on Amazon and Tubi) as well as the forthcoming competitive eating documentary “ScarfFace”. He holds an MA in

After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, David Gluck moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career telling stories. For over twenty years, the last fifteen as a member of the Writers’ Guild of America, he has written and developed screenplays for a number of notable studios and filmmakers. He

Charlene should have known she was destined to write horrors & thrillers. In Grade 2, she wrote about a disappearance/murder that got a big red WOW!; her mother was called in for a subsequent ‘meeting’. Now, teaching teenagers for the last 20+ years, she is engaged in horror of a much different kind

Steven Bogart is a playwright, screenwriter, and free-lance stage director. In 2015, he received a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship Award in playwriting for The Last Skywriter in the Universe. He was a 2009 Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant recipient in playwriting for his play, Pigcat