2023 Screenplay Award Finalists

A self published author of a children's novel titled 'Old Hige' and a graduate of Met Film School with a Master's Degree in Screenplay Writing.

Melissa Hope is the author of Sea of Kings, a fantasy adventure middle-grade that Newbery Award winner Andrea Wang described as "everything a kid could want." More recently, her picture book Not My Order was a finalist in the Kids Choice Award 2023, and her short film finished as a quarterfinalist

Aged 18, I chose stability and certainty over creativity and impulse. I studied medicine, became a doctor, witnessed life and my fair share of death. For years, I built a narrative. Hard facts and logic win over ambiguity and emotion. But there was always a niggling feeling. A way to express what

A British Turkish Cypriot, twenty two year old neurodivergent writer and actor, raised in South East London, who has recently defected to North London.

Hi, I am Francesa. After graduating from the University of Exeter in 2016, I have dedicated the last seven years of my life to the film industry. I completed a screenwriting course at the Met Film School in London in 2017 and an 'Acting for Film' course in New York in 2018, which I funded through

Writer & Artist exploring a mix of genres & styles including Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Cosmic Horror, plus digital art and traditional art. Liath LaVerne Hawke is my pen name that I plan to write and illustrate under, but I share my real name when required. Most of my experience comes with writing short

Paul has an MA in English Literature from Oxford University. He wrote and performed comedy, professionally, both live on stage and for TV and radio, with Ian Hislop, and Richard Curtis, the romantic comedy screenplay writer. His play - “A New Adam and Eve”- was performed by the Haymarket Theatre

Born in Italy in 1961, I started to travel the world at the age of seventeen. As a Political Science university student I began exploring Western Africa, acquiring a deep knowledge of the territory and its people. In the ‘90s I moved to the United States where, as a TV producer, I realized several

Darren is an actor, writer, producer and director. He recently completed his debut short film BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE as a writer / director, where he was awarded the New York Screenwriting Award 2023 for Best Short Screenplay LGBTQIA Winner and Winner Best Performance – LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival 2023

CLAIRE PARTIN is a storyteller, artist, writer, lyricist, song improvisor and actor living in West Hollywood, California. She recently co-wrote the musical “Heartland” with composer Kat Zimmerman about an Amish teen who moves to the big city only to have his American dreams dashed when he witnesses

Kim Black is a not-quite-cozy genre mixologist and award-winning author. She loves learning new things and returned to school in her fifties to receive her certification in screenwriting. She is a member of the Texas High Plains Writers, one of the oldest writers' groups in America. She speaks to

I've published over 30 novels and nonfiction books, most notably the popular Shakespeare Stealer series. I'm also a widely produced playwright; my adaptation of The Shakespeare Stealer has been staged by most of the top children's theatres in the U.S. I've recently turned my hand to screenplays

Erasmo Acosta was born in Cantaura, a small town in Venezuela, and moved to the United States in 1996 to pursue a software engineering career sponsored by a small Silicon Valley company. He retired to Portland, Oregon, in 2020 after achieving 32 successful years in the industry. In 2015, he became

From a young age, Timothy Jay Smith developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times. En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and

After meeting Robert, you realize he was raised right- right inside a movie theater. His childhood happy-place was escaping to the cinema and the magic that came alive on screen. After trying his hand on an independent film, he realized his greater passion was writing. He’s inspired by visual

Ryan is a West L.A. based emerging screenwriter with over twenty finalist selections from the top screenplay comps in the industry. Ryan looks for highly marketable projects with a focus on genre-bending true stories and biopics, where sports, crimes, vices, drama, comedy, and inspiring real-life

I am a writer who loves developing stories about personal dramas, moral conflicts and long-held secrets, elements I am passionate about exploring through family relationships, issues of trust, loyalty, abandonment and love. Two of my projects have had recent success. My TV Serial Pilot ‘Reputation’

Since attaining my MA in Play and Screenwriting – graduating from City, University of London, in 2014 – I have had three plays successfully produced in London, commissioned and directed by Martin Parr, known for producing work in unconventional spaces. Consequently, with a produced two-hander, one

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

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

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

Tom Holowach is the retired Manager of Paliku Theatre at UH Windward Community College. He has a BS in Speech and Theater, and won three HSTC Po'okela Awards for Leading Male in a Drama and Musicals. He had lead roles in "Under the Blood Red Sun," "Deadly Honeymoon," and "Hawaii Five-0." In Los

As a child, I struggled with writing. That transformed when I was in graduate school studying for a Ph.D. in biochemistry and confronted with composing a dissertation. As I worked on my thesis, I felt enlivened in a new way. I assumed it was because I was nearing completion of my degree, yet now, in

Maia is the author of the forthcoming rom-com novel, DARE TO AU PAIR, set to be released in August 2024 with CamCat Books. Levantine Films has optioned the rights to this work with plans for TV production. As an author and screenwriter, she's focused on empowering, inspiring, and entertaining

The majority of my life has been teaching, coaching and athletics. Coming back to writing, I'm grateful for how much the artistic process brings out in us, no matter what we're doing, as long as we're giving it everything we have and there's some real obstacles in the way. For instance, writing this

I am originally from Brooklyn, New York. I have lived in England for nearly two decades and have dual US/UK citizenship. I have a B.A. in Russian from Columbia University and was an Intelligence Officer in the US Navy. I also have a Master’s degree in Opera and worked as a singer, director and stage

Sunday Blackwell is an author and a scriptwriter. His goal is to see people enjoy the value of their time when they sit to watch a movie or read a book. He has contributed to articles, research, and book publication. When he is not writing or reading books, he enjoys listening and watching comedy

I like writing and re-writing which is lucky. I hold an MFA in Fiction from Brooklyn College and studied screenwriting with NYFA and Sundance Collab. My screenplays WOLF CRAZY and BUCK HUNTER IN MANHATTAN (which was a Finalist in the 2023 Page Turner Awards) have placed in a few festivals. Currently

I am an author and a screenwriter. My writings focus on historical dramas, fiction, and fantasy. Originally from Northern Iraq, I was born into the Chaldean Christian ethnic group before moving to the United States, where I grew up. While in the corporate world, I traveled extensively and lived in

Following my decision last March to take time to dedicate to my writing, I was delighted to become a finalist with my scripts for Unlikely Heroes and Sebastian. I have loved having the freedom to get absorbed into the world of words and enjoy the buzz it gives me. Yes there are ups and downs with