Entries are being accepted for the 2023 screenplay competition presented by the Dallas International Film Festival, Torfoot Studios, and Event Horizon Films. The competition has a goal of supporting emerging writers and encouraging more Dallas film productions.
The organizations said that among the competition’s prizes, award-winning filmmaker Johnathan Brownlee will produce and direct the winning short script in Dallas and screen it across the film festival circuit. Brownlee is best known for “Three Days In August,” “The Standoff at Sparrow Creek,” “Decoding Annie Parker,” and “Johnathan Brownlee’s atHome.”
‘A produced script is the end game for screenwriters’
“So much great talent goes unseen for a craft that is incredibly vital to the filmmaking process,” DIFF Artistic Director James Faust said in a statement. “A produced script is the end game for screenwriters and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to help bring this vision to screen.”
In 2022, Brownlee directed the competition’s winning short script, “(*)hit Squad,” which was an official selection at Dallas Noir Fest, Dallas International Film Festival, ATX Short Film Showcase, Twin Falls Film Festival, and the Chandler Film Festival, and selected for many others, the competition said.
“I had a wonderful experience with the contest,” Harry Hunsicker, a finalists judge and the 2022 short script winner, said in a statement. “Working with Event Horizon Films and Torfoot Studios was amazing, a dream come true.”
Additional producing partners for “(*)hit Squad” included Torfoot Studios, Event Horizon Films, and IdeaMan Studios, with legal partners Litwin Law Group, PLLC, and The Law Office of LaToya L. Blakely.
Seeking scripts for feature films, TV pilots, and short films
The annual DIFF 2023 screenplay competition provides writers the opportunity to submit scripts for feature films, television pilots, and short films that are judged by readers at top talent agencies and management companies in the industry, organizers said. Winning screenwriters are exposed to high-profile industry experts and receive a variety of prizes, including celebrity shoutouts, networking opportunities, and a produced film.
DIFF and Event Horizon Films are accepting screenplay entries through midnight on June 18. The short script category closes at midnight April 7. Short script submissions must be 10 pages or under and set in a single, indoor location, the competition said.
The 2023 Dallas International Film Festival is scheduled for April 28 to May 4. The short script winners will be revealed at the festival. The competition’s other winners will be announced later in the summer.
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