Dallas International Film Festival's Screenwriting Competition
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Dallas International Film Festival
Dallas International Film Festival's Screenwriting Competition
2020
Active Since 2020
Submissions get a scorecard from a rep company reader and illustration of the script’s first scene. Winners have their script read by actors at DIFF.
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Currently Closed. Subscribe to receive a notification when the next season opens.
About
The 14th annual Dallas International Film Festival, powered by Capital One, is the largest in North Texas, committed to providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television, screenwriting and digital media.
Through the 2020 “Broaden Your Horizons” screenwriting competition, presented by Event Horizon Films, DIFF offers writers the opportunity to submit scripts for feature films, television pilots and short films, which will be reviewed by readers at top Hollywood talent agencies and management companies, such as:
- Abrams Artists Agency
- WME
- United Talent Agency
- Creative Artists Agency
- Gersh Agency
- Innovative Artists
- Circle of Confusion
- Buchwald
SUBMISSION DEADLINE ENDS MARCH 31.
All entrants are encouraged to enter early for the opportunity to receive half-off on additional script submissions. The competition is also one of the few to allow re-entry after a quarterfinalist elimination to anyone who has purchased professional feedback.
Benefits
One of the most valuable parts of doing well in the competition is being read by our all-star industry jury, including:
- Jana Sue Memel, 3-time Academy Award winning producer/writer/director (So I Married An Axe Murderer, Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall, and Lieberman In Love)
- Ken Estin, 3-time Emmy winning screenwriter and producer (Taxi, Cheers, The Tracey Ullman Show, Beverly Hills Cop)
- Teresa Cheng, animation producer and production manager (Shrek Forever After, Madagascar, Batman & Robin, True Lies)
- Lisa Furfine, CEO of the Furfine Network, connecting sports and entertainment industry professionals (The New Celebrity Apprentice, SportsTravel magazine)
- Johnathan Brownlee, director, producer, writer, actor and executive director for DIFF (Three Days In August, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, Decoding Annie Parker)
Grand Prize Winner:
- $1,000 prize money for Feature / $500 prize money for TV and Short
- A writer’s enrichment retreat on Carnival Cruise Line
- Professional consultations from our high-profile judges
- A DIFF Star Pass.
Runners Up Winners:
- $500 prize money for Feature / $250 prize money for TV and Short
- Professional consultations from our high-profile judges
- A DIFF Star Pass.
Finalists:
- $150 prize money for Feature / $100 prize money for TV and Short
- A DIFF Star Pass.
Announcements
Apr 22nd
Quarterfinalists
May 1st
Semifinalists
May 12th
Finalists
May 27th
Winners
Rules
- Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020.
- Entry fee is $75 for each feature film screenplay and $55 for each short film screenplay until the deadline on March 31, 2019.
- Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback after an entry is submitted will not be accepted.
- Feature screenplays must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 150 pages. Short screenplays must be a minimum of 5 pages and a maximum of 35 pages. Thirty minute pilots have a max page count of 35. One Hour pilots have a max page count of 65.
- There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
- Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Central Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.
- All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
- Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s). All writers must be credited on title page.
- If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.
- Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with resubmission through Event Horizon Films. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
- It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.
- Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required.
- All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.