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Big Apple Film Festival
Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition
Fall 2024
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2003
Networking opportunities include Meet the Agents and Managers Conference, festival panels, receptions, and year round mentorship and pitch sessions.
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About

2024 Big Apple Film Festival (Fall Edition) will take place November 18- December 12 at Look Dine-In Cinemas NYC, with additional film screenings and events at Look Dine-In Cinemas, Los Angeles.


In addition to film screenings, the festival includes its Screenplay Competition, Meet The Agents and Managers Conference, industry panels, and year round networking and mentorship sessions. The festival also includes an Awards Presentation and Receptions.


MEET THE AGENTS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE 

BAFF Meet The 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 learning strategies for acquiring representation, selling/optioning/licensing material to TV/streaming networks, theatrical market, production companies, studios, distributors, development executives and more...


Participating agents and managers include reps from:


● The Gersh Agency
● William Morris Endeavor Agency
● Innovative Artists Agency

● Anonymous Content

● Culture Creative Agency

● Zero Gravity Management

● Kaplan Stahler Agency
● 3 Arts Entertainment

● Alexander Creatives


INDUSTRY FEEDBACK

Big Apple Film Festival offers screenplay competition entries the option to receive one page of written feedback from one industry professional. Feedback will be provided by either a professional screenwriter, story development professional, or producer. 


Participating BAFF industry professionals have experience writing, story development and/or producing projects for various studios, production companies and streaming platforms, including Netflix, Warner Bros., CBS, Hulu, HBOmax, NBC, FOX, Disney, Marvel, ABC, New Line Cinemas and more...



YEAR ROUND INDUSTRY NETWORKING, MENTORING AND PITCH 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 virtual networking, mentorship and pitch sessions.


For upcoming industry networking, mentorship and pitch sessionsvisit https://bigapplefilmfestivalindustrynetworkingevents.eventive.org/schedule

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


Industry jurors for this season's screenplay competition will include:


● KENT MORAN: Writer/Director of "The Challenger" (Freestyle Media, Netflix, Showtime) and "Listen to Your Heart" (Warner Bros., Gravitas Ventures, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Network)


● THOMAS FERGUSON: Writer of the feature film "Forgotten" starring Golden Globe Award and SAG Award nominee Tom Sizemore, available on Roku and Prime Video.


● SHERI DAVENPORT: Writer of "Lucky Christmas" (Hallmark Channel) and "Autumn in the City" (Disney Channel, Hallmark Channel)


● ELIZABETH PAGE: Six time Emmy Award and three time WGA Award winning writer and playwright (ABC, CBS, TBS)

● AIMEE PITTA: Writer of HULU's "Christmas on Repeat", "The Clue to Love" (Reel One Entertainment), "Love's Second Chance" (Reel One Entertainment)


● JEFF STACY: Writer of "Gospell Hill", released by 20th Century Fox, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Chloe Bailey, Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Julia Stiles

and more...


SCREENPLAY COMPETITION ALUMNI INCLUDE:


● Shia LaBeouf - SAG Award, People's Choice Award and Independent Spirit Award nominee


● Elizabeth Page - Six time Emmy Award and three time WGA Award winning writer and playwright (ABC, CBS, TBS)


● Caytha Jentis - written/directed/produced projects for HBO, Warner Bros., 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


● Nicole Delprado - Development Producer, Flying Bark Productions (Netflix, Hulu, Paramount +, Disney, NBCUniversal)


● Geoffrey Colo - Worked in development at Universal, followed by producer roles including 8 seasons of FOX's House M.D. and 6 years of Marvel TV dramas, earning him an Emmy nomination, 2 PGA nominations and 2 Webby awards

● Rosemary Griggs - 2x Quarter Finalist, award winning author, published by Fence Publishing


● 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

● 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


● Ken Krauss - writer  - 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 - repped by Abrams Artists Agency 


● Aimee Pitta - writer of HULU's "Christmas on Repeat", "The Clue to Love" (Reel One Entertainment), "Love's Second Chance" (Reel One Entertainment)


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)

Benefits

1. Screenplay winners in each category will receive small group meetings with established producers and other industry representatives. These industry professionals will be selected from BAFF alumni and other members of our industry network (screenplay winners will receive information on this year's selected industry reps in the weeks following the festival).


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.


Industry Jurors

Industry Jurors

Kent Moran

Writer and Director

Writer/Director of various critically acclaimed films including "The Challenger" (Freestyle Media, Netflix, Showtime) and "Listen to Your Heart" (Warner Bros., Gravitas Ventures, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime Network)

Thomas Ferguson

Writer

Screenwriter of the feature film "Forgotten" starring Golden Globe Award and SAG Award nominee Tom Sizemore, available on Roku and Prime Video.

Sheri Davenport

Writer

Writer of "Lucky Christmas" (Hallmark Channel) and "Autumn in the City" (Disney Channel, Hallmark Channel)

Elizabeth Page

Writer

Six time Emmy Award and three time WGA Award winning writer and playwright (ABC, CBS, TBS)

Aimee Pitta

Writer

Writer of HULU's "Christmas on Repeat", "The Clue to Love" (Reel One Entertainment), "Love's Second Chance" (Reel One Entertainment)

Jeff Stacy

Writer

Writer of "Gospell Hill", released by 20th Century Fox, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Chloe Bailey, Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Julia Stiles

Writer Success