PRESENTING
SPONSOR
2010 PROGRAM
SLAMDANCE 2009 FEATURE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION!
2009 SCRIPT ACCESSIBLE COMPETITION
SLAMDANCE is proud to announce the winner, and finalists for the 1st Annual SCRIPT ACCESSIBLE AWARD. Screenplays considered in the SCRIPT ACCESSIBLE category highlighted characters with disabilities, or stories and themes pertinent to disabled people, and in many cases were penned by disabled writers. It's a world SLAMDANCE and award sponsor LONELY SEAL RELEASING are extremely passionate about, as the voice of disabled talent in this industry is far too often ignored. The winning writer will be honored on January 28th at the 2010 SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL in Park City, Utah and prizes will be awarded then.
If you have any questions, please email submissions@slamdance.com
WINNER) "All the Wrong Reasons" - by Gia Milani
2) "Limbs" - by Danika Dinsmore
3) "Pretty To Think So" - by Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman
4) "Love On Wheels" - by Russell Chok Hin Chan
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Slamdance is pleased to announce the top ten finalists of the 2009 Slamdance Feature Screenplay Competition. All finalists were honored at an awards ceremony hosted by the Writers Guild of America, West and co-presented by InkTip on October 6, 2009. Thank you to all entrants for submitting.
2009 TOP TEN FINALISTS
1st Place: MALE ORDER BRIDE written by Phil Hwang: A desperate young Armenian man poses as a mail order bride to get to the United States.
2nd Place: THE VIOLIN CASE KILLERS written by Sean Fitzpatrick: Set in the 1930's, an ex-con violates parole to visit his dying mother and becomes an unwilling courier with a mysterious package that could lead to his own demise.
3rd Place: THE NORM written by Britt Aamodt: Three office drones on the wrong side of fifty fear the axe when a new boss takes over the factory, only to discover he's sending them on a cross-country road trip to attend a conference, a welcome reprieve, if only they can make it to Baltimore with a stolen car, a kidnapped drug dealer, a stash of illegal drugs, a pissed ostrich and their shared past united against them.
4th Place: NORTH OF HERE written by Kurt Smith: After the death of a loved one, a man discovers a secret about the dream world that changes everything he knows about life, death and what happens in between.
5th Place: THE REVISIONIST written by Jim Soscie: An idealistic history student discovers the legendary eighteen pages missing from the journal of John Wilkes Booth, which reveal that President Lincoln was the victim of a dark assassination conspiracy from within the White House. Now a modern-day Washington power broker will stop at nothing to get his hands on those pages - and keep their secrets buried forever.
6th Place: SEVEN THOUSAND ISLANDS written by Gary White: In 1954 suburban San Diego, a ten-year-old boy discovers the wreckage of a Japanese warplane in the canyon behind his home, with signs that the pilot is still alive.
7th Place: MAFIA written by Adeola Alao: Your host, Bob, plays a deranged game of "Mafia" with 18 college students who find truth and reconciliation as they get killed off one-by-one.
8th Place: BORDERLAND written by J.R. Taylor: He's the F.B.I.'s brightest rising star -- handling the biggest, toughest cases -- until a small town assignment manages to reveal his deepest, darkest secret. Only a local sheriff's need to be better than his surroundings may save the agent, the town, and bring justice to the borderland....
9th Place: PRITT written by Mary McDermott: Thanks to a romance with a free-spirited colleague, a conservative math professor experiences a sexual awakening at the height of the cold war.
10th Place: ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS written by Rodrigo Patino and Luis Fernandez Reneo: ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, is an anthology screenplay consisting of three interconnected stories based on the dynamics of the popular game: Love beats Ambition. Ambition beats Jealousy. Jealousy can kill love.
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TOP 100 SEMIFINALISTS
Thank you to everyone who submitted to the 2009 Feature Screenplay Competition - the top 100 is posted below in alphabetical order by script title. Online feedback will be sent out via e-mail by Friday, October 9 at the conclusion of the competition. The top 10 Finalists will be posted by Friday, October 2.
1. 2000 Miles to Salvation
2. A Grave of Dragonflies
3. A Little Backyard Ceremony
4. A Moment Too Soon
5. A Night With Romain
6. After The Riots
7. All God’s Creatures
8. All The Wrong Reasons
9. American Children
10. Arturo: A Life In Film
11. Banana Rat
12. Baumer and The Walrus
13. Best Wishes, Nice Knowing You
14. Blemished Light
15. Blue Suit Assasins
16. Boondoggle
17. Borderland
18. Boris
19. Box Full of Rain
20. Bucks For Bovines
21. Chances
22. Comfort Food
23. Cooper’s War
24. Crickets
25. Criminal Wishchief
26. Da Vinci’s Dream
27. Dead Drop
28. Deadlines
29. Deserted
30. Dr. Borderless
31. El Flaco
32. Embracing John Grey
33. Fellini
34. Fugue 9
35. Georgia Doesn’t Drink
36. Godforsaken
37. Growing Up Catholic
38. Guitar Hero
39. Harry’s Last Stand
40. Heat of Honor
41. Home
42. Immaculate Deception
43. In Law Suite
44. Instant Karma
45. In The Family
46. Ladies and Gentleman, John Wilkes Booth
47. Lorna Vale
48. Mafia
49. Male Order Bride
50. Man of Mos Eisley
51. Mechanical Man
52. Minus Men
53. Nick Nolte
54. North of Here
55. One Lie
56. Paint By Numbers
57. Pretty to Think So
58. Pritt
59. Promise Not to Tell
60. Reaping Santa
61. Represent
62. Rock, Paper, Scissors
63. Rock Queen
64. Safe House
65. Saving Camelot
66. Season of Mists
67. Seizing Christmas
68. Selim, My Brother
69. Seven Thousand Islands
70. Skin
71. Sleeping Deep
72. Sold
73. Supercat
74. Temple
75. Ten Years in October
76. The Amazing Tazo
77. The Blue Light
78. The Christmas Collection
79. The City of Prana
80. The Dying Words of August
81. The Descent
82. The Farrior’s Son
83. The Flid Show
84. The Inventor’s Son
85. The Limbic Syndrome
86. The Line Between
87. The Misogynist
88. The Most Famous Woman in The World
89. The Norm
90. The Orb of Legrava
91. The Powerhouse Lindens
92. The Revisionist
93. The Sinners
94. The Sleepwalker
95. The Sons of War
96. The Violin Case Killers
97. Trapped
98. Valden
99. You Pretty Things
100. Zell
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SLAMDANCE FEATURE SCREENPLAY WINNER: GRAND PRIZE $5000!
UPLOAD FILMS BEST LOW BUDGET FEATURE AWARD: WINNER RECEIVES POTENTIAL OPTION DEAL WITH UPLOAD FILMS!
SCRIPT ACCESSIBLE AWARD - FOR BEST SCREENPLAY INVOLVING CHARACTERS WITH DISABILITIES AND/OR WRITTEN BY A PERSON WITH DISABILITIES: WINNER RECEIVES $1,000!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR COMPETITION SPONSORS
MISSION:
The Slamdance Screenplay Competition is dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging writing talent. We welcome screenplays in every genre, any budget, on any topic, from anywhere in the world. Our mission is to nurture and bring attention to talented screenwriters and introduce them to the entertainment industry. A unique feature of the competition is providing constructive feedback for every entrant. We’ve established a strong track record through our competition successes and continue to discover outstanding new work.
We look forward to your screenplay!
INDUSTRY & FINALIST FEEDBACK:
“Only two months ago, I was writing blindly, so to speak. I was doing what I loved to do, but doing it primarily for myself with no real hope that anything I happened to be working on would ever really be enjoyed by anyone but myself, and with no actual idea if what I was writing was any good at all. Then I won Slamdance, and in an instant, I attained not only a belief in myself, but also a sudden legitimacy in the profession I want to pursue. In no time, I was making a deal with Upload Films for an option agreement and possible production, and it seems reasonable that literary representation is in the cards. Winning this contest is, in so many words, the beginning of my career."
Neil McGowan - Writer of Slamdance Screenplay Competition winner NUMBERED
“Without the help of Slamdance and Upload Films I would not have been able to see my hopes come to fruition,"
Nancy Kissam - Writer and director of 2006 Screenplay Competition Winner and 2009 Slamdance Film Festival Special Screening DROOL
"Some of the best material comes from Slamdance — I should know!"
Lee Daniels - Producer of Slamdance Screenplay winner and Sundance hit, THE WOODSMAN
"Winning Slamdance was an incredible moral booster and the seal of approval that made the industry stop and take notice."
Nicole Kassell - Slamdance Screenplay winner and director of THE WOODSMAN
"The Slamdance Screenplay Award received by Joshua Marston for MARIA FULL OF GRACE was the first public validation of the project...the publicity surrounding this award helped put the project in the public eye."
Paul Mezey, - Producer, MARIA FULL OF GRACE
DEADLINES:
“Only two months ago, I was writing blindly, so to speak. I was doing what I loved to do, but doing it primarily for myself with no real hope that anything I happened to be working on would ever really be enjoyed by anyone but myself, and with no actual idea if what I was writing was any good at all. Then I won Slamdance, and in an instant, I attained not only a belief in myself, but also a sudden legitimacy in the profession I want to pursue. In no time, I was making a deal with Upload Films for an option agreement and possible production, and it seems reasonable that literary representation is in the cards. Winning this contest is, in so many words, the beginning of my career."
Neil McGowan - Writer of Slamdance Screenplay Competition winner NUMBERED
“Without the help of Slamdance and Upload Films I would not have been able to see my hopes come to fruition,"
Nancy Kissam - Writer and director of 2006 Screenplay Competition Winner and 2009 Slamdance Film Festival Special Screening DROOL
"Some of the best material comes from Slamdance — I should know!"
Lee Daniels - Producer of Slamdance Screenplay winner and Sundance hit, THE WOODSMAN
"Winning Slamdance was an incredible moral booster and the seal of approval that made the industry stop and take notice."
Nicole Kassell - Slamdance Screenplay winner and director of THE WOODSMAN
"The Slamdance Screenplay Award received by Joshua Marston for MARIA FULL OF GRACE was the first public validation of the project...the publicity surrounding this award helped put the project in the public eye."
Paul Mezey, - Producer, MARIA FULL OF GRACE
DEADLINES:
Final Deadline: June 15, 2009
Last Chance Deadline: June 26, 2009
ENTRY FEES:
ENTRY FEES:
Final submission fee: $50.00 (by Final Deadline, June 15, 2009)
Last Chance submission fee: $60.00 (by Final Deadline, June 26, 2009)
COVERAGE FEES:
COVERAGE FEES:
+$75.00: Online Coverage Service - available within 2 months*
+$115.00: Fast Track Coverage - available within 14 days*
+$115.00: Fast Track Coverage - available within 14 days*
* Please note Coverage Fees are in addition to Entry Fees
ENTRY PROCEDURE:
1. Please read the entry procedure, rules, guidelines and selection process. Then register a slamdance.com Account, or log in as an existing slamdance.com Account member.
2. Click on “SUBMIT SCREENPLAY", read through and agree to the Slamdance Screenplay Competition Terms and Conditions, and then fill out the online screenplay application form
3. Click on one of the following entry fee payment options:
1. Please read the entry procedure, rules, guidelines and selection process. Then register a slamdance.com Account, or log in as an existing slamdance.com Account member.
2. Click on “SUBMIT SCREENPLAY", read through and agree to the Slamdance Screenplay Competition Terms and Conditions, and then fill out the online screenplay application form
3. Click on one of the following entry fee payment options:
-
OPTION 1: Credit Card Online Payment (Mastercard and Visa)
-
OPTION 2: Check or money order payable to “Slamdance”.
4. Click on one of two ways to send your screenplay submission:
-
OPTION 1: Upload a pdf file to submit your screenplay electronically
-
OPTION 2: Choose to mail in hard copy of screenplay to Slamdance offices
To complete the submission process for a hard copy screenplay, you will print your completed screenplay application form and send form with check or money order and screenplay in one package to:
Slamdance 2009 Screenplay Competition
5634 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
If you choose Option 1 please upload your screenplay in pdf format no larger that 2MB.
If you choose Option 2 please bound your screenplay with brads on three-holed punched paper. It’s okay to send multiple screenplay submissions in one package, but each screenplay must have its own printed application included in the package.
5. For screenplays longer than 120 pages please call our offices – 323-466-1786 before submitting your entry.
RULES:
1. Screenplays must not have been previously optioned, purchased or produced.
2. Screenplays must not have received awards from other competitions over $500.00 at the time of entry.
3. Screenwriters who have had previous feature screenplays produced and distributed by non-independent means are ineligible.
4. Screenplays must be in English, formatted in 12-point courier font.
5. All check payments must be payable in U.S. dollars to “Slamdance” and drawn from U.S. banks. U.S. Money Orders and Traveler's Checks are also accepted.
6. Any check returned to us for non-payment will be subject to a $15 service fee.
7. To enter the Slamdance Screenplay Competition you must agree to its Terms and Conditions.
8. The Slamdance Screenplay Compeititon Readers' decisions are final.
GUIDELINES:
1. Please provide only one primary contact on your screenplay application form
2. In the event of multiple writers, list all additional co-writers. Please note Slamdance divides awards equally among co-writers.
3. If you are sending your screenplay entry by mail and would like delivery confirmation, please include a self-addressed stamped postcard with your submission package.
4. Slamdance is not responsible for screenplays or coverage stolen or lost in transit
5. For screenplays longer than 120 pages, please call our office before submitting your entry.
EXPLANATION OF SERVICES:
Online Feedback:
Everyone who submits a screenplay to Slamdance will receive online feedback from our Readers. The object of our Online Feedback Service is to provide you with constructive criticism about your work. The feedback includes a logline, a pitch line, genre suggestion and shows strong and weak parts of your screenplay. Online Feedback is quite basic compared to the extensive notes provided with our Online Coverage Service.
RULES:
1. Screenplays must not have been previously optioned, purchased or produced.
2. Screenplays must not have received awards from other competitions over $500.00 at the time of entry.
3. Screenwriters who have had previous feature screenplays produced and distributed by non-independent means are ineligible.
4. Screenplays must be in English, formatted in 12-point courier font.
5. All check payments must be payable in U.S. dollars to “Slamdance” and drawn from U.S. banks. U.S. Money Orders and Traveler's Checks are also accepted.
6. Any check returned to us for non-payment will be subject to a $15 service fee.
7. To enter the Slamdance Screenplay Competition you must agree to its Terms and Conditions.
8. The Slamdance Screenplay Compeititon Readers' decisions are final.
GUIDELINES:
1. Please provide only one primary contact on your screenplay application form
2. In the event of multiple writers, list all additional co-writers. Please note Slamdance divides awards equally among co-writers.
3. If you are sending your screenplay entry by mail and would like delivery confirmation, please include a self-addressed stamped postcard with your submission package.
4. Slamdance is not responsible for screenplays or coverage stolen or lost in transit
5. For screenplays longer than 120 pages, please call our office before submitting your entry.
EXPLANATION OF SERVICES:
Online Feedback:
Everyone who submits a screenplay to Slamdance will receive online feedback from our Readers. The object of our Online Feedback Service is to provide you with constructive criticism about your work. The feedback includes a logline, a pitch line, genre suggestion and shows strong and weak parts of your screenplay. Online Feedback is quite basic compared to the extensive notes provided with our Online Coverage Service.
Online Coverage Service:
The object of Slamdance’s Online Coverage Service is to provide you with extensive constructive criticism about your work. The Online Coverage Service includes a complete story breakdown and then addresses "what works", "what doesn't work" and "how it can be improved". These three categories are the main part of the Coverage Service and are intended to help you with revisions of your screenplay. The Coverage Service also offers the screenwriter an idea of what "the next step" could be with their screenplay and writing. This may address media, films and screenplays, production companies and agencies the writer should be aware of, as well as any words of wisdom from one of our Readers. Slamdance’s Online Coverage provides you with an insight into the mind of a Reader who reads hundreds of independent screenplays each year. Our Readers' goal is to assist you in crafting your submission into something that can advance in competition and impress agents, managers and producers.
Online Coverage will be available within two months from the time you submit your work. A notice will be sent to the e-mail address you provided in your screenplay application form when your Coverage is available.
Please note our Online Coverage Service is available year-round. We also offer year-round, one on one screenplay consultation services. For further details please call the Slamdance office: 323-466-1786.
Fast Track Online Coverage Service:
Slamdance’s Fast Track Online Coverage is an added benefit for those that would like to receive coverage within 14 days of your screenplay submission arriving at the Slamdance office. The additional cost of this benefit is $35 on top of the $50 base coverage charge.
SCRIPT REGISTRY:
To protect your intellectual property we suggest you register your work with the Writers Guild of America, west (www.wga.org or call 323 782 4500) and the US Copyright Office (http://www.copyright.gov/).
COMPETITION SELECTION PROCESS:
Two Readers will determine whether a screenplay proceeds into the Second Round of the Competition. Over half of the screenplays submitted make it to Round Two. From here, a Top 200 will be selected as Quarterfinalists. Fifty scripts will make it to the semifinals, and ten finalists will be announced at the Writers Guild of America in September. One writer will be awarded the Grand Prize, and all finalists will receive product prize packages from our sponsors. An additional finalist will also be selected for the Upload Films Best Low Budget Feature Special Award.
Scoring Details:
Screenplays submitted to the Slamdance Screenplay Competition are scored in five categories: Character, Dialogue, Story, Structure, and Originality. We also use a "Sparky" score which gauges the Reader's emotional response to a screenplay. Sometimes, the Sparky score helps screenplays move onto the next round of Competition. Scores, as well as Reader meetings, determine what scripts go onto the Quarter and Semifinals, and then the Finalists. Please note no screenplay scoring is shared with anyone outside of the Readers of the Competition.
Slamdance Readers:
Slamdance Readers are industry professionals and all have a combination of the following qualifications: professional coverage background, production and development background, and/or are professional writers, Slamdance alumni, playwrights and journalists. Readers’ Competition decisions are final.
PRIZES:
The object of Slamdance’s Online Coverage Service is to provide you with extensive constructive criticism about your work. The Online Coverage Service includes a complete story breakdown and then addresses "what works", "what doesn't work" and "how it can be improved". These three categories are the main part of the Coverage Service and are intended to help you with revisions of your screenplay. The Coverage Service also offers the screenwriter an idea of what "the next step" could be with their screenplay and writing. This may address media, films and screenplays, production companies and agencies the writer should be aware of, as well as any words of wisdom from one of our Readers. Slamdance’s Online Coverage provides you with an insight into the mind of a Reader who reads hundreds of independent screenplays each year. Our Readers' goal is to assist you in crafting your submission into something that can advance in competition and impress agents, managers and producers.
Online Coverage will be available within two months from the time you submit your work. A notice will be sent to the e-mail address you provided in your screenplay application form when your Coverage is available.
Please note our Online Coverage Service is available year-round. We also offer year-round, one on one screenplay consultation services. For further details please call the Slamdance office: 323-466-1786.
Fast Track Online Coverage Service:
Slamdance’s Fast Track Online Coverage is an added benefit for those that would like to receive coverage within 14 days of your screenplay submission arriving at the Slamdance office. The additional cost of this benefit is $35 on top of the $50 base coverage charge.
SCRIPT REGISTRY:
To protect your intellectual property we suggest you register your work with the Writers Guild of America, west (www.wga.org or call 323 782 4500) and the US Copyright Office (http://www.copyright.gov/).
COMPETITION SELECTION PROCESS:
Two Readers will determine whether a screenplay proceeds into the Second Round of the Competition. Over half of the screenplays submitted make it to Round Two. From here, a Top 200 will be selected as Quarterfinalists. Fifty scripts will make it to the semifinals, and ten finalists will be announced at the Writers Guild of America in September. One writer will be awarded the Grand Prize, and all finalists will receive product prize packages from our sponsors. An additional finalist will also be selected for the Upload Films Best Low Budget Feature Special Award.
Scoring Details:
Screenplays submitted to the Slamdance Screenplay Competition are scored in five categories: Character, Dialogue, Story, Structure, and Originality. We also use a "Sparky" score which gauges the Reader's emotional response to a screenplay. Sometimes, the Sparky score helps screenplays move onto the next round of Competition. Scores, as well as Reader meetings, determine what scripts go onto the Quarter and Semifinals, and then the Finalists. Please note no screenplay scoring is shared with anyone outside of the Readers of the Competition.
Slamdance Readers:
Slamdance Readers are industry professionals and all have a combination of the following qualifications: professional coverage background, production and development background, and/or are professional writers, Slamdance alumni, playwrights and journalists. Readers’ Competition decisions are final.
PRIZES:
• Slamdance Grand Prize: $5,000
• Upload Films Best Low Budget Feature Award – Winner will receive potential option deal with Upload Films
• Script Accessible Award for best screenplay involving characters with disabilities and/or written by a person with disabilities – Winner will receive $1,000
• The top ten screenwriters will receive Final Draft screenwriting software
• The top ten screenwriters will receive a year subscription to Script Magazine
• The top ten screenwriters will have the option of using InkTip to network their project to the industry
• Selected material will be read On Stage in Los Angeles, New York and Park City
• The top ten screenwriters will receive prize packages that include Festival Passes good for all screenings and parties at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah (January 2010)
• The top ten screenwriters are eligible for membership in the Writers Guild of America's Independent Writers Caucus
• The top ten screenwriters will receive merchandise from the Slamdance Shop
• Production companies, studios, agencies and managers request to read our top scripts
PLEASE CALL US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS:
If you have any problems while submitting, or any questions about the submission process just e-mail us or call our offices: 323-466-1786