FINALIST SCREENPLAYS

SHORTS and FEATURES

The Lily & The Scorpion - FEATURE FILM

Charlie Netto

Screenplay

1872 Wyoming, Olivia Morgan, a former outlaw once known as ˜The Lilyâ™ but now living a placid life married to a senator, is convinced to help a determined bounty hunter track down her former partner, Claudette Fields, a.k.a The Scorpion, who is on an out of control spree of robbery and mayhem. 

Picklers

Matthew Karzis

Screenplay - Comedy

Pickleball is everywhere. The world’s fastest growing recreational sport is becoming exponentially more popular by the day, with a spot in the 2030 Olympics a likely outcome for the upstart game. Looking to capitalize on the sports ever-expanding popularity is controversial billionaire-bro TOM RUNYON. Known in the business world for his brazen, often outlandish ideas, he decides to host a singular, unprecedented sporting event: a nationally televised Amateur Pickleball Tournament. Investing an undisclosed amount of money, his bet is that if the unique and quirky sport can capture the affection of viewers the way it has its infatuated players, this could be one of the most ground-breaking and highly lucrative enterprises in the history of sports.

To record his endeavor for the sake of posterity (and additional revenue streams), Tom commissions a documentary film crew to follow select competitors, capturing everything that transpires behind-the-scenes in their respective journeys leading up to, and throughout the event. This varied and unique collection include teenage wunderkind Kitch Tomaras, his overbearing father Angelo, and disillusioned mother Mia. Shayla and Ronnie, a young couple who’ve hit a wall in their long-term relationship. Joel Miller (aka Noel Hiller) who plays Pickleball under a secret alias. Finally, Edith and Gary Greco, an elderly couple part of the original cohort of Pickleball enthusiasts, eager to represent for their fellow geriatrics.

The intensity of this one-of-a-kind tournament will push this group of Pickleball combatants the very brink of their ability…and their psyches. They, along with the most important relationships in their lives, will be tested in ways they’ve never heretofore been tested, each needing to summon the incredible strength and will required to survive the unparalleled gauntlet on the grueling road to Pickleball glory.

Noxious Weeds

Em Koopman

Screenplay - Thriller, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Action, Adventure

Mira Whatley just wanted to be an investigative journalist; to prove to her former boss that she had what it took to uncover the truth behind a series of strange deaths in Papua New Guinea. Now she’s trapped in a remote location with no medication, no idea who she can trust, and someone or something lurking in the shadows a little too close behind her.

There's a Body in the Trunk

Juan Diego Olivarez, Tanner McChristian

Short Script

Dom still has feelings for his ex, so when his ex comes calling asking for help, he immediately agrees, no questions asked. When she pulls up, however, Dom is shocked to discover what the task is: There’s a Body in the Trunk, and he needs her help submitting it.

Kabuk (The Shell)

Hakan Acenal

Short Script

The Shell is a stark yet realistic portrait of a woman on the edge of her bonds without the courage to save herself.

The Salesman

Adam Seidel

Screenplay

A lonely assassin on the cusp of a mid-life crisis is duped into a cross-country road trip with his next hit, an abrasive, suicidal man who wants company on his pre-death apology tour. ABOUT SCHMIDT meets BANSHEES of INISHERIN.

Something Big

Mylissa Fitzsimmons

Short Script

Martha goes home for the first time in 10 years to attend her brothers funeral and in the process has to deal with her life.

The Paris

Daniel Talbott

Screenplay

In 1934, hounded by the press and haunted by her past, a young actress cocoons herself on the brand new Paris ocean liner, heading to France to either find a way to move forward or escape her life forever. Weeks later, she emerges from the ship in New York again as Katharine Hepburn, the character that will allow her to be the movie star she’s expected to be, and also truly be herself.

Unknown, At Large

Andrew Klaus-Vineyard

Short Script - Horror, Thriller

An evening of self-care slowly begins to turn ominous for Kyle as they try to relax and enjoy their favorite true-crime podcast.

On Sundays

Samantha Soule

Short Script

An open mic, a poetry reading, a winter night navigating one’s edge and a redefining of the truth. One women, through her own words, finds her path towards self love.

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Picklers

Matthew Karzis

Award winning writer in film, television, and stage. Feature film writing debut “Boy City” premiered at the prestigious Whistler International Film Festival (2022).

Matthew Karzis is known for Boy City (2022), Marco’s Dream: A Lucky 7 Soccer Club Story (2018) and Window Chats with Robyn: A Podcast Created by Robyn Deverett (2021).

Noxious Weeds

Em Koopman

Meet Em Koopman, a multi-talented creative hailing from British Columbia’s west coast. With over 10 screenwriting awards under her belt, including a first-place win at the Las Vegas Film Festival in 2015, Em’s writing has been selected for over 25 festivals and continues to captivate audiences. Her own “Once Upon a Time” began at 12 years old when she was invited backstage to a taping of a Disney TV show. It was there she was given a script for an episode and realized the power of combining her love for writing with the visual medium of film and television. It’s no surprise that she went on to graduate from the Vancouver Film School.

An early philanthropist and nature lover, Em has a deep connection to the environment and often draws inspiration for her writing from the world around her. With a passion for environmentalism, her stories often explore themes of conservation, preservation, and the impact of human actions on the planet. At the young age of 6, Em organized a bake sale to benefit The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation, and at 16, single-handedly planned a benefit concert for Plan Canada which raised over 10 times what she did as a first-grader.

In her spare time, Em is a talented photographer who has found success capturing travel, wildlife, and live events. She was even embraced by Vancouver’s drag community and could often be found frequenting drag shows around the city. A frequent traveler, Em has visited Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Europe, gathering inspiration for her creative endeavors.

With the desire to create meaningful stories, it doesn’t matter whether she’s writing about the world’s issues, capturing its beauty through her lens, or using her voice for good: Em Koopman is a force to be reckoned with. Regardless of if she’s in Los Angeles hoping to catch her big break, snorkeling alongside marine iguanas in the Galapagos, or back in her beloved Vancouver, Em’s love for writing and the visual medium shines through in everything she does.

Kabuk (The Shell)

Hakan Acenal

Hakan Acenal is a Turkish film director, writer, producer and script consultant He finished his degree in screenwriting at University of Toronto in 2002 and started to write short stories. His debut short film “Orangeâ” was selected to many national and international film festivals. ‘His second film “Crack in the Wall” made its world premiere at the 15th edition of Reykjavik International Film Festival. He was selected to the Reykjavik Talents in the same year. His short screenplay entitled “The Shell” won the First International Screenplay Award at the 38th edition of Rhode Island International Film Festival.

His feature screenplay was shortlisted at the 42nd edition of Toronto International Film Festival. He was selected as jury member to the 8th edition of Firenze Filmcorti Festival and 34th edition of International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Iran. He is currently in development for his debut feature film “Hidden”.

The Paris

Daniel Talbott

Daniel Talbott is an award-winning writer and director, a Lucille Lortel Award winning theater producer, and the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep. His first feature film co-written and co-directed with Samantha Soule, “Midday Black Midnight Blue” premiered at SIFF in Seattle in 2022 and was distributed by Good Deed in 2023. His horror drama pilot Rome, Georgia (to star Mary-Louise Parker) is in development with Vertigo Entertainment. His feature script Gray is in active development in Denmark with Motor Productions, with Martin de Thura attached to direct. Other TV writing includes The Mist based on the Stephen King novella, and The Conners on ABC. He is a graduate of Juilliard.

Unknown, At Large

Andrew Klaus-Vineyard

Andrew Klaus-Vineyard is of Inuit, Icelandic, and Jewish descent which fuels his passion for storytelling.

He studied contemporary art and practice at Savannah College of Art and Design and holds a degree in Queer, Feminist, and Marxist Theory in Media Analysis and Time-Based Art from Portland State University and an MFA in directing University of Hawaii at Manoa.

He currently resides Los Angeles, California.

On Sundays

Samantha Soule

Samantha is a filmmaker and actress living in New York. Her current work can be seen for Netflix, Showtime, Amazon and many others. When not on a film set, she can be found at the end of a dirt road with no cell reception.

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2024 Festival
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