RIIFF ANNOUNCES 2017 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS
.... 463 submissions received from throughout the United States and across the globe
• Download the 2017 News Release
Competition winner Tannaz Hazemi from Brooklyn, NY, receiving her award at RIIFF 2017
Photo by Mike Braca
(PROVIDENCE, RI) • Barry Brennessel from Silver Spring, MD is the Best Screenplay Grand Prize Winner for this year's Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) Screenplay Competition. Barry’s winning screenplay is entitled “Anh Sang.”
George T. Marshall, RIIFF Executive Director/CEO, made the announcement of the 2017 awards that featured 463 entries in competition. From these, 41 scripts were selected as semi-finalists and 14 scripts were selected Finalists by an international team of adjudicators.
The “Anh Sang” storyline: French Indochina, 1917. Two teenage boys discover their feelings for one another transcend mere friendship. But the hardships under French colonial rule, and the effects of the Great War, alter their lives forever.
"Barry Brennessel’s script is both an intimate love story and an epic depiction of French Indochina in the throes of World War I. The script is a defining work that chronicles an often-underrepresented perspective in history.” said Shawn Quirk, RIIFF Program Director.
“What an amazing year for storytelling and our screenplay competition. This year’s entries were inventive and re-defining. They were scored on criteria that included character, dialogue, setting, plot, structure and technique,” added Quirk. “We reviewed the largest entry base in competition’s history making for difficult decision-making on the part of our international group of judges.
"After extensive and careful deliberation, prize winners were chosen in seven distinct categories: Best Screenplay, Best International, Vortex Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror, Best LGBTQ, Spotlight on New England, Best Short Screenplay and Best Television Pilot," Quirk noted.
"Our sincere congratulations to this year's winners," stated George T. Marshall. "This competition has introduced us to some of the world's brightest and most talented writers in the craft."
Prizes awarded to the winners of the screenplay competition (which vary with the specific screenplay category) include: 1 Script Listing and 1 Magazine Listing from InkTip; Final Draft software featuring Final Draft Screenwriting Suites; and Passes to the 2018 Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival and the ScriptBiz™ Screenwriter's Workshop.
The Best Screenplay Grand Prize winner will be brought to Providence to attend the 2018 ScriptBiz program, where their screenplay will be a central focus of the program, plus receive a private script consultation and an official award on RIIFF's Opening Night Celebration on the stage of the 3,300-seat Providence Performing Arts Center. Lodging and transportation will also be provided.
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
BEST SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
Anh Sang | Barry Brennessel, Author | Silver Spring, MD
FIRST PLACE:
Dietrich Danzig | John Pisano-Thomsen, Author | Toronto, ON
INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
Open Letter | Arya A Menon, Author | Mumbai, India
FIRST PRIZE:
The Pardon | Anthony Maddalena, Author | London, UK
VORTEX HORROR/SCI-FI SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
Beasts and Children | Bryan Ott, Author | Millbrae, CA
FIRST PRIZE:
13 Minutes | Yvonne Paulin, Author | Stamford, CT
JAMES L. SEAVOR LGBTQ SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
Secondhand Heart | Amber Nardolillo, Author | West Warwick, RI
FIRST PRIZE:
Small Steps in Black Birkenstocks | Alexia Kosmider, Author | Providence,
RI
SPOTLIGHT ON NEW ENGLAND
GRAND PRIZE:
A Town Too Small For Dreaming | Kelly Farrell, Author | Chapel Hill, NC
FIRST PRIZE:
Hernandez Square | Robert Lucas, Author | Providence, RI
BEST TELEVISION PILOT SCRIPT
GRAND PRIZE:
Land Most Loved | Francisco Mendoza, Author | Brooklyn, NY
FIRST PRIZE:
Cracked Ceiling | Rebecca Mesple, Author | Fort Collins, CO
BEST SHORT SCRIPT
GRAND PRIZE:
Princess Pussy | Renee Sevier, Author | Collingswood, NJ
FIRST PRIZE:
Part-Time Doorman | Jan Lauren Greenfield, Author | New York, NY
_____________________________________________________________________________
The 2017 Semi-Finalists:
13 Minutes | Yvonne Paulin, Author | Stamford, CT
8-bit Heroes | Michael Harwood, Author | Westerly, RI
Abby Opens Her Eyes | Michelle Sarkany, Author | Fresh Meadows, NY
All The Guac | Tommy Garcia, Author | Fountain Valley, CA
Angst | Markus E. Mueller, Author | Austria
Anh Sang | Barry Brennessel, Author | Silver Spring, MD
Aurora Forms | Margherita Arco, Author | New York, NY
Beasts and Children | Bryan Ott, Author | Millbrae, CA
Cracked Ceiling | Rebecca Mesple, Author | Fort Collins, CO
Crimes Against Humanity | Lesley Lillywhite, Author | Tucson, AZ
Devil to Pay | Kemmy Moran, Author | Los Angeles, CA
Dietrich Danzig | John Pisano-Thomsen, Author | Toronto, ON
Don’t Call Me Sir! | Bo Svenson, Author | Santa Monica, CA
Drive | Evan Wessman, Author | Wakefield , RI
Emily | Hebron Simckes-Joffe, Author | New York, NY
FEAR | Peter Jang, Author | Burbank CA
Fire on Ice | Courtney Suttle, Author | Round Rock, TX
Fool’s Errand | C. M. Tucker, Author | New York, NY
Heathens | Lily Camp, Author | Brooklyn, NY
Hernandez Square | Robert Lucas, Author | Providence, RI
I Want to Marry a Creative Jewish Girl | Beth de Araújo, Author | Los Angeles, CA
Land Most Loved | Francisco Mendoza, Author | Brooklyn, NY
Lunch Lady | Colleen Asbury, Author | Chicago, IL
Machine 5 | Jonny Pasvolsky, Author | Los Angeles, CA
Matter & Manner | Maria Krovatin, Author | Los Angeles, CA
Mayday | Jeffrey Thomas, Author | Richmond, VA
A Most Unusual Birth | Shawn Harmon, Author | Portland, ME
Old Soul | Jon Emm, Author | Charlottesville, VA
Open Letter | Arya A Menon, Author | Mumbai, India
Outside Harmony | Timothy Casto, Author | Burbank, CA
The Pardon | Anthony Maddalena, Author | London, UK
Part-Time Doorman | Jan Lauren Greenfield, Author | New York, NY
Penumbras | Sean Hennessy, Author | Phoenix, Arizona
Princess Pussy | Renee Sevier, Author | Collingswood, NJ
Rosa and the Black Tulip | Gena Ellis, Author | University City, MO
Secondhand Heart | Amber Nardolillo, Author | West Warwick, RI
Small Steps in Black Birkenstocks | Alexia Kosmider, Author | Providence, RI
A Storybook Ending | Lanre Olabisi, Author | New York, NY
A Town Too Small For Dreaming | Kelly Farrell, Author | Chapel Hill, NC
NEW MOON & VENUS | Karen O'Hara, Author | New York, NY
Two Women | Annette Siegal, Author | Israel
ABOUT THE FLICKERS: RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), has secured its place in the global community as the portal for the best in international independent cinema, earning the respect of domestic and foreign filmmakers, filmgoers and trend watchers. This confluence of art and commerce brought together world-class celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members in record numbers last year. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is also a qualifying festival for the Short Film Academy Award in the live action, animation and documentary divisithrough its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. There are 6 film festivals worldwide which share this distinction and RIIFF is the only festival in New England. The Festival takes place every August.
The next Festival will take place August 7-12, 2018 .
2017 Sponsors:
 
 • InkTip Script Listing: A listing of your script on InkTip so that producers and reps can find you.
• InkTip Magazine: Publication of your logline in InkTip's magazine sent to nearly 15000 producers and reps.
• InkTip helps writers sell their scripts and get representation. Producers have made more than 200 films from scripts and writers they found through InkTip.
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