After receiving nearly 4,000 scripts this season from writers across the globe, Slamdance is honored to recognize the following writers as the official winners of the 2024 Slamdance Screenplay Competition. These screenplays are divided into five submission categories: Feature, Horror/Thriller, Pilot, Short, and Mentorship Recipient.
Read the Indie Wire article here.
HORROR/THRILLER SCREENPLAY
WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
FIRST PLACE HORROR/THRILLER
Yokai by Jorge Lucas
@thejeanlantern
Logline:
After seven years of estrangement, Kazuko has decided to reconnect with her overbearing mother. But when Kazuko’s daughter grows fascinated with the old woman’s superstitions, she accidentally releases a vengeful spirit from the family’s dark past.
Bio:
Jorge Lucas is an Argentine-born, East-coast-raised, San Francisco-based filmmaker. He’s written and directed short films and music videos that have screened at festivals around the world. By day, he works as an assistant editor on projects like Blue Sky’s Spies in Disguise and Pixar’s Dream Productions. By night, he writes genre screenplays that explore humanity’s loneliness in the face of an unknowable and terrifying universe. And sometimes throws in monsters and time-travel for good measure.
SECOND PLACE HORROR/THRILLER
Brains by Zach Rubin
@rubinz
Logline:
A zombie regains the memories of her human life, inspiring a search for her estranged children fighting to survive a plague of the undead on their own.
Bio:
Zach Rubin is a writer and director residing in New York City. His filmmaking bends traditional genre within Sci-fi and horror.
THIRD PLACE HORROR/THRILLER
Perception by Pauline McAlonan
Logline:
A college freshman with face-blindness witnesses a murder; dismissed by the police, she must track down the killer herself.
Bio:
Born in Northern Ireland, Pauline has a PhD in English from McGill University and taught in the humanities department of a Montreal college– courses in dystopian fiction, World War II, and the Icelandic sagas. She has (almost) completed a novel, a YA alternate history thriller.
FEATURE SCREENPLAY
WINNERS
FIRST PLACE FEATURES
COUNTERPOINT by Arden Earnest
@ardenearnest
Logline:
At an elite high school conservatory in New York City, the friendship between two violinists—one privileged, one poor—turns vicious when a life-changing competition is announced.
Bio:
Arden Earnest is a writer-director with degrees from the AFI Conservatory and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Her writing has placed in the Austin Film Festival, Big Break, ScreenCraft, Slamdance, Finish Line, Stage 32, Shore Scripts, and more. She is currently in post-production on a short film she wrote and directed, inspired by her feature script COUNTERPOINT. Arden is based in Los Angeles, CA.
SECOND PLACE FEATURES
Revolutionary Medicine by Kristen McNaule
@kmcnaule
Logline:
A disgraced Vietnam War Combat Medic joins forces with a transgender WWII veteran to launch an underground vigilante street clinic to serve New York’s LGBTQ homeless community in the 1960s.
Bio:
Kristen McNaule writes and directs edgy revolutionary stories with a bit of sparkle. She wrote her first book on the back of receipt paper while working midnight shifts at a grocery store. Since then, she’s been a Semifinalist in Austin Film Festival. She traveled to Sierra Leone to make a short documentary about post-war development. She’s obsessed with beagles, and recruited her own doggy to play the zombeagle in her web series THE INCREDIBLE LIPS.
THIRD PLACE FEATURES
The Match by Crystal Muma Rivers
@crystal_rivers_
Logline:
Paige acclimates to her new life in a wheelchair while visiting her ableist Aunt for Mardi Gras where she bonds with a troubled musician.
Bio:
A former stunt performer and actor, Crystal became permanently disabled in 2019. Writing became an outlet for her pain as she processed her new normal. Having zero experience with disabilities before her own, she writes now to dispel the common tropes seen in TV and Film about the disabled experience. “The Match,” has won Best Feature Screenplay in Barcelona at Love and Hope International, L.A. Women’s Independent Film Festival, Pasadena International and others.
PILOT SCREENPLAY
WINNERS
FIRST PLACE PILOTS
Waters of Hedeby by Olivia Webb
@Littlewebb5
Logline:
The Hedeby Viking settlement of 810 CE is run – in part – by an ancient Siren posing as a human. She must keep her identity a secret when mangled bodies start washing up on shore and a monster hunter comes to town.
Bio:
Olivia is a queer, differently abled filmmaker originally from Tennessee. In her early twenties, Olivia spent two years in Bradley County Jail, as a biweekly volunteer teacher, that is. She received her MFA in Dramatic Writing from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2021. That same year, Olivia moved to Los Angeles. Her first independently funded/produced feature film, “The Last Supper,” is currently in post production, which she wrote and co-directed.
SECOND PLACE PILOTS
Welcome to Sunset by Eric John Meyer
@pappyvanmeyer
Logline:
A sheltered vampiric teenager realizes there are some sinister secrets lurking within the assisted living facility owned and run by her parents, just as she starts developing fangs and a lust for blood.
Bio:
Eric is a playwright and screenwriter, new dad, and long-time cat lover. He and his wife fell in love while doing theater in the back of a truck. His work has been produced or developed by Playwrights Horizons, Vineyard Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Theater Wit, among others. His play THE ANTELOPE PARTY (New York Times Critics Pick) has been performed across the country, as well as in Stockholm, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. He believes the best way to capture what it feels like to live in the 21st century is to start with a ridiculous premise and then bring it to life with genuine empathy, pathos and nuance.
THIRD PLACE PILOTS
Howl by Zoe Kerr
@iamzoekerr
Logline:
A grieving social worker takes in a young boy who claims his parents were killed by a wolf, forcing their rural community to confront an ancient curse clawing at the door.
Bio:
When Zoe isn’t traveling, she writes high-concept genre pieces. Her writing and direction has been recognized by the Sundance Institute, Slamdance Screenplay Competition, CineStory, the Austin Film Festival, Launch Pad, the Moonshot Initiative, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Arts Residency, and the Dramatists Guild, among others.
SHORT SCREENPLAY
WINNERS
FIRST PLACE SHORTS
Self Love by Jeremy Brull
@jeremybrull
Logline:
In the isolation of rural Australia, a man grapples with the decision to euthanize his identical clone, whose regression into a childlike state forces him to confront buried childhood trauma and a choice between destruction and redemption.
Bio:
Jeremy has been a freelance writer/director since 2009 after spending his life savings on camera gear and teaching himself how to make films through trial and error. He hasn’t starved yet. Since then, his work has enjoyed success at both domestic and international film festivals. Most recently, Jeremy was involved with the online series ‘Liberty Street’ where he directed the episode ‘Glen’ – a short piece that has recently been selected for the Melbourne International Film Festival, Flickerfest… alongside international festivals such as ‘Just for Laughs’ in Montreal and Newport Beach Film Festival.
SECOND PLACE SHORTS
Call and Response by Charlene Fisk
@mightycharliefilms
Logline:
In a close-knit rural community, a teenage girl and her grandfather navigate the delicate balance of tradition and change.
Bio:
Charlie is an ex-Army sergeant turned Emmy award-winning filmmaker. With a diverse storytelling background, she co-produced and edited projects for PBS and directed acclaimed short films. She’s directed network episodes for Discovery and TLC, while her cinematography has graced shows on Magnolia Network, Discovery, Disney, and ESPN. Additionally, her scripts have earned recognition from prestigious labs and competitions including the Austin Film Festival, Athena Film Festival, Stowe Story labs, Cinestory and ScreenCraft.
THIRD PLACE SHORTS
Echoes of Ringing Bells by Oleg Condrea
@olegcondrea
Logline:
With the sudden disappearance of villagers, a feral cat turns into an unspoken detective, embarking on a relentless quest to find its new adoptive family during the Soviet invasion of Moldova.
Bio:
Oleg Condrea is a professional visual storyteller with 15 years of experience in animation. His work on films, animated series, and VR projects informs his teaching, allowing him to share his expertise with students who are smarter than he was at their age.
MENTORSHIP WINNER
MENTORSHIP RECIPIENT
Ashes by Maeman Rezaee
@_maaman_
Logline:
After her mother dies, Mona, an Americanized Iranian woman, finds a note that asks her to bury the body in their ancestral home, Iran. The issue is, her mother is now ash. Mona shows up to Iran in the middle of a feminist revolution, bearing a bag of human ashes, with her lesbian lover in tow.
Bio:
Growing up as a queer woman in a persecuted religious minority in Iran, Maaman developed a dark sense of humor, fueling her filmmaking career. She went from political prisoner to political refugee in the US. After earning an MFA, she taught film at the University of New Mexico before pursuing her passion in LA. Her work explores memory, belonging, and transcultural dynamics. Her feature script Ashes was a Sundance finalist, and her films have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals.
FINALISTS
FEATURES
Arden Earnest
COUNTERPOINT
Crystal Muma Rivers
The Match
Kristen McNaule
Revolutionary Medicine
HORROR/THRILLER
Jorge Lucas
Yokai
Pauline McAlonan
Perception
Zach Rubin
Brains
PILOT
Eric John Meyer
Welcome to Sunset
Olivia Webb
Waters of Hedeby
Zoe Kerr
Howl
SHORTS
Charlene Fisk
Call and Response
Jeremy Brull
Self Love
Oleg Condrea
Echoes of Ringing Bells
MENTORSHIP AWARD
James Tison
I Don’t Want To Fight Anymore
Maaman Rezaee
Ashes
Sasha Kai
Black Girl Magic
Shiva Ramanathan
Demons
SEMI FINALISTS
FEATURES
Arden Earnest
COUNTERPOINT
Cory David Bortnicker
Enoch
Crystal Muma Rivers
The Match
Derek Adam Thomas
Fragments
Juan Manuel Armijos
The Helper
Kristen McNaule
Revolutionary Medicine
Michael Gordon
Harmony
Weiyang Liu
Undocumented Minors
HORROR/THRILLER
Connor Bradica Crowell, Thomas Allen Crowell
TIKI FOR TWO
Elle Robinson
Hurricane Maya
Jorge Lucas
Yokai
Pauline McAlonan
Perception
Philip Alexander Mills
The Waste Land
Ryan Berry
Erasure
Tanya Klein, James Cirile
My Scare Lady
Zach Rubin
Brains
PILOT
Anne Aubert-Santelli, Dan Williams
Coco Chanel
Cathriona Slammon
EATER
Eric John Meyer
Welcome to Sunset
Izaak Garcia
Panacea
Karim Diané
The Wheelchair Virgin
Olivia Webb
Waters of Hedeby
Phoebe Lai
Mommy & Me
Zoe Kerr
Howl
SHORTS
Charlene Fisk
Call and Response
David James Schultz
Love Games
Frances Rubio
The Malignant Case of the Migrant’s Daughter
Jeremy Brull
Self Love
Micah Williams Kelly
Byte Me
Oleg Condrea
Echoes of Ringing Bells
Peier Shen
Stay a Little Longer
Tom Holowach
Old Blue Eyes Strikes Gold in Green Hawaii
QUARTER FINALISTS
FEATURES
Abi Perpall
CRAB
Abi Perpall
CRAB
Alex Alcheh
King of the Bin
Arden Earnest
COUNTERPOINT
Casimir Nozkowski
Talk To Me Like A Person
Chheangkea
Little Phnom Penh
Cory David Bortnicker
Enoch
Cory Stonebrook
THERE’S A GHOST IN INDIANA
Crystal Muma Rivers
The Match
Derek Adam Thomas
Fragments
Emily Schleiger
LOUDMOUSE
Joseph Hughes, Latifa Hughes, Frederick Douglass
Juan Manuel Armijos
The Helper
Kristen McNaule
Revolutionary Medicine
Lacy McClory
Tethered
Lisa Schurga
Susan is Dead
Lucy Owens
Blue Ones
Maaman Rezaee
Ashes
Matthew Lai
Peeking
Max Olson
The Eyes of The Father
Michael Gordon
Harmony
Moon Molson
Hyper/Space
Richard Willett
The Flid Show
Ross Peacock
The Paleontologist
Sophia An Porter
HAHA
Stefanos Tai
Encore
Weiyang Liu
Undocumented Minors
HORROR/THRILLER
Adam Krause
It Feasts Upon a Midnight Clear
Brandon Shypkowski
Santa Fe
Connor Bradica Crowell, Thomas Allen Crowell
TIKI FOR TWO
Corey Householder
Patron Saint
Elle Robinson
Hurricane Maya
Giuseppe Cocca
No Place Like Home
James Banks, Steven Banks
In The Field of Blood
James Tison
I Don’t Want To Fight Anymore
Jorge Lucas
Yokai
Joshua Ryan Gallas, Ben Southward
All the Blood of Beasts
Keith Currivean Jr.
The Tale of Bunny, the Lamb
Mario Manas
KIKIMORA
Mashka Wolfe
Via Divinos
Max Vernon
The Residency
Noah Jorgensen, Nolan Watt
Welcome Home Eugene
Pauline McAlonan
Perception
Philip Alexander Mills
The Waste Land
Philip Blake
Clay
Ryan Berry
Erasure
Ryan Lilienfield
Inheritor
Sasha Kai
Black Girl Magic
Shawn Austin
What The Wind Blows In
Tanya Klein, James Cirile
My Scare Lady
Zach Rubin
Brains
Zoe Kerr
A Mother
PILOTS
Anne Aubert-Santelli & Dan Williams
Coco Chanel
Cathriona Slammon
EATER
Christine Gatlin
Good Neighbors
Christopher Jarvis
Inhuman
David Meister
HOUSE LEFT BEHIND
David Soll
Timber
Ellis Abigail Stump
TAART
Eric John Meyer
Welcome to Sunset
Izaak Garcia
Panacea
Jon Eudowe
Alone
Karim Diané
The Wheelchair Virgin
Kate Gleason
The Rails
Katherine Street
Villainesque
Marcos Santana
Time as a Place
Matthew Nicholson
Care Source
Max Mcgillivray
Bluebird
Miles Kahn
The Pigeon
Nicholas Grant
Mutant Zombie Fighting Pits: Cockroach’s Creed
Nick Rose
BASED AND REDPILLED SIGMA SAMURAI
Nik Sysuev
BAD SOVIET
Olivia Webb
Waters of Hedeby
Phoebe Lai
Mommy & Me
Tulica Singh
The Mushroom Society
Zoe Kerr
Howl
SHORTS
ALSO Sisters
No Man is an Island
Angela Healin Kweon
First Sunrise
Anna Hooper
Unfiltered
Brian Freitag
Branded
Charlene Fisk
Call and Response
Christianna Carmine
MOMMA
David James Schultz
Love Games
Frances Rubio
The Malignant Case of the Migrant’s Daughter
Giovana Chiconelli
Things We Put in Our Mouths
James James
Francis, the Filler, and the Fuse
Jennifer Morris, Robbie Sublett
The Bra
Jeremy Brull
Self Love
Lucy Gamades
A Wake
Micah Williams Kelly
Byte Me
Nicholas Burns
Betwixt the Stirrup and the Ground
Oleg Condrea
Echoes of Ringing Bells
Peier Shen
Stay a Little Longer
Rachel Dunkel, Ava Simone
Lady Outlaw
Rakesh Baruah
Sugar Baby
Riley Scott
Bullseye
Rose Hanish
Benchwarmer
Ruth Jiang
Noise
Saeid Ghasemi, Atefeh Salehi
Tresses
Sam Henderson
Colored
Serena Dykman
BABKA
Tom Holowach
Old Blue Eyes Strikes Gold in Green Hawaii
Zena Logan
The Ultimate Breakup