2024 Screenplay Award Finalists

Shiva Ramanathan discovered the magic of storytelling when an egg hit him squarely during his impromptu stage debut. While it wasn’t the ovation he dreamed of, it kickstarted an adventure even Indiana Jones would tip his hat to. From a graduate degree in Communication to community theater and video

Dwight A. Jolivette is an aspiring screenwriter who lives in Mesa, Arizona. He’s a retired Financial Advisor, which means he didn’t have much money to invest in the stock market but was able to convince others to invest theirs. Dwight has been writing in some form or another for as long as he can

Gilberto A. Rodríguez posee un bachillerato en Drama y Lenguas Modernas de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Comienza a escribir en 1994 mientras trabajaba como asistente de producción en las telenovelas de la Cadena Telemundo. En 1995 estudia redacción de guiones en UCLA. En adición a Hugo, Paco, Luis

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

Alia Zeid was born and raised in the Bay Area as a member of Generation Z. Although she’s a first generation American, her parents expose her to their Spanish and Palestinian cultures so she is able to write from multiple points of view to develop worlds and protagonists in her scripts. Alia’s

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

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

When Ben Johnson met the union strategy of “Change through Conflict” it was love at first fight. Ben eloped with the union and became Treasurer and then President of AFT Vermont from 2007 - 2016. In an act of flagrant bigamy, he was also the youngest person ever elected to be President of a State

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an INSET series for BBC Education, she set up wildlife films in Botswana and a BLUE PETER exploration of South Africa

When Ben Johnson met the union strategy of “Change through Conflict” it was love at first fight. Ben eloped with the union and became Treasurer and then President of AFT Vermont from 2007 - 2016. In an act of flagrant bigamy, he was also the youngest person ever elected to be President of a State

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

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

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

CURRENT 2024 ACADEMY NICHOLL FELLOWSHIP NOMINEE: In the last 4 years, Austin's screenplays Car Heroin Train, Her Seventh Death, William the II, Taming Holden Caulfield, Diners & Devils, Who Let the Wallflowers Out? (2024 Nicholl Nominated), Maddie and Frannie, and Night With A Glorious Sun have

Darryl Wimberley is a native Floridian, credited screenwriter and author of: Kaleidoscope, screenplay, Fade In Magazine’s Grand Prize Winner, 1988 A Tinker’s Damn, Foreword Review Award, Best Literary Novel, 2001 The King of Colored Town, The Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction, 2007 Paul

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

My passion for writing has always been with me, stemming from writing and directing a school play at the tender age of 14. This enthusiasm resurfaced in 2020 when I finally found the time to be the creative I'd always wanted to be. My debut novel, Certified, was published in August 2021. It became

Vincent Veloso is an Asian Filipino-American martial artist (Kodokan judo, Tekken-ryu jujutsu, Nihon Goshin Aikido), trained salsa ballroom dancer & actor, model, multi-award winning: writer/producer/director, businessman & 17 instrument performing musician. Originally from New Jersey, he was

Stefan is a German national with an academic background in history and political science. He is a long time film critic at the Berlin Film Festival and an advertising professional with 20 years of experience in writing tv commercials. Stefan hates the actual process of writing but believes in the

Punk Rocker since 1982, published author in 2002, screenwriter since 2015. Specializing in historical scripts, he is an Academy Nicholl Quarter-Finalist, 17X Screenplay Finalist and 6X best screenplay winner in contests from France, Japan, Venezuela and the United States.

Robbie Robertson is a playwright, screenwriter and graduate of the University of South Carolina and UCLA’s professional screenwriting program. Robertson’s first comedy, MINA TONIGHT! was published by Samuel French and has been produced in regional theatres across the US. His most recent play, a

ERIC MURPHY Eric Murphy is a writer and actor who worked in Paris, London and New York before he, his wife, children and dog Otto now call Toronto home. Fluent in English and French, Eric worked as a commercial rep for a French designer while researching his MA thesis on French foreign policy

Breakfield is a 25+ year technology expert in security, networking, voice, and anything digital. He enjoys writing, studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges. He’s also a fan of wine tastings, winemaking, Harley riding, cooking extravaganzas, and woodworking. Burkey is a 25+ year

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.

Genet is a Black List Recommended Screenwriter. She has a passion to create smart dialogue and complex characters in edgy, original and compelling stories. Her screenplay, I Think Therefore You Are, was a finalist in the UK Film Festival Feature Script Competition 2023 and the Golden Script

I am a screenwriter based on the Yorkshire coast, England. My scripts in the drama, comedy and family genres have made it to the finals of several major screenwriting competitions. An English literature graduate, much of my professional career has been in public relations, where I have managed media

A thriving film student at UCLA and Content Clearance Analyst for HBO, Katrina is not just learning; she's redefining storytelling, drawing from a life rich with trials, triumphs, adventure, and growth. From being a teen mom and homeless, to snorkeling with manta rays in the Indian Ocean and running

Kyung-Ja Lee obtained her master’s degree in psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, and a Master’s degree in directing at AFI with award winning short film. Lee continued her independent filmmaking career and received numerous awards and fellowships, including Rockefeller

I love creating original genre-bending stories featuring female leaders - particularly adventure thrillers. My goal is to continue to write thought-provoking adventure stories for film and television. Ideally, I'd land at a female-driven genre dramedy like Agatha All Along.

As an aspiring screenwriter from Toronto, with a background music studies, Nik has discovered his passion for writing as it allows him to take visually rich concepts and implement them into a medium that allows for unfiltered creativity. He finished as a ScreenCraft Feature QUARTERFINALIST for

An Iowa dairy farm boy who luckily scored a masters degree from Stanford and has taken numerous classes at the University of Iowa Summer Writers Festival. Works and plays well with others. (Please note the website listed here is being updated and is currently unavailable.)

Robert Buscemi writes features and pilots that fall squarely in the indie drama, comedy and dramedy traditions, with a knack for strong female characters. His two first feature scripts, MAMMOTH and SUNDOWNERS, have each scored placements in multiple top screenwriting competitions and earned strong

Ernestina Juarez was born in a rural Texas town just north of the Rio Grande. She was the first Hispanic principal of Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas. Her screenplay on the Mexican American War, Labyrinth of Destiny, was a 2018 Academy Nicholl Finalist. Her script on the birth of the

Sasha Kai is a 'neurospicy' writer, producer and podcaster who channels her varied life experience - as a poor kid in rural Ohio, as a political organizer in DC, and as a startup co-founder in Silicon Beach - into dynamic, underdog characters and genre bending narratives. Sasha's stories spotlight

Was always longing for a life of excitement and thrill - I decided to make them. What started as innocent excessive film and television viewing when I was younger, came in handy. Now armed with a diploma in television viewing I am passionate about developing gripping character-driven stories that

Line Rainville and Franco Pirrone are creative partners with a shared commitment to storytelling that champions diversity, inclusivity, and social awareness. Their backgrounds blend international experiences, distinct cultural identities, and a passion for science fiction, bringing unique

​Kelly Lamphear-Dash is an award-winning screenwriter and producer. Her documentaries and short films have been featured in over 100 film festivals worldwide. Her short films and indie features have been featured on The Fantasy Network, YouTube, Prime, Tubi, and other streamers. ​Her short

Ryan is a screenwriter, TV writer and playwright. Studio Nowhere, a half hour comedy series he created, was optioned by 24 FPS Pictures which led Ryan to sign with his first agent. More recently he sold a one hour drama entitled The Four Mothers to Hirsch Pictures. The pilot is shot and currently

David dropped out of high school at 16, reconsidered, academically rehabilitated at a community college, transferred to Michigan State University, from which he graduated with honors, then went on to earn an M.A. from NYU (where he taught fiction writing to undergrads), and, finally, began work on a

Jose was born & raised on the mean streets of Philly PA, aka, The Badlands. In his formative years, Jose was locked up, escaped, caught, thrown back in, and finally released from jail for selling narcotics. After an ultimatum from a Judge, Not Judy, he enlisted in the Army and turned his life around

I am a physician who practices internal medicine in a busy New York City hospital. When I'm not drowning in medical records, I find the time to write screenplays. I primarily write in the horror-comedy and medical genres. My first script, THE ABSCESS, was an Academy Nicholl quarterfinalist, and won

I love creating original genre-bending stories featuring female leaders - particularly adventure thrillers. My goal is to continue to write thought-provoking adventure stories for film and television. Ideally, I'd land at a female-driven genre dramedy like Agatha All Along.

Kyung-Ja Lee obtained her master’s degree in psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, and a Master’s degree in directing at AFI with award winning short film. Lee continued her independent filmmaking career and received numerous awards and fellowships, including Rockefeller

English, ex-trader; lived in close to a dozen countries, picking up several foreign languages (and some useful nationalities) along the way. Reads a lot of history. Currently has a tv comedy in production. Based in Germany, Spain and France.

Sayan Kent is an accomplished playwright, librettist, composer, and emerging screenwriter with a passion for storytelling that explores identity, belonging, and cultural intersections. Transitioning from acting to writing, she earned an MPhil in Playwriting from the University of Birmingham and has

Dad, Clinical Psychologist, and Screenwriter. I am keenly interested in giving voice to those injured by my profession.

Layla O'Shea is a Los Angeles-based screenwriter/director born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. After years of playing baseball, and running around pretending to be Superman, she grew up, went to college, graduated with an English/Communications Degree, and worked full-time while raising three

Alistair is a writer and director. He has worked on numerous award winning short films. He has a passion for storytelling and believes the best stories are character driven. He is currently working in the theatre industry. Hoping to one day put on his very own play.

Ronald McGuire is a multi-genre award-winning author whose work has appeared in numerous literary journals including Winning Writers, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Flash Fiction Magazine and Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. He holds degrees in Comparative Literature and Journalism

Grant grew up in the small Canadian town of Stonewall, Manitoba. There he spent the winters freezing but passionate about playing hockey. The prospects of a professional career in the NHL fizzled out around grade two, but he now resides in Calgary and is fully engaged in his grown-up passion for