Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition
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About
2024 Big Apple Film Festival (spring edition) will take place May 20-24 in the heart of NYC.
In addition to film screenings, the festival includes a Screenplay Competition, Agents and Managers Conference and Agents and Managers Networking Lab, and networking and mentorship sessions. The festival also includes an Awards Presentation and Reception.
AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE
BAFF Agents and Managers Conference provides career advice, strategies, guidance and networking opportunities with top agents and managers representing filmmakers and screenwriters. The conferences will assist filmmakers and writers in strategies for acquiring representation, selling/option/licensing material to TV/streaming networks, theatrical market, production companies, studios, distributors and more...
Participating agents and managers throughout the years have included reps from:
● William Morris Endeavor
● The Gersh Agency
● APA
● Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates
● A3 Artists Agency
● Magnolia Entertainment
● Kaplan Stahler Agency
● Anonymous Content
● 3 Arts Entertainment
and more...
(2024 participating agents and managers will be announced in the spring)
YEAR ROUND INDUSTRY NETWORKING AND MENTORING SESSIONS
In an effort to support, and connect filmmakers, screenwriters and series creators to industry professionals throughout the year, BAFF offers a series of year round networking and mentorship sessions.
Networking conferences throughout the years have included representatives from agencies, management companies, studios and production companies including William Morris Endeavor, The Gersh Agency, A3 Artists Agency, Anonymous Content, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Magnolia Pictures, NBCUniversal and many more..
INDUSTRY JURORS
Top screenplay finalists will be reviewed and judged by our esteemed group of industry professionals, Jurors throughout the years have included agents and managers from Anonymous Content, APA, and Art/Work Entertainment, as well as producers who have developed projects for Netflix, Warner Bros., Hulu, Paramount, Showtime, NBCUniversal, more...
(this season's industry jurors will be announced in spring 2024)
AGENTS AND MANAGERS NETWORKING LAB
In addition to our screenplay competition, submitters are also welcome to enter their projects for consideration into our Agents and Managers Networking Lab. Selected projects will be invited to a series of direct access meetings with multiple agents and managers, designed to provide writers the opportunity to share information on their projects and receive valuable feedback.
Lab meetings will take place virtually allowing all selected writers to participate remotely.
Participating agents and managers throughout the years have included representatives from: The Gersh Agency, Culture Creative, APA, Anonymous Content, Magnolia Entertainment and more...
(This season's participating agents and managers will be announced in spring 2024)
NOTE: Agents and Managers Networking Lab is separate from the Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition.
PREVIOUS SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS AND FINALISTS INCLUDE:
●Shia LaBeouf (SAG Award, People's Choice Award and Independent Spirit Award nominee),
● Caytha Jentis (written, directed, produced projects for HBO, Amazon)
● Ron Friedman (Emmy nominee and WGA Award winner)
● Jyllian Gunther (Emmy Award winner, producer for NBC, ABC, A&E)
● Kent Moran (feature films have been released by Warner Brothers, Netflix, Showtime, Paramount+, Starz, Apple, Hulu, Amazon, Hallmark, Lifetime, LMN, Regal Cinemas)
● Rosemary Griggs (2x Quarter Finalist, award winning author, published by Fence Publishing)
●Larry Collins (Emmy Award Winner, NBCUniversal/Peacock Network)
● Henry Sarwer-Foner (Directors Guild of Canada Award nominee)
●Daniel Talbott (writer ABC's "The Conners", "The Mist" produced by The Weinstein Company and Spike TV)
●Michael Vaynberg (writer, director Cannes Film Festival selection 9.8 m/s²)
● Ken Krauss (writer of Tom, Dick, & Harriet for the Hallmark Channel)
● Kevin Emerson (author of over twenty novels published by HarperCollins, Random House, Scholastic)
●Linda Shayne (writer, director Undercover Kid released by WARNER BROTHERS, HBO Family, Little Ghost distributed by PARAMOUNT video airing on HBO)
● Chris Phillips (Finalist - Sundance Institute Development Track, Award for Overall Excellence in Playwriting New York International Fringe Festival)
●Maia Henkin (Second Round Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, repped by Abrams Artists Agency)
● Harris Gurny (Producer, "Coup!" starring Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Peter Sarsgaard, "The God Committee", starring Emmy Award winner Kelsey Grammer, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee Julia Stiles and Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo)
● Alex Forstenhausler (optioned screenwriter, Finalist Fox Comedy Pilot Competition)
● Lindsay Heiman (showrunner's assistant, credits include “CONAN”, Warner Bros., “VEEP” Paramount, “INSECURE” HBO, “THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS” HBO Max, "THE GIRLS ON THE BUS" and "MORE," both premiering on HBO Max)
●Sheena Lambert (Author, "The Lake", published by HarperCollins, optioned TV projects in various stages of development, represented by Blake Friedmann Agency in London)
●Thomas L. Ferguson (writer, "Forgotten" starring Tom Sizemore, available on Amazon, Tubi, Roku)
and many more...
TESTIMONIALS
"Since being a finalist with Big Apple, I was signed by A3 (Abrams) and have taken meetings with Starz, Lionsgate, and Anonymous Content (among others). I was also recently a Semi-Finalist for the Sundance Episodic Lab!" -Maia Henkin
"My feature script The Tenant recently became a finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival. This accolade moved my script onto Coverfly's Red List. This helped in querying representation and getting signed by a literary manager."
-Janet J. Lawler
"I wanted to thank you, I have signed with an agent. I met her because of the Big Apple Film Festival" - Andrea Careri (BAFF screenplay winner, Agents and Managers Conference participant).
"Two of the agents I’ve practiced-pitched to have requested my script and one has followed up with a phone call to discuss representation. Your service is career-changing" - Nate Bynum (screenwriter)
Prices & Deadlines
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Dec 14th
BAFF DISCOUNT
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Jan 3rd
COVERFLY EARLY
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Jan 23rd
BAFF EARLY
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Feb 12th
REGULAR ENTRY
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Mar 5th
LATE ENTRY
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Mar 31st
FINAL ENTRY
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (DRAMA)
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
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$75.00
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$80.00
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$90.00
|
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (COMEDY)
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
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$75.00
|
$80.00
|
$90.00
|
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (ACTION/ADVENTURE)
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
|
$75.00
|
$80.00
|
$90.00
|
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (HISTORICAL)
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
|
$75.00
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$80.00
|
$90.00
|
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (SCIENCE FICTION)
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$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
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$75.00
|
$80.00
|
$90.00
|
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (HORROR/THRILLER)
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$60.00
|
$65.00
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$70.00
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$75.00
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$80.00
|
$90.00
|
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (WOMEN SCREENWRITERS)
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
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$75.00
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$80.00
|
$90.00
|
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FEATURE SCREENPLAY (FAMILY)
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
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$75.00
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$80.00
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$90.00
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SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (DRAMA)
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$50.00
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$55.00
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
|
$80.00
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SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (COMEDY)
|
$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
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$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
|
SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (ACTION/ADVENTURE)
|
$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
|
SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (WOMEN SCREENWRITERS)
|
$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
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$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
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SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (SCIENCE FICTION)
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$50.00
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$55.00
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
|
$80.00
|
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SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (HORROR/THRILLER)
|
$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
|
SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (HISTORICAL)
|
$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
|
SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT SCRIPT (FAMILY)
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$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
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SHORT SCRIPT
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$50.00
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$55.00
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$60.00
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$65.00
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$70.00
|
$80.00
|
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AGENTS AND MANAGERS NETWORKING LAB (FEATURE SCREENPLAY)
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$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$75.00
|
$80.00
|
$90.00
|
|
AGENTS AND MANAGERS NETWORKING LAB (SERIES/EPISODIC PILOT))
|
$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
|
AGENTS AND MANAGERS NETWORKING LAB (SHORT SCRIPT))
|
$50.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
$80.00
|
Benefits
Our network of professionals from previous years have included representatives from: HBO, NBCUniversal, Academy Award winning Killer Films, William Morris Endeavor Agency, The Gersh Agency, APA Agency, Magnolia Pictures, Film Rise(distributor of numerous Oscar Award winning and Emmy Award winning films), Emmy Award winning Gigantic Productions, Cinepointe Advisors(legal counsel on numerous Oscar nominated films), Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning filmmakers, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning screenwriters, Fimmakers with projects released through Sony, Disney, Lions Gate, HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon Studios, Hulu, and theatrically, as well as staff writers for CBS, ABC, Lifetime, and more...
These meetings are designed to provide winning screenwriters with direct access and live interaction with industry professionals to provide strategies, guidance and mentorship to emerging screenwriters.
Conferences take place virtually allowing participants to join remotely.
2. Winning screenplays will be promoted to Big Apple Film Festival's list of alumni filmmakers, many of which include filmmakers who have had film released theatrically, as well as on numerous major distribution platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO, Apple TV, NBCUniveral and more...
3. Winners will receive a complimentary all access badge to Big Apple Film Festival film screenings, access to select Agents and Managers Conferences, access to select industry networking and mentorship sessions and awards reception.
4. Winners will receive a complimentary InkTip listing, which will provide access to InkTip's entire network of producers, filmmakers, agents and managers. Producers have made over 400 films discovered thru InkTip.
5. Agents and Managers Networking Lab selections will be invited to attend a series of small group conferences with agents and managers. Selected writers will be given the opportunity to share information on their current projects and receive feedback.
NOTE: Agents and Managers Networking Lab is separate from the Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition.