Winner of the February 2016 1st Scene Screenplay Contest.

Watch ROAD TO TEXAS by Emanuel Ruggeri

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
ANGEL/DIANE – Kelci Stephenson
SIDNEY – Sasha Rajamani
FRANK – Sean Kaufmann

Get to know writer Emanuel Ruggeri:

1. What is your screenplay about?

The screenplay is about one’s redemption and the dynamics of a broken family’s relationship through the guise of a haunting thriller that touches on many genres through the protagonist’s hellish journey.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

The screenplay deals with issues that concern us all in one way or another, and sometimes without us realising it. It makes a connection to the way we deal with relationships via modern technology, either good or bad. So the subject matters in this screenplay will touch a nerve with the audience who will be able to make a connection with it, and also open…

MINDWALKER is the winning TV Pilot screenplay from February 2016.

MINDWALKER by Thorsten Loos

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
ANNA – Allison Kampf
ANDREW – Sean Kaufmann
SAMANTHA – Kelci Stephenson
WILLIAM – Sasha Rajamani
LEROY – Chris Reid-Geisler
ETHAN/THOMAS – Jarrid Terrell

Get to know writer Thorsten Loos:

1. What is your TV Pilot screenplay about?

Andrew Kinderman, a loner and scifi geek without any friends, witnesses the murder of his neurobiology professor and is shot by the killers as well. His mind is catapulted out of his now comatose body and is ‘anchored’ to the only person he really cares about: The actress of his favourite mystery TV show, Australian beauty Anna Chastings. She is terrified when Andrew’s spirit manifests in her villa and thinks he’s a hallucination caused by too much work, but soon realizes this guy is really in trouble. When he accidentially overhears her…

The Big Bang Theory was the February 2016 Winning TV Spec Screenplay

Watch THE BIG BANG THEORY by David Minaskanian

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
PENNY – Kelci Stephenson
SHELDON – Jarrid Terrell
LEONARD – Chris Reid-Geisler
WOLOWITZ – Sean Kaufmann
KOOTHRAPPALI – Sasha Rajamani
MARY COOPER/AMY – Allison Kampf

Get to know writer David Minaskanian:

1. What is your screenplay based on the TV show “Big Bang Theory” about?

Sheldon’s mom visits for his birthday and accidentally reveals that his grandmother Meemaw passed away. Needless to say, Sheldon does not take it well.

2. How does this screenplay fit into the context of the TV show?

Sheldon’s grandmother had been mentioned for years but never made an appearance, so I wanted to keep in line with that. But now that she was just on the show, I think the script still works if you imagine it as a future episode.

ANIMALS SKINS was the February 2016 Winning Short Screenplay. 

Watch ANIMAL SKINS by Bryan Ott:

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
HUNTER – Sasha Rajamani
PIM – Kelci Stephenson
SCARBOY – Chris Reid-Geisler
WILD BOY – Jarrid Terrell

Get to know writer Bryan Ott:

1. What is your short screenplay about?

In writing Animal Skins, I didn’t consciously start with any specific theme in mind and attempt to explore that idea through the narrative and characters. I usually uncover the central idea as the story is evolving and the threads and connective areas surface and I begin to pull them out. The ideas and areas of human experience that I am interested in and most affected by myself in my own life are in the flaws and shortcomings on the central characters that I am developing through the natural progression of the world of the story and the structure. My…

COMPLICIT was the February 2016 Winning Short Screenplay. 

Watch COMPLICIT by Andrew L  Schwartz:

CAST LIST:

NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
LT. HAMMELSTEIN – Sean Kaufmann
CLARITA/MARIE – Kelci Stephenson
SCHEINBERG – Chris Reid-Geisler
SGT. SACCO – Jarrid Terrell
PAP PAP – Sasha Rajamani

Get to know writer Andrew L  Schwartz:

1. What is your short screenplay about?

Complicit is about a former Nazi who goes on the run after he learns he may have to stand trial for his past transgressions.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

This story focuses on a very real and relevant question that we as human beings need to face: has too much time passed for these men to be held accountable for their actions?

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

Morally challenging.

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

The Return of the…

Tim Kail’s site www.workofwrestling.com is easily the best site devoted to the World of Professional Wrestling. I think of him as the Bill Simmons of Wrestling. Strong opinions. Passion. Long researched columns. And LOVE of the sport. His frustrations for the WWE is legendary – but not without merit as he backs up all of his judgements with valid points. Hopefully Vince McMahon and his team are reading and listening to his Podcasts. He’s either a future hire or the continuing ombudsman for the WWE. 

I was fortunate enough to chat with Tim about all things Wrestling. I hope this won’t be the first time.

Matthew Toffolo: What WWE match in any era have you watched the most times in your life?

Tim Kail: That has to be Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13. That match perfectly embodies professional wrestling’s artistic merit. Everything about it, from…

Submit your Family Film or Screenplay to the Festival: http://festivalforfamily.com

MILLIONS, 2004
Movie Reviews

Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring: Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt
Review by MR Parodi

SYNOPSIS:

Millions is a funny and heartwarming story of two young English boys who have recently moved with their father, after the death of their mother. Damian, the youngest, discovers a bag filled with British Pound notes and shows his older brother, Anthony. England is about to join the European Union Monetary system, and the boys need to find a way to spend the money before it becomes obsolete. What will the boys decide to do with the money: invest it, donate it to the poor, or spend it frivolously?

REVIEW:

Danny Boyle revisits a familiar theme from his first two features, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, in Millions – greed. This time around Boyle looks at it from a young pre-teen…

Submit your Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay to the Festival:http://fantasyscififestival.com/

SIGNS, 2002
Movie Reviews

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones, Patricia Kalember
Review by Jarred Thomas

SYNOPSIS:

After former Reverend, Graham Hess discovers a crop circle at his farm; publicity begins to buzz, as crop circles are discovered around the world. With mixed thoughts on who is responsible, the family are about to encounter the unexpected and learn how to survive as a family.

REVIEW:

One of the best films of 2002 M. Night Shyamalan delivers an exceptional and gripping film with an insightful look into the idea of faith versus coincidence. Signs is a testament to what great filmmaking can be when put into the right hands with a stellar cast led by the talented Mel Gibson who gives one of his best performances in years. While Shyamalan’s later films are…

Deadline Thriller/Suspense Film and Writing Festival
http://thrillersuspensefestival.com/

BATTLE ROYALE, 2000
Movie Reviews

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama, Sosuke Takaoka
Review by Keith Huckfield

SYNOPSIS:

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary “Battle Royale” act.

REVIEW:

In an alternative reality Japan is in a state of near collapse. Unemployment is at an all time high, and violence perpetrated by the nations youth is spiralling out of control. With school children boycotting their classes and attacking teachers, the government introduces a radical new measure; the Battle Royale Act. This act requires a class of school children, randomly chosen by a lottery, to be taken to an island where they will kill each other off until only one student remains, a reminder of what the government will do to protect…

Submit your Crime/Mystery Screenplay or Film to the Festival Today:http://crimemysteryfestival.com

INCEPTION, 2010
Movie Reviews

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Lukas Haas, Michael Caine, Tom Berenger
Review by Joseph Starnes

REVIEW:

A writing professor of mine once suggested that any serious writer should avoid dream sequences in their stories at all costs; that they are cheap gimmick to allow a writer to introduce meaning and information without the cumbersome trouble of attaching it to a character’s actions. It’s actually a good rule of thumb and a problem that’s been perpetrated in more than one hack’s hands. Of course, the other thing he said is that there are no rules in writing and anything is fair game as long as you know what you’re doing.

Writer-director Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) knows what he’s doing. His tastes for crime…