2016 Screenplay Competition Finalists Announced!

The Atlanta Film Festival has chosen twelve finalists in the feature screenplay category and five finalists in the pilot category for the 2016 Screenplay Competition! Representing three countries and six states, the advancing screenplays have been selected from a record 482 submissions—over double the submissions received for last year's competition. Additionally, three feature screenplay winners and one pilot screenplay winner have been selected from the finalists. Congratulations to all!

The three feature screenplay winners are flown to Atlanta during the festival for the ATLFF Screenwriters' Retreat, a three-day immersive experience where they will work with three established screenwriters and industry professionals on how to develop, sharpen and produce each screenplay. Our pilot screenplay winner will receive a one-on-one business dinner with an industry professional.

All winners will have full access to all events and resources available during the ten-day festival, including screenings, panels and parties, as well as the opportunity to meet and interact with a host of visiting filmmakers and media professionals from around the world. Winners will also receive a one (1) year-long CONNECT membership with the International Screenwriters Association.

Feature Screenplay Finalists (Winners in Bold)

• “The Audition” by Eric Carlson (Virginia)
• “Black Sunday” by Heidi Willis (Alabama) 
• “Catch the Devil” by Martin Blinder (Hawaii/California)
• “Dietrich Danzig” by John Pisano-Thomsen (Canada)
• “Do You Wanna Talk About It?” by Michael Boyle (California)
• “Faith” by Steven Brooks (Georgia)
• "Going Dark” by Alexis Pelot and Jessica Coleman (Georgia)
• “Homegrown” by Jacques Edeline (California)
• “Lemon Made” by Erik Adolphson (California)
• “Melon Head” by Andy Fortenbacher (New York) 
• “The Midnight Special” by Christy Hall, Rebecca Comerford, Sol Tryon  (New York/California)
• “Twelve Strays of Christmas” by Ken Lemm (Georgia)

Pilot Screenplay Finalists (Winner in Bold)

• “Bloodworth” by Jonathan Katz (Virginia)
• "Cold Spring Harbor” by Mike Makowsky (California)
• “Immaculate” by Colleen Scriven (California) 
• “Janus” by Pearse Lehane (United Kingdom) 
• “Off The Menu” by Dennis Camlek (Georgia)

The 2016 Screenwriters' Retreat will be held once again by Serenbe Film and AIR Serenbe. More information is forthcoming.

2016 Screenwriters' Retreat Mentors:

• Michael Lucker is an acclaimed writer/director with twenty years experience creating film, television and animation. He began his career writing and directing television commercials in college in Boston. Soon after he landed in Los Angeles working in production on series for ABC, NBC, CBS and HBO before taking a job as assistant to Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment on feature films Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, Back To The Future ll & lll and Jurassic Park. He went on to work in creative affairs at Hollywood Pictures, helping develop the movies Crimson Tide, Terminal Velocity, Taking Care of Business and Straight Talk. He then went onto write movies for DreamWorks, Paramount, Disney, Fox, Universal and more, including “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for best-animated movie. Michael hosts a quarterly Screenwriter School and hosted 2014's ATLFF Screenplay Reading.
• Robin Henry is a writer and comedian who loves to make people laugh. She's written for "The Queen Latifah Show," "East Los High," "The Rickey Smiley Show," and "House of Payne." Robin writes, directs and produces sketches for Sketchworks, the premier sketch comedy theater in metro Atlanta, and teaches introductory and advanced sketch writing. A co-founder of Joke Pony and “The Black Nerd Show,” Robin can be found performing stand-up comedy in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
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