2018 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinalists

The Atlanta Film Festival is proud to announce the semifinalists in the 2018 Screenplay Competition. Chosen from over 1,000 submissions, these screenplays represent those moving forward from our feature film, television pilot, and short film categories.

Our writers are competing for once in a lifetime mentorship opportunities to help hone their screenplays and plan the next steps in their careers. In addition, this year marks our first ever partnership with ScreenCraft, a premiere screenwriting competition, consultation, and editorial organization. We’re working together to present the ScreenCraft Writer’s Summit for the first time at the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival.

This three day event will feature panels, workshops, private mentoring and parties with top Oscar and Emmy-winning and blockbuster screenwriters, as well as agents, managers, producers and studio executives. It will be an exclusive and unparalleled opportunity to learn from the best in Hollywood, in a personal environment where unguarded conversations and long-term partnerships can be forged. All screenwriting competition Quarterfinalists are invited to a private reception at summit in celebration of their achievements.  A select few VIP Panelists will also be in attendance at this exclusive event.

Congratulations to the writers so far! Stay tuned as our programming team narrows this list down to finalists and this year’s winners.

Feature Screenplay Semifinalists

A Better Place—Katterina Powers
A Small Fortune—Adam Perry
A Witch In Salem—Patrick Lewis
Acts of God—Reed Moran
After the Jump—Marquette Jones
All That Follows—Emily Lobsenz
Beasts and Children—Bryan Ott
Black Jack—Stephen Curran
Blue on Blue—David Dasilma
Can You See Me—Profound Clarke
Catbird Blues—Rebecca Drummond
Darryn The Bold and The Sword of Boldness—J Best
Escher—Jason Kessler
Freedom Fort—Clint Williams
Honey Boy—Shia Labeouf, Otis Lort
Hurry Up And Wait—Allison Radomski
Joni—Aviva Neuman
Kaylee, Age 8—Molly Coffee, Charles Thomas
Oliver Clark & The Future Unknown—Toni Shepherd, Nickolas Shepherd
Orwell’s War—Larry Bogad
Plan B—Paige Gresty
Possum Kingdom—Matt Pope
Potter's Ground—Pearse Lehane
Rhinelander—Laura Wexler
Running—Gemma Addy
Scout—Samuel Goodwin
Spirit Lead—Maggie Calton
Sweet Petunia—Kal Bonner
The Arrow Collar Man—Ellen Ireland
The Bait—Billie Bates
The Baltimore School of Charm—Kelli McNeil
The Boca Bandit—Julie Garces
The Bullshit Boys—Toni Shepherd, Nickolas Shepherd
The Cannibal Trial—Edward Anderson
The Colonist—Brandon Maynard
The Divide—Rashmi Singh
The Dying Machine—Joseph Cahill
The Empty Sea—David Poulshock
The Escape of Robert Smalls—Spencer Magloff
The Fight After—Gunnar Garrett
The Huntress—Suzanne Andrews Correa
The Maidservant's Cap—Jeff Opdyke
The Moonbeam Fisherman—John Dummer
The Sleeping House—Suzanne Griffin
Trip—David Baugnon
Truth Against the World—Denise Meyers
War/Love—Hannah Feller
Why The Willow Weeps—Lafayette Parish
Willowport—Jess Ansik
Wonder Drug—Caitlin McCarthy

Pilot Screenplay Semifinalists

Available—Candace Brown
Counteract—Tracy Lawson
Dead Man Walking—Sean Klooster
Default—Hannah Dillon
End of Life —Sean Collins-Smith
Fisheye—Patty Meyer
Kerosene—Nicole Ramberg
Nightingale—Amanda Bermudez
So Who's Got the Gun?—Sheila Jenca
The Sensualist—Suzanne Griffin
Area 51—Joshua Smooha
Whiskey Ginger—Alan Kelly
Eire's Song—Kristen Nedopak
Awkwardly Apocalyptic—Sarah Hopkins
Between the Eyes— G.J. Lee
Brooklin (Ontario)—Marvin Kaye
Chasing Colour—Cathy Strickland, Tim Pye
Chattahoochee—Clint Williams
Colonials—Ian Fletcher
Detestable—Brandon Morrissey
Grand Union—A. K. Foreman
H8—Faisal Azam
Insurrection—Simon Bowler
Kindred Spirits—Ross Brooks
Lifers Anonymous—Sean Collins-Smith
Masks—Tommaso Pazzi
Mississippi Bound—Christopher Dennis
Radicalized—Bandar Albuliwi
Red Dirt—David Sullivan
Run! Run! Run! - The Lives Of Abbie Hoffman—Michael J. Shapiro
Shanda—Jillian Lauren
Soul Mecha: Betrayals of Exile—Clint Murphy
Ten Thousand Islands—Peter Short, Sue Batterton
Tested—Lisanne Sartor
The 12 Chairs—Gregg Greenberg
The Life and Times of Francie Paige—Victoria Lucia
The Order—Jonathan Mason
The Rapture —Shalini Adnani
The Sentient—Jeff Opdyke
Witch Hunt—Trevor Christie

Short Screenplay Semifinalists

Beyond the Fuchsias—Tara Jackson
Crocodile—Sola Bamis
Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.—Adamma Ebo
Rollers—Jean Estevez
Sweet Sixteen—Joyce Sherrí­
The Chocolate Kandinsky—Suzanne Griffin
The Juncture of Custody—Grant Jackson
The Menarche—I-Hui Lee
The Shipyard—Will Berry
Weird and Wonderful—Stephanie Namkoong