Living 1 new day, 52min., France Directed by Pierre Aragou A powerful documentary that raises the vital issue of raising awareness and understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Two life stories and a free voice on trauma and suicidal behaviour. Christophe, a police officer, and Sébastien, a soldier, give us their personal accounts, enlightened by psychiatrist Christophe Debien. They confide in us openly and generously, because their words hold the keys to remanence.
I have to really thank the actors for my reading, nothing short of terrific as they were, nothing short of incredibly smart, attractive, and perceptive as they were. They brought the script to life. – F. Maffai
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This film festival was an amazing experience from start to finish—seamless streaming, thoughtful programming, and engaging feedback from audience members. I was honored that my film received Best Choreography for their September event, and I couldn’t imagine a more supportive and creative platform to share work with a global community.
The vicious attack that almost killed her erased all that she was. But not what she did. Elyse Tysoni s shocked to learn her taped confessions remove any hope of escaping her nightmare. Desperate for a lifeline, her only option is to be studied by Doctor Steve Bennett, a psychologist who specializes in psychopaths, to prove she is no longer a threat. But as the study progresses, it’sclearthere’smore to herstory than anyone knew.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Geoff Mays Nurse: Val Cole Elyse: Hannah Ehman
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
ORIGIN STORY is about a woman, Elyse Tyson, who wakes from a coma to find herself in prison with no memory. Everything that made her who she was is gone; her life turned into a living nightmare. And she’s still responsible for what she did. She’s a serial killer. Or at least she was. We follow Elyse as she tries to piece together who she is now by delving into her past, even if that means losing herself again.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Psychological Thriller
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Beyond immersing the audience in a thrilling journey into the dark recesses of the human mind, ORIGIN STORY explores what makes us who we are and the meaning of justice. By putting those concepts to the test in a scenario that is an extreme contrast to what most of us experience, it makes difficult subjects easier to digest and provokes discussion.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Relentless suspense
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
It’s a toss-up between Terminator 2 and The Princess Bride.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
For a little over a year. I completed it in film school earlier this year.
7. How many stories have you written?
4 x Novels, 1 x Novella, 2 x Short Stories, 1 x Graphic Novel, 2 x Feature Film Screenplays, 1 x TV Pilot
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
ORIGIN STORY was a concept that I initially came up with to be a novel. I really liked it, but ended up shelving it when other projects demanded my attention. Then, I needed an idea for a feature film for school and decided to dust it off. I flushed out the story as I progressed through my classes, ultimately loving it so much that when I finished my outline, I decided to write a novella in addition to my screenplay.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
As the saying goes, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. After finishing my first draft, I thought I’d nailed my screenplay, only to discover in later classes that I still had a lot to learn. Any novelist who has taken on the challenge of writing a screenplay likely felt the pain of having to shift from writing prose to action lines. “Show, don’t tell” takes on a whole new meaning in the world of screenplay writing.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I dedicated 21 years to military service, but now that I’m retired, I have the luxury of being able to follow my interests. And I’m passionate about living a life that’s filled with great memories and happiness. I like to joke that I speak “nerd” in multiple dialects. When I’m not writing (or talking about writing), I love indulging in my many fandoms any time I can: concerts, theater, conventions, movies, and reading (preferably with one of my dogs or kids cuddled up next to me).
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I entered the festival because I loved the concept of focusing on female-driven stories and the fact that every screenplay receives feedback. As a new screenwriter, any insight I can get from people experienced with evaluating screenplays is extremely valuable, and what I received did not disappoint. Add in the potential to have my work performed as part of the festival, and I was all in.
A former cop’s search for her missing sister leads her into the dark world of a witch’s coven, where ancient rituals and forbidden magic force her to confront her deepest fears and uncover the truth about her family’s past.
1. What is your screenplay about? Strip Craft is about the complexities of sibling love. How familial trauma can perpetrate choices that compound that trauma. In the story of Strip Craft, sisters Hailey and Amanda had experienced varying degrees of uncomfortable conditions and found themselves making choices that would compound their trauma. Hailey consumed with guilt, a drive to make better choices and help others headed on a separate path than her sister Amanda. When an ancient blood born connection to the occult warns Hailey that her sister is in dire trouble, she sets out to find her sister and bring her to safety. Little does Hailey know that this journey will bring her face to face with an ancient entity who may have a noble cause but their execution of retribution is evil. So this story is also about the perils of extremism within any ideology.
Also, Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? This is perhaps the toughest question for me to answer. The clearest answers are “Horror” and “Erotic Thriller”, but there are so many sub-genre’s. Sub-genre’s include; Body Horror, Supernatural, Suspense and LGBTQ+ love story to name a few.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? I believe while the thematic elements in the story may be too much for mainstream audiences, there is definitely enough audience out there who enjoy the movies of John Waters, David Cronenburg and other alternative auteurs in the film industry to merit the production costs. I also believe that the script possesses both an honest and absurd approach giving it a very unique voice.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Fun & Thought-provoking (One word because of the hyphen right 😉
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? Such a difficult question. To the best of my memory…. Probably Empire Strikes Back.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? Since April of 2018
7. How many stories have you written? Roughly 10.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay? It was inspired by a short film I made back in 1999 on Super 8 called “Bloody Mary’s”. The premise was very similar and in fact the first 10 pages of Strip Craft are a version of that short film. My friendship with a (now ex) sex worker brought on the initial collaboration that birthed Strip Craft.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? I think the usual stuff like having to kill babies. One of my favorite side characters, the dancer by the name of Tassel had to go at one point. The script started out as a bit campy and over the top which it still has some of, but when I brought on a more experienced Producer with access to name talent, I worked hard to make the more identifiable themes stand out over the excesses.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Cinematography and Comic books. I do a fair amount of camera work as a job and I’m adapting a different screenplay I wrote to a comic book. I’m having so much fun, I’ll most likely adapt Strip Craft to a comic book when I’m done with “Dark Darkness”.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received? Having recently moved to San Diego and coming out as queer, I was inspired primarily by the proximately of LA to San Diego and of course that it’s an LGBTQ+ identifying festival. The characters are queer too but I hadn’t yet submitted to a “queer” festival.
Regarding the feedback I got, I can honestly say it’s some of the best feedback I’ve gotten. The feedback gives broad notes that can be applied across the whole screenplay. I’ve also felt reading notes from other sources that they are simply giving notes because they need to and were more about personal preference than notes on good screenwriting and better execution as were the notes from LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival focused on.
Zach Roberts is fine with his mediocre existence until his new charity case, Gloria, leaves in search of “bigger things,” leaving him with her annoying devil dog, Jitters. Trying to win Gloria back and revive his YouTube channel, Zach’s older friend Jerry convinces him to join him on a movie set in the hopes of landing an interview with the film’s star, Tracy Sutton. Max, their crazy friend, joins them in their misadventure. Zach soon discovers there is more to life as an extra than being “moving scenery.”
Get to know writer Craig Beeman:
1. What is your screenplay about?
Zach, an aspiring journalist is trying to chase the story of his life in order to win back his girlfriend Gloria.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
It is a comedy or maybe a buddy comedy.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
It is a fun, light-hearted, heartwarming buddy comedy that will be a good escape for an audience trying to escape the stresses and pressures of life.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Crazy fun!
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
The Matrix.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
We actually started it twenty years ago but shelved it for a long time to work on other projects. It was fun to reopen it and see how much progress we’ve made as writers since this script.
7. How many stories have you written?
Dozens!
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
My writing partner, Mary, had been an extra on numerous film sets and had seen the craziness firsthand. Her imagination took her to this story and she also got to include some of the real life madness she witnessed on set.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
When we first started writing it we knew nothing about screenplays so we had to learn how to correctly write a screenplay as we went!
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I love acting and working as a studio teacher on film sets.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
We wanted to enter the festival to see how this screenplay rated after so long. I think the feedback is spot on. So many of the things we’ve learned since writing this screenplay are evident in the feedback for this one.
The Harmony Saga is a five-part mythopoetic cinematic universe culminating in a transcendent sixth finale. Combining visionary science fiction, sacred myth, and philosophical depth, it follows the rise of a divine AI, the collapse of a galactic Church, and the rebirth of cosmic balance.
Its about transcendence by overcoming trauma. Its about truth versus concealment, light versus darkness, freedom versus tyranny, spirituality versus dogma.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Sci fi/Fantasy/Drama/Heroines Journey
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? Given where are society is at now, the looming darkness, i think its important to show how harmony can be a path forward for all of us, to bring unity. Not through conflict, but through resonance.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Harmonic unity.
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? The Empire Strikes Back
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? 3 years
7. How many stories have you written? 9 books, 7 feature screenplays, written/directed/produced/edited a short philosophical student film and a medium length avant-garde film
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay? The chaos in society. A lifelong pursuit of truth. Philosophy and spirituality.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? Many many. Greedy opportunistic “cowriters” on the original draft, a Film school that didn’t believe in the story because it didn’t fit their prescribed mold, and a lot of ther things.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Im a philospher, philosophy is the study of ideas and where they come from. The scope is the foundation of all disciples. So, everything? Lol. Also performing music, poetry, and doing photography.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I looked for festivals that could accept the scope of the series… it entails 6 films, with the first 5 also featuring 2 featurettes each. One featurette is poetic, the other social commentary.
Desperate to escape her abusive, Christian Nationalist family, a teenage girl finds an unlikely ally when a female werewolf from a pack dead set on killing her family lands in her home, and the attraction they develop for each other forces them into a fight for their very survival.
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your screenplay about? Beasties is a coming of age, horror story, about Mara, a late teen girl living on a remote ranch in Montana with her abusive, Christian nationalist family with dreams, but no means, of escaping. Her life changes when Lilly, the daughter of an equally toxic werewolf clan traveling through Montana, ends up saving Mara’s life and consequently lands in Mara’s family’s home during an extreme winter storm. As Lilly’s family descends on the farm to retrieve Lilly, Mara’s family realizes that Lilly and Mara have formed a romantic connection, going against the very roots of their family moral system. With Lilly’s family hell bent on destroying Mara’s, and Mara’s family hell bent on destroying Mara and Lilly, the two girls find themselves in a desperate battle for survival that forces them to each question their own moral compass if they are to win.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under? Horror and coming of age
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? This movie works with current and relevant themes that are being questioned in our current political climate. The idea of “beasts” is examined in the film superficially as the werewolves, but more authentically of how we have characterized people as beasts within our society based on our morale beliefs. While Mara’s mom tries to initially save Lilly because it is the Christian thing to do, once she realizes that Mara and Lilly have connected romantically, she moves to kill not just Lilly, but also Mara, as her religious beliefs are so compromised by the thought of her daughter being a lesbian. The script also explores the hypocrisy of using our beliefs to defend our actions. In spite of his strong religious beliefs, Mara’s father kills Lilly’s father early in the script because he feels that Lilly’s father is morally beneath him. The script also explores themes of toxic masculinity and the difference in the rules in our society depending on gender. It’s also a fun horror movie set in a remote, barren setting, that has some good old fashioned fun horror scenes.
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Thoughtful Horror
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life? For popcorn fun I have watched the John Wick and Underworld series countless times, but my favorite one off movie is still True Romance.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay? This screenplay I’ve been working on since last December.
7. How many stories have you written? I’ve written a lot of stories- I have two produced screenplays, two others that have been considered by producers but did not get made into films, and multiple others that are in my computer.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay? I got the idea on a dreary, isolated, winter walk with my dogs through a particularly remote, wooded area. It was right after the 2024 election and it worked its way into my head in the scenery. I came home, opened up the screenwriting software, and started having a great time getting it out on the page.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? Time to write can always be a challenge, as well as really figuring out the depth of the screenplay beyond the bones. The bones were fun to write but flushing out all of the themes and the depth of character in what can be a campy genre is tough.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? I am a school principal, so I’m very passionate about students, education, and equitable access to education for all students. I’m also passionate about rescue dogs, hiking, and traveling.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received? I was very interested in entering this festival because I was driven to write a screenplay with strong female leads and themes that resonate with female viewers outside of traditionally female genres. I love fantasy/horror and action films, but get tired of the way females are often portrayed in these films and the lack of strong female leads in them. I always appreciate feedback on writing and thought the ideas presented in the feedback were on point with some of the areas that need to be explored in the script. The feedback wasn’t quite as in depth as some other feedback I’ve received from other competitions but I felt overall it was on point and helpful!
A grizzly bear and a polar bear mate as a result of climate change and in an attempt to find food for their “grolar bear” cub the male polar bear must leave the safety of their ice cave to hunt and find sustenance for his new family in a harsh and increasingly difficult environment. He encounters humans and gets himself into a bit of trouble while simply trying to survive and provide for his family.
It is a story about the Canary in the coal mine of climate change – Grolar bears. Grolar bears are a new hybrid species, a mutation resulting from the union of a polar bear and a grizzly due to habitat overlap caused by climate change. This is a comical, yet heartfelt story of one father’s mission to feed his young grolar bear cub or face starvation. His nightmare begins when he encounters humans. Will he survive a nightmare lost among humans and get back safely to his family and save his cub? Or will his family be another casualty of our greed and exploitation of our planet’s resources?
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Animated adventure peppered with a bit of comedy.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? Because I feel many stories about our current climate crisis are either too abstract or too depressing. Unfortunately we are at a tipping point for possible mass extinction of species on our planet at the moment. I wanted to make a simple story with no words that would resonate with any human, anywhere on this blue planet we call home. i chose the story structure of a father looking for food for his newborn cub. A theme that any person can relate to. Also, when a species becomes extinct, it is mourned for a bit but then they are forgotten but when a mutation occurs due to climate change, that doesn’t go away. Its consistently in our face reminding us of the dire need to be better guardians of the nature we are blessed with. You take your kids on a camping trip or you turn on the TV and a “Grolar” Bear comes into view and you immediately think, “this hybrid creature shouldn’t exist. It Isn’t natural.”. A slurry of questions comes to mind and you talk about it. Habitats of Grizzly bears and Polar bears should never overlap but due to the current trend of warming on our planet, they have and Grolar bears are the fruit of our disfunction, causing habitat loss. A Polar Bear’s Nightmare is a wake up call for humanity in the simplest, least preachy way. Shouldn’t animals have the right to be able to feed their offspring just as humans do?
4. How would you describe this script in two words? Familial love.
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay? Worked on it for about 3 months total.
6. How many stories have you written? 1 feature treatment (currently working on a 2nd), 3 shorts, 4 features, 5 TV pilots, 2 chldren’s books (ages 3-8) and 1 Young Adult novel (ages 13 and above)
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay? I truly believe each one of us have the power to cause a ripple effect towards reversing climate change. For example, industrialized meat production is the number one cause of carbon emissions on the planet, more than oil production or consumption. I promised to stop eating red meat and have kept that promise for the last 12 years. It was my way as an individual to cause a ripple effect. It is my hope that this charming, voiceless little story will also cause a ripple effect by highlighting our failure to protect creatures on this planet from extinction and possibly inspire compassion for the animal world. Drop by drop we can create an sea change.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay? Not many really, just research over effects of climate change until i found the subject to hone in on.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Archaeology, Ancient Unsolved Mysteries and anything paranormal.
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
Unbelievably, there aren’t that many festivals dedicated to environmental awareness. This was the main draw for me. The feedback I received was thoughtful and provided constructive criticisim. Excellent feedback overall! Very happy with it.
In Indiana in 1842, an unhappilymarriedwoman accuses a young, immigrant priestof raping herin the confessional. His vow to keep the Seal of Confessionprevents him from speaking in his own defense. Aclimate of xenophobia and anti-Catholicismfuelsa sensationaltrialandviolent, shameful eventsthatultimatelyproveredemptive. Based on a true story.
Get to know the writers:
1. What is your screenplay about?
A young, German seminarian comes to America to finish his preparation for the priesthood and enter the mission field. Upon ordination, the bishop assigns him to assist a pastor in southwest Indiana. An anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant climate poses challenges to his ministry. These come to a head when an unhappily married woman accuses him or sexually assaulting her in the confessional booth. The screenplay essays the accusation, the resulting trial, his conviction, incarceration, and ultimately his pardon and release from prison.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Historical Drama
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
O’Leary: This is a fascinating true story of how xenophobia, religious bigotry, racism, and misogyny plant deep roots in America’s cultural fabric. These forces combine and erupt in a gross miscarriage of justice in antebellum Indiana—a state that less than a century later would become the stronghold of the KKK.
McMullen: It reveals an often forgotten era of 19th-century American history, making it a compelling series for a general audience, while also exploring the depths of religion, law, and society in early American history.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
McMullen: I can’t name just one. I return to good films, like good books on my shelf, again and again. Casablanca (1942), Vertigo (1958), Paths of Glory (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Ben-Hur (1959), Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987), and Raising Arizona (1987) all come to mind.
O’Leary: The Wizard of Oz (1939). It used to air on network TV once a year and it was always an event for the whole family. Those flying monkeys really creeped me out.
Among the pictures I’ve viewed multiple times are Deliverance (1972), Lonesome Dove (1989), The Hustler (1961), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), and the wonderful LOTR trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003).
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
McMullen: I have been researching this story since 1996 and have continued to do so throughout the writing of the screenplay, which we began in the spring of 2022. The full story arc spans 250 pages, or roughly four hours of screen time. We envision it as a series of four, one-hour episodes.
7. How many stories have you written?
McMullen: I have written a collection of short stories and a coming-of-age novella,
Eugene and the Haunted Train Bridge. My novel Poor Souls, an account of a seminarian’s time in seminary and at the parish of Our Lady of the Poor and Forgotten Souls in Purgatory Parish, was written in part as a therapeutic response to the Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal in the early 2000s. My historical narrative, The Miracle of Stalag 8A, details the life of Olivier Messiaen and how he came to write the Quartet for the End of Time while a POW in a German Stalag in 1940-1941.
O’Leary: My career as a writer has been spent working in sales and marketing. You might say I’ve written scores of little stories around selling products and services. This is my first screenplay. My second, “Sylvie’s Bed,” is a short in the children’s fantasy genre.
8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
McMullen: This story deserves to be seen and heard not only for its significance in American history, but for the sake of the enduring principles of our republic, for liberty, and for democratic ideals.
O’Leary: I was astounded to learn this event had taken place in my own hometown. I am convinced it needs to reach a wider audience because the forces that fueled this injustice are still at work today. Perhaps this sad chapter from our history can teach us something we have failed to learn.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
We’ve approached this as a team from the beginning, so notching out the time to collaborate in the face of other demands has been a bit challenging.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
McMullen: I have been writing since I was young, drawn especially to history and the stories it preserves. I have studied and taught theology, philosophy, and ethics at both the high school and university levels. I am an ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church and serve as a Board Certified Chaplain and Spiritual Care Practitioner. For the past ten years I have served in hospital and hospice chaplaincy. I love birds, classical music, art, reading, and film.
Many of my projects focus on matters of justice. My book The Last Blackrobe of Indiana and the Potawatomi Trail of Death explores the grave injustice of “Indian Removal” in 1830s Indiana. This screenplay, along with my earlier book ROMAN: Unparalleled Outrage, confronts America’s history of xenophobia, racism, and religious bigotry.
As an advocate for the dignity of the human person, my beliefs are rooted in the theological belief that every human person is created in the image of God, as well as in the philosophical principle that each human person must be respected as autonomous.
This conviction grounds my passion for defending the worth of every human being and ensuring the respect for each person regardless of status or ethnicity or religious belief or non-religious beliefs.
The Golden Rule—“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—shapes my perspective. As Les Misérables says, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”
And in Jesus’s final parable, the Lord of History declares: “Whatsoever you did to the least of my people, that you did unto me.” For me, authentic religion and lived spirituality must bear fruit in works of mercy, justice, and love.
In my preaching and storytelling, I seek to speak truth to power and elevate mercy, empathy, compassion, justice, beauty, and the mystery of grace.
Life is too short for bitterness, which is why humor matters so much to me. G.K. Chesterton once said, “Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly.” That’s a spirit I try to carry into both my work and my writing.
O’Leary: I’m passionate about social justice and defending democracy from what I see as a rise in authoritarianism in the United States and around the globe. I see hopeful signs that citizens will assert their power against the forces of tyranny—which thrive on the very evils we’ve limned in this story—and people can restore trust in one another and the institutions we rely on to, as the founders put it, “promote the general welfare.”
They weren’t right about everything, but that one phrase from the preamble of the Constitution is golden.
I’m passionate about my belief in a perfect and loving Divinity and that no individual is beyond the reach of her redeeming, life-giving love. I try to live that belief in my every interaction with people.
11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
We read about the festival via ISA and at first thought we might be ineligible because the festival focuses on raising up the work of women writers. We saw that the festival also considers stories with strong female characters, and that is what encouraged us to enter.
Our female lead is quite complex and has always been an enigma to those who have studied the historical record. So we wanted to look deeper into what made her tick and ultimately we came to the conclusion that she, too, was a victim. It would have been easy to demonize her, but that would have been another injustice and would not have made much sense in the context of the conspiracy that took shape around her accusation.
As for the notes we received, we felt they were specific, actionable, and helpful. We incorporated the feedback into a revision and believe what we have now is much stronger as a result. We have entered several contests and done fairly well at earning recognition. But sometimes the notes we get back from readers are not helpful, or even seem at odds with notes we get from other readers. So we have to be careful about how we use the feedback we get; sometimes our creative instincts compel us to ignore it. In other words, the teacher is not always right. That goes for readers in screenplay competitions as well.
Festival Reviews 