Screenplay competition
Below, you can find our full list of winners and finalists for the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival Screenplay Competition
2026 Finalists
-196°C | Writer: Jinny Jin, Korea.
3:17 : PRECISION | Writer: Nuryono, Indonesia.
A Van Called Turtle | Writers: Sam Ho, Colin Hodgson, United States.
An Ordinary Day in Texas. | Writer: Faustino Alanis, United States.
Astronaut | Writer: Lukas Hassel, United States.
Briar | Writer: Zoe Smith, United States.
CASH COW | Writer: Marisa Arohi, United States.
Darien | Writer: Farah Mourad Vera, United States.
Daughter, Sister, Aunt | Writer: Kristen Lauth Shaeffer, United States.
Do You Know Your Name | Writer: Judah Ray, United States.
Double Turn | Writers: Robert Capron, Alexandre Jerard Davis, David Holmes, United States.
Durango | Writer: Daniel J. Ricottone, Canada.
Ex Humo | Writer: David Cordon, Tatty Hennessy, United Kingdom.
Family Betrayal: Our Last Night In Baghdad | Writer: Al Raif, Canada.
Felt | Writer: Ran Jing, United States.
Flora & Aymara | Writer: Samuel Flückiger, Switzerland.
For Now | Writer: Saba Nejati, Iran.
Freedom Clan | Writer: Richard Levine, United States.
Fresh | Writer: Rosanne Kang, United States.
From the Embers | Writer: Debra Markowitz, United States.
Fuck Me | Writer: Emily Steck, United States.
Georgia Pool | Writer: Gregory Caruso, United States.
GERMAPHOBE IN A SEX CLUB | Writer: Jessica Ennis, Caitlin Cronenberg, United States, Canada.
GODHOOD | Writer: Walter Maduro, Panama.
Grave Command | Writer: Evelyn Davis, United States.
Half A Second After | Writer: Rachel Furlong, Ireland.
Hanout (Herbal Embalming) | Writer: Hossein Soleimani, Iran.
Happiness 2.0 | Writer: Michele Noble, United States.
Jules Mudson | Writers: Stephen S. Monahan, Matthew J. Monahan, United States.
Kiga Lake | Writer: Jon Portman, United States.
KNIGHT | Writer: Michael Ferrara, United States.
Lotus Seeds | Writer: Peter Wong-Gillman, United States.
MARROW | Writer: Pilar Valdés, United States.
Masque of the Red Death | Writer: Lindsey Catanzaro, United States.
Modern Lovers | Writer: Ben Hackworth, Vivienne Walshe, Lizzette Atkins, Australia.
Mourning Dove | Writer: Timothy Harrison, United States.
Nine Lives of Clive | Writer: Jeff Kimball, United States.
Of All People | Writer: Sasha Bortnik, United States.
Off the Blue Line | Writer: Annabel Newland, United States.
Other Half | Writer: Kelsie McDonald, United States.
Psychic Storm | Writer: Wendy Bednarz | United States.
PUNISH ME | Writer: Michael Dukakis, United States.
Shadows | Writer: Jeremy Brown, United States.
Sonny Green Delicious | Writer: Matthew Dixon, United States.
SPARROW | Writer: Wilson Shaw, United States.
Sugar | Writer: Katrina Lee, United States.
The African | Writer: Nnamdi Nwosa, United States.
The Bait – Not another shark movie | Writer: Bernardo Barreto, Brazil.
THE BURNING | Writer: Terrance Thibodeaux, United States.
The Consultation | Writer: Christopher J. Lopez, United States.
The Gaysons | Writer: Weston Cole McElhaney, United States.
THE HANGED MAN | Writer: Connor Martin, Blake Stadnik, United States.
The Kitchen | Writer: Earl Crittenden, United States.
The Last Street | Writer: Kevin P. Ryan, United States.
The Palimpsest | Writer: Danny Sturrock, United Kingdom.
The Red Blanket | Writer: Carolina Alves, Brazil.
The Deli | Writer: Sara Hersh, United States.
These Days Ago | Writer: Olivia Kang, United States.
Towers | Writer: Josh Berning, United States.
Twenty Something | Writer: Sofi Dawalibi, Gabriela Ochoa Perez, United States.
TWO BIRDS AND A BAG OF BONES | Writer: Alexandra Bianco, United States.
Until The Time We Die | Writer: Daniel Talbott, United States.
Virgin Margot | Writer: Jennifer Prediger, United States.
White Coat | Writer: Josh Kirk, United States.
Whitewashed | Writer: Casner Parfait, United States.
THE 2025 PRIZE WINNERS:
Grace Eitrheim from New York City is this year’s Grand Prize Winner in the category of Best Screenplay. Grace’s winning script is titled “Lucky Charm.”
This year’s competition featured 582 entries in competition. From these 65 scripts were selected as finalists and 14 scripts were selected as Winners by an international team of adjudicators.
This year’s winners include Maria C. Piscione, who received this year’s Grand Prize in the RI Spotlight on New England category for her script “Jake’s Gamble,” Saeid Ghasemi from Iran, whose screenplay “Blood Enough” received the Grand Prize in the category of Best Short Script, and Alissa Felix from New York whose screenplay “Oh, Victoria” received the Grand Prize in the category of Best Television Pilot.
Grace Eitrheim’s script “Lucky Charm” tells the story of two sisters who must navigate a chaotic road trip across America with their unpredictable and unstable mother.
“Grace’s moving coming of age script is both fast paced and raw in its energy. ‘Lucky Charm’ is a roller coaster of a story that keeps you glued to the page and is certain to leave a profound impact on its audience once produced, said Shawn Quirk, RIIFF Executive Director.
“It was an exciting year for storytelling and certainly one of the strongest years we’ve had in terms of the quality of work submitted. This year’s entries were inventive and represented a dynamic collective of voices from across the globe. They were scored on criteria that included character, dialogue, setting, plot, structure, and technique,” added Quirk.
“After extensive and careful deliberation, prize winners were chosen in seven distinct categories: Best Screenplay, Best Television Pilot Script, Best Short Script, Vortex Horror/SCI-FI Screenplay, James L. Seavor LGBTQ Screenplay, RI Spotlight on New England, and Best Student Script” Quirk noted.
“Our sincere congratulations to this year’s winners,” stated Lawrence Andrade, Flickers Board President. “This competition continues to introduce us to some of the world’s brightest and most talented writers in the craft.”
BEST SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
“Lucky Charm” by Grace Eitrheim, New York, NY
FIRST PRIZE:
“The Year the World Ended” by Jacqueline Xerri, New York, NY
VORTEX HORROR/SCI-FI SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
“La Chiva” by Mike Harris, Olivia Sandoval, Los Angeles, CA
FIRST PRIZE:
“The Weight of Air” by Jingyu Liu, United Arab Emirates
JAMES L. SEAVOR LGBTQ SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
“Mudslide” by Frederik Ehrhardt, Germany
FIRST PRIZE:
“Maybe One Day” by Mario Ghabali, Lebanon
RI SPOTLIGHT ON NEW ENGLAND
GRAND PRIZE:
“JAKE’S GAMBLE” by Maria C. Piscione, Cranston, RI
FIRST PRIZE:
“Shedding With Sheryl” by Harvest Dawn Bellante, Greensboro, NC
BEST TELEVISION PILOT SCRIPT
GRAND PRIZE:
“Oh, Victoria” by Alissa Felix, Brooklyn, NY
FIRST PRIZE:
“Raw Material” by Daria Price, New York, NY
BEST SHORT SCRIPT
GRAND PRIZE:
“Blood Enough” by Saeid Ghasemi, Iran
FIRST PRIZE:
“Squirrel” by Laura Campbell, Los Angeles, CA
BEST STUDENT SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
“Under The Black Hills” by Rono Bijoy Pal, New York, NY
FIRST PRIZE:
“Culpable” by Thomas Madrid, Providence, RI
2025 Finalists:
7th House Feature | Writer: Vibha Kulkarni, United States.
As Is | Writer: Mark Strauss, United States.
Bad Girls | Writer: Kevin Machate, United States.
BLACK AND GOLD | Writer: Kevin J. Howard, Unites States.
Blood Enough | Writer: Saeid Ghasemi, Iran.
Brushback | Writer: Josh Kirk, United States.
CARTOON MAN | Writers: Miguel del Campo, Fatima Abdulaziz Alshamsi, Mexico.
Cats Vs Geese: Vs Raccoon | Writer: Rachel Santos, United States
Children of the Night | Writer: Brian Hauser, United States.
Cleveland, Italy | Writers: Gregory Caruso, Jordana Paris Hatab, United States.
COFFEE?! | Writer: Gabriel Silverio, United States.
Culpable | Writer: Thomas Madrid, United States.
DANNY COSTELLO AND THE SEARCH FOR THE ELUSIVE 1990 | Writer: Louis Crugnali, United States.
Disco Demolition Night | Writer: Matthew Taub, United States.
Dog Eat Man | Writers: Ho-seung Son, Ri Yang, South Korea.
Eyes That Lie | Writer: Daria Price, United States.
Falling Up | Writer: Stephanie Drapeau, United States.
Fragments | Writer: Derek Adam Thomas, United States.
Ghosting | Writer: Nathaniel Anglin, United States.
Goldsmith | Writer: Catarina Accioly, Brazil.
Headlock | Writer: Ayse Altinok, Turkey.
Heaven Spot | Writers: Mikelle Kruger, Patrick McKenna, United States
JAKE’S GAMBLE | Writer: Maria Piscione, United States.
La Chiva | Writers: Mike Harris, Olivia Sandoval, United States.
Lazy Boy | Writer: Jason Nguyen, United States.
Little Adults | Writer: Mercedes Garcia, United States.
Lucky Charm | Writer: Grace Eitrheim, United States.
LUMPIA SHANGHAI | Writer: Elysha Ang, United States.
Making God Laugh | Writer: Erin Donovan, United States.
Maybe One Day | Writer: Mario Ghabali, Lebanon.
Michael AKA Michael Myers | Writer: Charles Dillon Ward, United States.
MON$TER PARTIES | Writer: Omar Attia, United States.
Monstra | Writer: Samantha Garcia, Allison Garcia, Australia.
Mudslide | Writer: Frederik Ehrhardt, United States.
Not Him | Writers: Sarah Young, Tori Ernst, United States.
Oh, Victoria! | Writer: Anissa Felix, United States.
Peach Fuzz | Writer: Hannah Sperling, United States.
Raw Material – Pilot Episode: “Red Shoes in Rat Alley” | Writer: Daria Price, United States.
Room 107 | Writer: Lauren Keller, United States.
SAKLI (HIDDEN) | Writer: Hakan Ünal, Turkey.
Seven of Borombo | Writer: Rani Nasr, Lebanon.
Shedding With Sheryl | Writer: Harvest Bellante, United States.
Silverfish | Writer: Raj Krishna, United States.
Squirrel | Writer: Laura Campbell, United States.
Sundown | Writers: Madison Ledyard-King, Kamodjia Williams, United States.
The Fourth Psalm | Writer: John Martins III, United States.
The Fraud Couple | Writer: Jonathan Smith, Jennifer Nordmark, United States.
The Legacy of Dale Jackson III | Writer: Chris Averill, United States.
The Quilt | Writer: Narmar Hanna, United States.
The Reunion | Writers: Evan Lancia, Guido Fargiorgio, United States.
The Weight of Air | Writer: Jingyu Liu, United States.
The Year the World Ended | Writer: Jacqueline Xerri, United States.
The Years | Writer: Kaveh Jalinous, United States.
Thirst | Writer: Dillon Slack, United States.
This Way Comes | Writer: Leonora Pitts, United States.
Tits’ Begonias | Writer: Grayson Tyler Johnson, United States.
TONY | Writer: Lauren Pizzicaroli, Canada.
Uber | Writer: Jim Ivins, United States.
Unconditional Surrender | Writer: Dennis Johnson, United States
Under The Black Hills | Writer: Rono Bijoy Pal, United States
Up in Flames | Writer: Kai Swanson, Jesse Riback, United States
When JIM met TIM | Writer: Thorsten Schade, Germany
WHEN THE VEILS DANCE | Writer: Tayebe Babaei, Iran
Wild Woman of the Woods | Writer: Tobi Iverson, United States
You Are Going to Die Tomorrow | Writer: Elise Felber, United States