2024 Screenplay Competition Winners

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