While enjoying an overnight celebration at a regional theme park, a group of graduating high school students are targeted by a vicious killer wearing a dragon mask.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
Grad Nite centers around a group of high school seniors on an overnight field trip to a theme park where mutilated bodies begin to pile up.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
This is a slasher, a horror slasher, with a dash of coming-of-age for depth.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Slashers as a horror subgenre are unique in that nostalgia and familiar beats are expected and celebrated just as much as originality. It’s the originality in Grad Nite that is unlike any other slasher you’ve ever read or seen. These are characters that are sidelined in other stories, taking center stage here, with a unique tone and energy that is patented me (Sion-Raize).
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Recentered horror.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Probably Addams Family Values or White Christmas.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Just over a year. I began writing it in early January 2025.
7. How many stories have you written?
Countless. This is my third feature script in addition to several short films, three published books, several more manuscripts on my hard drive, and three seasons of my series Pretty Dudes.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
The original plan was to write a script in a week as a challenge to myself. Eventually, I fell in love with the world of the script and used the story to explore the nature of horror—what is horrifying, who finds it horrifying, and why?
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
No real obstacles. This one just took work and focus.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about uplifting, supporting, and platforming people from marginalized communities and minoritized backgrounds.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I wanted to jump into the deep end with connoisseurs of horror. I’m grateful for the initial feedback, most of which reflected similar notes I’ve gotten on the draft.
This screenplay explores first contact between a human teenager and a powerful non-human being who has been displaced across time and worlds. Through a quiet, intimate encounter in the tech enthusiast boy’s bedroom, it examines trust, identity, memory and the emotional cost of survival across different realities.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Speculative fantasy, drama and mystery, with elements of coming-of-age and science fiction.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The story presents an emotionally grounded take on first contact, focusing discovery rather than spectacle alone. It also offers strong roles for diverse characters and explores themes of power, belonging and intergenerational knowledge in a fresh way.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Intimate first-contact
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
For the past couple of years, Star Trek: The Next Generation has been my bedtime rewatch. Before that, it was Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. Going further back than that starts to blur, though I did go through an intense Harry Potter phase in my teenage years. I seem to have a tendency to dive deeply into a world for years at a time, and then make a clean break.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I’ve been developing this story on and off for several years, refining both the world-building and the emotional core as the characters became clearer to me.
7. How many stories have you written?
I’ve written numerous short stories and scripts, with this screenplay forming part of a larger body of work exploring identity, evolving technology and human connection. It won a competition organized by the first Tanzanian woman director to have her work featured on Netflix.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I wanted to explore what first contact might look like if it happened quietly, in a private space between people who don’t yet fully understand themselves. Inspired by my experience of living across different cultures and languages, the story reflects an awareness of how we oscillate between fascination and distrust toward what we label as “other.” Rather than focusing on invasion or conflict, I was drawn to themes of recognition, trust and the shift from the emotional weight of feeling lost to the openness and lightness of the state of rediscovery.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
The biggest challenge was balancing revealing a larger world without overwhelming the intimacy of the scene. I wanted the mystery to feel earned rather than explained.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Music. Particularly creating calm, introspective songs, as well as exploring how sound, silence and atmosphere shape emotional experience.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I was drawn to the festival’s egalitarianism and focus on performance readings. Hearing the script performed was deeply affirming. It confirmed that the dialogue and emotional beats translated well when spoken aloud.
Lee is hired to bring the seducer of a young woman to daddy for his particular vengeance. Daddy is an Arizona drug baron. The seducer works for daddy’s Mexican partner. Then too many people with guns and the wrong ideas intrude. And the job just got complicated.
A down-on-his-luck enforcer is hired to bring a young woman’s seducer back to Daddy for a particular vengeance. Daddy is an Arizona drug baron. Seducer works for Daddy’s Mexican partner. Then too many people with guns jump to half-baked conclusions. And the job just got complicated.
And now, what is the story really about. And that is that people often draw the conclusions they want to, and will not be dissuaded by facts. They will rely on preconceptions and assumptions, and jump to the most comfortable, palatable conclusions. The cliche line would be “go with your gut”, the $20 version would say “cognitive bias”.
A secondary idea is the danger of mixing personal beefs with business (especially when the action is based on those faulty assumptions).
Our protagonist, Lee, the above-mentioned enforcer, tries to figure out what is really going on while others are going off half-cocked (with loaded guns).
Those are the ideas that underpin the story. Or we can just enjoy the action, the guys, the gals, the guns, the big old cars, and maybe even spot the hommage à Peckinpah – think The Getaway meets Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (the vibe, not the plot points).
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
a) Action
b) Crime, in the sense that all the characters are involved in crime or related to criminals, and law enforcement
c) Contemporary western, in its setting, and the number of wannabe gunfighters
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Because, if done right, it would be a fun 110 mins, with enjoyable characters in a crazy action-packed situation.
And those who choose can ponder the deeper meanings of the film. 😉
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Never assume!
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Hard to tell. I did not keep score.
I have watched my personal favourite, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, many times. Many an Easter week involved either Ben Hur (1959) or The Ten Commandments (1956), and later added the silent versions of both. I have seen three versions of Touch of Evil, and Pat Garret & Billy The Kid (naturally). I have 1000+ DVDs on my shelf, so…
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I wrote the first draft in 1996, with a few other screenplays. I then set them aside for life (family, work, etc.). During/after Covid, I revisited my work, started submitting some to screenplay competitions, got feedback, and rewrote them based on all the feedback provided on all the screenplays.
7. How many stories have you written?
I have completed six screenplays. Three are westerns of varied scope (and budget). One is a medieval mini-epic/action story (my very first effort, since revised). The Devil’s Right Hand, of course. My latest, written this year, is All Good Komrads, where The Death of Stalin meets A Man for All Seasons.
I also have a couple of screenplays in the works – another western, and a medieval fantasy epic. As I am at the WTF stage of my writing “career”, and if I am doomed to write, in the words of Kris Kristofferson, “songs no one wants to hear”, I can at least enjoy what I am writing.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
Funny story, really. At a screenwriting class in 1995 (yes, back then!), someone asked the instructor, Michael Tolkin, what should we be writing, i.e., what would sell. His reply was “Something violent, or something for Sandra Bullock”.
And so I came up with The Devil’s Right Hand. And in the late 1990s, this “homage to Peckinpah” would have a good part for the late 1990s Sandra Bullock.
So, the right screenplay for all the wrong reasons! But it works.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Life. Back then, I had a job, supported my family, and you can’t tell your kids or your wife “Sorry, I am busy writing a screenplay”. Now, not a problem. The kids are adults, and I only have to dodge my wife’s task list.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I tried to be a good father and husband. I was passionate about my work, but I got over it when I retired. I just wanted to enter my house justified. 🙂 Oops, we are back to writing!
I do love reading, fiction and non-fiction, and history in particular, what happened in the past, how we got to this or that stage, the stories we tell ourselves about the past, how it relates to the here and now, how legends are made, and how we print the legend when the legend becomes fact. Oops again! We are back to writing.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
That it was, at least partially, based in Toronto. I have, for now, lost interest in crossing Canada’s southern border. The “reading” of a scene from the script was an intriguing idea. During rewrites, I try to read scenes “out loud”, or imagine how they play out on screen (that screen inside the writer’s mind).
Pilot Episode: “Black Luck and Red Doom” In 1930s Texas, pulp fiction writer Robert E. Howard battles both external pressures and internal demons as he creates the legendary Conan the Barbarian. When his beloved mother Hester falls gravely ill with tuberculosis, Bob struggles to maintain his sanity while a dark entity from his imagination threatens to break free into reality.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
The Breaking of Bob Howard is a supernatural historical drama about a young writer in 1930s Texas whose imagination begins to manifest as something dark and destructive, forcing him to confront whether creativity is a gift, a curse, or a moral responsibility.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie (or series)?
It explores the cost of creativity and ambition through a grounded historical lens while using supernatural elements to externalize psychological and moral conflict. It’s character-driven, thematically rich, and designed to sustain a long-form narrative.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Haunted ambition.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Star Wars: A New Hope.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Six months, including research, though I’ve been a Robert E. Howard fan going back decades.
7. How many stories have you written?
Dozens across film, television, and publishing.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
A fascination with the inner lives of artists, particularly how imagination can blur into obsession, paranoia, and self-destruction.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Balancing historical authenticity with psychological horror while keeping the character emotionally grounded.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Lead guitar-playing in classic rock bands (Van Halen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin).
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I was drawn to the festival’s focus on genre storytelling. The feedback was thoughtful and encouraging, particularly regarding voice, pacing, and thematic clarity.
When a successful aerospace engineer is sabotaged by a vengeful business rival and haunted by two failed marriages, he embarks on an international journey of self-discovery with newfound hope and determination. Based on actual events.
Get to know the writer;
1. What is your screenplay about?
Based on a true story. Devastated by two failed marriages and sabotaged by a vengeful nemesis, a young engineer makes a pact with his best friend to never marry again. He embarks on an international journey of self-discovery and returns to his birthplace in Austria where he confronts a bizarre premonition. Bewildered, he travels to Hungary where he meets a young woman and proposes marriage on the same day. Together, they face life with newfound hope and determination. Number one on their agenda is to destroy his vengeful rival with a clever plot executed by his new wife.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Drama, romance
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
This theme will appeal to a large audience.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Incredible, overwhelming
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Dr Zhivago
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Two years
7. How many stories have you written?
Ten
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
It is an incredible true story based on my life.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Raw emotions
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Technology and astrophysics
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
Received: Special Jury Award, a Festigious International award, plus finalist in several script contests.
The story is about the truth of the mysteriousness of my mother’s family, the monotone, I shall put it. Within their faces, you never knew what they were thinking or hiding. My aunt lives on Fox Hill Rd, and I thought what a perfect name for a trilogy. Also, they love Halloween as well. My aunt and mother are exact twins, so what more can I say?
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
The Genres are (Children’s/Middle-High School Grade Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Young Supernatural)
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
How I would describe this book in two words (Mystical & Hooking)
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
I’ve seen it over and over again: Trading Places. I also love the movies of Robin Williams.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
I don’t have a favorite song, but I have two favorite bands, the Eagles & Bee Gees
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
My all-time favorite novel is The Three Musketeers Alexzander Dumas
7. What motivated you to write this story?
My motivation to write this was that in a generation of technology i’m 20 years old and I see myself as old-fashioned, to write with a pen and paper to still use the gift of creativity and imagination, as well as I’m still a child in my heart.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
If I could have dinner with someone, it would be Leonardo da Vinci
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
My other passions are playing the piano, knitting, creating, painting, woodworking, andabout mostly everything that involves your mind and hands
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
I’ve entered many competitions as well as awards. I started writing when I was sixteen, and I wrote my first children’s picture book series, with the third coming out, but on the side of that, I wrote stories. My greatest gift was to create stories. Some called me a liar because of all the stories that I came up with, but it was then that I saw my love and passion for being an author. When I saw that everyone’s a winner, I knew that this was a true writing festival for authors who put so much love into words, instead of all the festivals I’ve been kicked out of because I’m a self-published author or because I haven’t got a professional representative. I feel like you guys help the little guys out there, so thank you.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
I’m just starting my career as an author, but I do have some advice. I had a dream that became a reality, and many people, even from my family, told me that it was impossible. Well, my best supporter was my father, as well as I. So always keep that child in you because remember you were a kid before you came, an adult. My best time for creativity and imagination is taking a walk through the park and going on the swing, be the kid who was there.
In a lawless frontier town, notorious outlaw Bill Creed rules with an iron fist and a twisted sense of justice. But his reign is about to be challenged by Ryder Calloway, a hardened bounty hunter with a quiet demeanour and a deadly aim.
Review by Julie C. Sheppard:
The title of this riveting short – – Ryder Calloway and the Bounty for Bill Creed – – immediately establishes a western tone. The film’s angle is resonant of the iconic phrase, “there’s not enough room in this town for the two of us” – – the narrative pits two strong characters against one another without hesitation. Tension between the evil outlaw and the courageous bounty hunter is immediate and gets more intense as their interchange continues. The outlaw’s sidekick adds to the tension – – a repulsive character, raping women without a second thought.
The location and props have all the trappings of a classic frontier tale – – the piece is set in a rickety wood saloon with flickering candlelight, and a sly, villainous face appears on yellowed ransom signs hanging on the dusty walls. As in many a barroom scene, the fight choreography is impressive, as is the resulting gore. Remarkable sound design engulfs the piece with atmospheric nuggets, such as heavy footsteps on the creaky floors, horses neighing, women screaming, gunshots, slow-paced harmonica, and the repeated use of a vibraslap to emulate a rattlesnake.
The language of all the characters is on theme, with the use of “mister”, “mighty handsome”, “dead meat”, “tougher than a pair of old boots” and “mean enough to hunt bears with a hickory switch”. Even the onscreen text effectively uses wild west fonts.
One of the most satisfying themes of westerns is that justice, however violent, is often served. View this entertaining film and you will discover whether or not there is indeed “enough room in this town for the two of us”.
Filmed at Hawai‘i’s Hapuna Beach, one of the most beautiful and dangerous shorelines in the islands, Pick It Up, America: Life Is a Beach is a heartfelt call for stewardship, ocean safety, and respect. Through interviews with lifeguards, keiki, locals, and dive experts, this short documentary reminds us that caring for our oceans means more than picking up your trash it means picking up awareness, responsibility, and love for the ʻāina. A vital message for families, tourists, and communities everywhere.
The ocean brings so many things to mind. Surfing, boating, marine life, warm sandy beaches and having fun with family and friends. Some of us aren’t fortunate enough to grow up near the water, I was one of the lucky ones. Learning from a young age the ocean can be as dangerous as it is beautiful and being educated on how to take care of it.
Director and writer Kimber Leigh gives us a gorgeous, in depth look at Hawaii’s Hapuna Beach. This film is not only breathtaking, but it’s incredibly educational and informative. The wonderful interviews with locals talking about Hawaiian culture and what it means for everyone to respect the water and the shore. I loved how artfully the interviews were crafted and the valid points each person made without sounding judgmental or preachy. Locals and tourists have to work together to understand just how important it is to preserve our oceans and beaches.
Visually this film was stunning and I adore the drone shots from Ray Schmidt, they were absolute perfection. Music fit this film incredibly well and I love how editor Roman Aquirre kept a balance between the interviews, underwater photography and sweeping landscapes.
Honestly this film is an incredible guide and resource for everyone to watch and remember how important our oceans are and the ways we can take care of them. Mahalo.
In the wake of a mysterious family death, a couple’s night of mourning is interrupted by a strange delivery containing an antique dollhouse and a terrifying tale about its lone occupant.
This short thriller/horror film was adapted from JC Bratton’s novella, Dollhouse with the screenplay written by Nicholas Chow. After the sudden death of her sister, a strange dollhouse is delivered with a note explaining “This belongs to you now”. Ken & Livi Zheng directed this delightfully creepy short.
I never read the novella by JC Bratton but I do really appreciate how the filmmakers built up the suspense within the story. If you think dolls have a sinister creepiness about them ( Hello Chucky ) then you will enjoy the mystery surrounding this film. Cinematography was really gorgeous and we have Jeff Caroli to thank for that. Gage Robinson and Autumn Rose Loose did a wonderful job as the couple buying their dream home and encountering the dollhouse. Also Clara Carlo did amazing as the grieving sister.
Who doesn’t love a story with a dark, supernatural twist? I am obsessed with them. The Zheng’s adaptation gives you lots of intrigue, well done special effects, make-up and suspense but it only skims the surface story wise. I can’t help but feel the story could have gone deeper and given the audience more clues as to the why of it all.
Story by JC Bratton
Screenplay by Nicholas Chow
Directed by Ken Zheng, Livi Zheng
Cast: Dorian Burks, Clara Carlo, Gage Robinson, Autumn Rose Loose, Akanksha Kataria
In modern day Chicago, three women operate as covert vigilantes targeting hidden human trafficking networks. After discovering a young woman left to die in a locked dumpster, they trace the crime through tagged drop sites, sanitation routes, and corrupt intermediaries. Their investigation leads to a violent confrontation that exposes a larger exploitation ring, forcing them to confront the moral cost of justice when the system fails the vulnerable.
Writer/Producer: Taylor Chayil McMullan Director: Phillips J.H. Payton
Review by Parker Jesse Chase:
Set in modern-day Chicago, Blood Pact drops us into a city where violence hides in plain sight and survival depends on who is watching. The film follows three women operating as a covert unit, moving through sanitation routes, tagged drop sites, and backdoor deals to intercept human trafficking networks the system refuses to see.
The inciting moment is blunt and chilling. A young Black woman is found barely alive, sealed inside a dumpster. The timing matters. These women do not arrive early, they arrive in time. What follows is less a procedural and more a reckoning. The film shows how trafficking moves through everyday infrastructure, trash collection in broad daylight, and quiet handoffs that no one questions.
One of the film’s sharpest choices is its opening sequence. A man calmly drugs food before serving it, the space clean and controlled, almost clinical. When the cameras roll, the danger is already in motion. This sense of interruption, of stepping into harm mid-act, stays with the story throughout.
As the investigation unfolds, the women connect patterns others ignore. Dumpsters are not random. Trash routes are not neutral. Power shields perpetrators. The trail leads to a politician, a man who treats exploitation like a business model. When the masks come off during the break-in, the film makes its stance clear. This is not sanctioned justice. This is vigilante action shaped by lived knowledge.
The interrogation scene is tense and unsettling. The man leans on threats and manipulation, dismissing the women’s evidence as fantasy. When pain is introduced, the truth surfaces fast. He claims ignorance of how victims are chosen, framing himself as a middleman, a seller. The banality of his cruelty is the point. Trafficking does not require monsters, just men willing to profit.
Parallel to the violence is a quieter story. One of the vigilantes recounts a medical experience of having her wisdom teeth removed without pain medication. It is not a throwaway anecdote. It grounds the group’s motivation in bodily memory, neglect, and the long aftermath of harm. Revenge here is not loud. It is deliberate.
The rescue is swift. The fallout spills into the open. Survivors are freed. News reports surface. The pact between these women is sealed not in bloodlust, but in shared responsibility.
Blood Pact is clear about its politics without grandstanding. Human trafficking generates billions of dollars annually in the U.S., with Black and brown women making up the majority of victims. The film does not try to explain everything. It shows enough to make clear how little most people want to know.
At its core, Blood Pact is about women watching out for each other in a violent world, when institutions fail and mercy has to be made by the femme fatale hand.
Festival Reviews 