Barnstorm Fest |
2021
The Grand Jury Prize winner chooses between $5,000 cash or a $5,000 screenplay option!
Every script receives actionable and constructive feedback!
Placement
Genre
Format
Representation Status
Finalists
Behind the Seams Pilot
Private
Finalist
Web Series
· Drama
· 8 Pages
This coming-of-middle-age dramedy follows India as she fights to build her recycled fashion boutique and establish a love life, sandwiched between the trials and tribulations of her adult children and those of her aging parents.
Warradale, South Australia, AU
No bio available.
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Finalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 88 Pages
Ripped directly from the headlines on the murder of Caucasian Gabby Petito, Black Women Down follows the narrative of a black woman, Alina Barksdale as her ghost and a small cadre of spirits narrate her murder by her domestic abuser ex-boyfriend, Frankie Benjamin. But it also details the difference in how law enforcement treats allegations of domest...
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Chattanooga, TN
I am a physician whose day job allows me to pursue my passion for writing. I genuinely like maybe 11 people and that number fluctuate between 9 and 12 most days. I prefer to be alone with my little dog, Ethel Mertz with my vintage albums and books. But I am fascinated by the human condition and know in order to write believable dialogue, I need to b...
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Finalist
TV Script
· Horror
· 49 Pages
In an '80s backwater town, a Black federal agent of unsettling enthusiasm digs into a murder, but the demonic secret of a hard-pressed, gum-chewing woman could lead to more grisly deaths.
Monrovia, CA
The son of a Cuban immigrant; Adrion was kicked out of his house at eighteen for being gay and was forced to endure homelessness while attending college. This experience inspired him to become a community organizer turned writer who authors topical, socially-conscious scripts centering marginalized people. His pilot Buckshot Bubblegum was a finali...
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Finalist
Feature
· Drama
· 102 Pages
A trans man, Berlin Hawthorne relives the struggles of his youth through the creation of 3 versions of his childhood self: Jane, Suzie, and Georgia.
Los Angeles, California
As a neurodivergent and queer young woman, MJ turned to writing early on as a place of comfort. She wants to use her unique experiences and voice to create content that normalizes differently-abled individuals, diversity, and womanhood.
Finalist
Web Series
· Drama
· 29 Pages
A small-town orphan discovers her biological parents were serial killers, and forms an emotionally jarring relationship with the son of one of their victims.
Ithaca, NY
James is a theatre and screen writer/director from Ithaca, NY. He is the creator of the hit web series Avenue Avery. He has also written, directed, and produced two plays for the Ithaca Fringe Festival: Epoch (2016) and The Lightning Gap (2017).
Short Lists
The The Curse
Short List
Feature
No logline available.
The Short Lists
The Short List
Feature
· Historical
· 117 Pages
Striving to restore the epic film NAPOLEON, an obsessed English film-maker sacrifices all - money, personal life, career - to his idol: the delusional genius director of the mutilated masterpiece, who sabotages the restoration. Based on a true story.
Berkeley, California, Berlin, DE
Multinational polyglot. Professor of mathematics with numerous publications and research awards. Classical musician. Int'l ballroom dancer. Director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Stowe Story Labs & Rocaberti alumna. Titan Awards Category Winner. RIFF Grand Jury Prize. Olga writes about follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and ironie...
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The Short List
Short
· Horror
· 15 Pages
In a dystopian world, a dispirited headhunter must learn to adapt when the mysterious authority forces her to kill and feed on those deemed undesirable.
Chicago, IL
JC has been the writer, director, and/or producer of over 20 short films. Her interest lies in women-driven horror, sci-fi, and thriller genres with strong social themes.
The Short List
TV Script
· Historical
· 59 Pages
A group of gay men have one mission in 1980s New York: survive.
Elias Johnson is a screenwriter and playwright who has written several screenplays and TV pilots, usually focusing on either queer issues and just, in general, hot messes of people. Johnson holds an MS from Boston University in Television-Writing and Producing.
The Short List
Feature
· Horror
· 97 Pages
A Veteran sells a Vietnamese charm to keep his children’s inheritance intact, unknowingly reawakening a curse that threatens his family’s very existence.
Midland, Georgia
Paul is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer out of Columbus, GA with notables in Austin, Page, StoryPros, Save the Cat!, and more. He is a founding member of Columbus State University's Rankin Screenwriter's group which focuses on amplifying the local film community and immersing new writers into the craft. He is also a founding me...
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The Short List
Feature
· Horror
· 98 Pages
When his friend is sucked into a malevolent painting, a curmudgeonly security guard teams up with a crew of art thieves to rescue her from the painting's depths... before destroying it for good.
Manchester, Greater Manchester, GB
A doctor with degrees in Creative Writing and Medicine, Simon uses his experiences working in frontline NHS medicine to write character-driven, immersive scripts that focus on life, family and trauma.
Horror and comedy with both pathos and a good splash of weird - his pieces aim at small budget with big heart, and maybe a tear or two along the w...
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Anchor Ridge
The Short List
Television
No logline available.
Argos
Private
The Short List
TV Script
· Thriller
· 59 Pages
This logline was hidden by the writer.
Brisbane, Queensland, AU
Ellen studied Journalism then worked as an English Literature teacher in LA and Australia, helping students tell their best stories. Now she’s telling hers, with a focus on dark dramas, that have mystery elements, themes of loss, and complex, imperfect female characters. She recently worked as a Dialogue Editor on RUBY’S CHOICE, starring Jane Seymou...
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The Short List
Feature
· Thriller
· 93 Pages
A disillusioned playwright caught in a web of murder and life insurance fraud in circumstances eerily similar to a play he’s been unable to complete, must fight his way to freedom by writing a brilliant, new ending.
Portland, OR
My scripts have consistently received excellent coverage, including As Good As Dead's Strong Consider coverage from Terri Zinner at A Film Writer. She provided development notes on the Oscar-nominated American Sniper. She stated, "One can easily see this produced. While currently, it’s rated as a consider, it could easily become a recommend." I am ...
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The Short List
Feature
· Other
· 120 Pages
A woman with a mitochondrial defect asks her genderqueer best friend to donate eggs in hopes of conceiving a baby.
Seattle, Washington
Proud mother of two adult children, grandmother to one. Writing, producing & directing short films has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding endeavors I have ever taken on. Seeing something you've imagined in your head come to life on the big screen is a gift beyond measure. I'm grateful for my experience and ready for the next steps in my ...
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Bacaro
Private
The Short List
TV Script
· Fantasy
· 65 Pages
With tensions building between a neighboring kingdom and an unfit heir to his throne, King Mumbassa's conflicts deepen when he has a chance meeting with a mysterious woman in the woods.... Wakanda meets Game of Thrones.
Allentown, PA
No bio available.
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Backstories
The Short List
Short
No logline available.
The Short List
Feature
· Fantasy
· 103 Pages
After a fall in the woods leaves him badly wounded and stranded at his recently deceased mother's house, a loner struggles to survive while coping with his newfound ability to communicate with a helpful houseplant.
Cleveland, Ohio
Dan Bernardi is a Cleveland based screenwriter who focuses on high concept comedy and horror. His passion is crafting original stories with unique themes, hoping to bring fresh ideas to the screen.
The Short List
TV Script
· Drama
· 46 Pages
When Ben Johnson's Deaf father, Winston, faces deportation, Ben embarks on an identity journey to emerge as Yaaba Anokye, the Deaf barrister.
Dorking, Surrey, GB
Kerena is a Deaf, Iranian producer/writer/director who explores human rights and human emotions in her dramas. She often writes in BSL, a language with no written form and translates into English. An award winning producer/director.
The Short List
Feature
· Comedy
· 115 Pages
A late bloomer, planning to confess his undying love for his high school dream girl, is accidentally turned into a vampire on the eve of his ten year reunion.
Sherman Oaks, CA
Peter Macaluso is a Latinx writer/director who specializes in horror and rom coms (sometimes at the same time).
His scripts have won 37 awards including comedies, MISCHIEF NIGHT, (Top 20% Nicholl) and FOWL BALL (AFF Finalist).
His horror short, AS LONG AS YOU BOTH SHALL LIVE, led to the optioning of a thriller he co-wrote.
He was a Top 200 Fi...
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The Short List
Feature
· Horror
· 118 Pages
With the aid of her best friend, a ballsy cheerleader tries to solve her own murder and stop a high school crime spree but the killer might be a lot closer than she thinks.
New York, NY
K. Jennifer Ilagan tells stories for a living... that is when she isn't eating ice cream, rapelling off a mountain or generally being the kind of goofball that grows on you. Like a gremlin you shouldn't water her after 10 at night.
Bleeding Ink
The Short List
Television
No logline available.
The Short List
TV Script
· Horror
· 55 Pages
Hard-nosed Sheriff Brady Coyle doesn’t believe in good and evil--he just believes in being on the right side of the law. But when a band of escaped outlaws returns to town as the living dead, Coyle must forget everything he knows about justice to confront a terror he never imagined existed.
No bio available.
Blunt Force
Private
The Short List
Feature
· Action
· 126 Pages
A rowdy sisterhood of stoner assassins is hired by a teen party girl to rescue her kidnapped twin brother from a merciless crime lord.
Los Angeles, CA
Kellie Christensen is an American actress, award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter whose independent films and screenplays have earned critical acclaim. Passionate about edgy and playful storytelling, she crafts narratives that challenge conventions and resonate with audiences. As Co-Founder of CG23 Films, she is dedicated to championing ...
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The Short List
TV Script
· Comedy
· 47 Pages
Two Gay-Men from different social circles, form an unlikely connection and must deal with family, friends and their own shit, in order to find their happy ending.
Burbank, California
Ushmey Chakraborty is a filmmaker/screenwriter. His screenplays have been acclaimed by the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, Austin, Screencraft, WeScreenplay and Scriptapalooza. His work deals with telling the stories of the brown-gay-immigrant experience. He writes comedies and all its sub-genres.
Broken Vessels
Private
The Short List
Feature
· Horror
· 108 Pages
This logline was hidden by the writer.
East Hollywood, CA
Andrew is a former adventure videographer turned indie filmmaker, fresh off the success of his debut feature AMERICAN MELTDOWN. You can usually find him writing genre scripts (crime capers, suspense thrillers, adventure, and horror) that embrace progressive themes while spotlighting characters who question institutions and authority figures.
The Short List
TV Script
· Western
· 60 Pages
In tomorrow's American Southwest, a trio of orphaned sisters make their living as mercenaries for a menacing employer, all while dodging vicious dust storms, acid rainfall, and a pair of determined lawmen on their tail.
Durham, North Carolina
Brooke Solomon grew up as a bisexual Lebanese girl on a farm in rural New Hampshire. She graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Visual Media Arts and promptly went to work in the world of film development. Brooke has a special love for projects with a strong intersectional focus, as well as splashy action pieces, world building, and anything my...
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The Short List
Feature
· Horror
· 106 Pages
A young boy's life takes a grisly turn when a supernatural being shows an interest in his future.
No bio available.
The Short List
Feature
· Historical
· 108 Pages
A biographical tale of the prominent Buddha’s cousin, who gives up royalty to become a monk to follow Buddha. To fulfill his monastic vow and to achieve enlightenment, he must stay away from love.
New York, Bangkok, TH
Pattana was born in Thailand and after graduating from a top university, she left for the US to pursue an MBA. But alas, her Thai background drove her to be an overexcited snob! When the perfect life fell apart, she immersed herself in Buddhism. By practicing insight meditations, she was cured from the neurosis. And that drove her to craft this scre...
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The Short List
Feature
· Thriller
· 113 Pages
In 1955 Paris, a roguish violin shop owner uncovers an old family curse that threatens the life of his new love. To save her, he must find two lost Stradivarius violins, while having to untangle his corrupt value system.
Brisbane, Queensland, AU
I write and I twang guitars. Written songs, music, a couple of stage musicals and feature screenplays. And I’m an Aussie. I write outwardly, from the heart, and often my screenplays revolve around music, as does my latest, "Cadenza", which has nabbed top rankings in screenplay comps in California, Paris, Europe and elsewhere. I’m ready to pitch...
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Cairns
Private
The Short List
Short
· Drama
· 19 Pages
At an isolated border crossing, as the world falls apart, the final standing guard holds her own. Her partner lost, her supplies low and survival becoming more brutal by the day a decision must be made... But how do we know whether letting it all go is an act of kindness and hanging on cruelty.
Brooklyn, NY
Samantha Soule is an award winning filmmaker and actress. She has appeared on stage, television, and film for over 20 years as an actress and has recently expanded her work behind the camera as writer, director and editor.
The Short List
Feature
· Drama
· 119 Pages
In 1991, a chubby, pre-adolescent metalhead and his pregnant mother change their identities and go on the run from the men who refuse to let them go.
Kansas City, KS
Jamie Campbell thrives by finding ways to laugh in the midst of darkness. It’s a survival mechanism for a guy who is lucky to still be alive. When he was eleven years-old, he was kidnapped by one of his parents who took him on the run for six months before police caught up to them. As a teenager, he was beaten at gunpoint at a keg party after accide...
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The Short List
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 107 Pages
When treasure hunter, Braxton Cave time-travels into the future using alien technology to repair sociopath, Sean Mays’ greed-stoked manipulation of the timeline, Brax and his yet to be born son, Commander Cave must repair Sean’s temporal damage to prevent Earth’s destruction in a celestial war with the “Callers”.
Fayetteville, NC
Sal brings a jetsetter's suitcase full of experiences to his writing. He is the son of Sicilian immigrants, a U.S.A.F. Veteran in SATCOM and Aircraft Maintenance, a government contractor, drummer, and former restauranteur. Having seen the world through a traveler's eyes -- living it with the wonder of an explorer, has given him a wellspring of imag...
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The Short List
TV Script
· Family
· 37 Pages
After finding a magical television, a queer teen girl travels to a 90s sitcom, where she develops an unlikely friendship with a too-cool cishet boy. Together they navigate healing him from the toxicity of his closed-minded town, discovering the truth about her in the process.
Los Angeles, CA
Iselle Slome was born in South Africa, and grew up San Diego. She is a working actor with over 10 national commercials and a recurring character on Chicago Fire. Iselle created and stars in the scripted comedy podcast Expert Witness. She also co-wrote Channel Surfing, a family pilot about a queer teen who is navigating finding their identity.
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The Short List
Short
· Comedy
· 12 Pages
A mother and her child head to story time at the public library, only to find themselves caught in a crossfire of economic disparity, then nearly drowned in a sea of performative allyship.
New York, New York
Lauren studied film at the world renowned set of Law & Order SVU. She spent five seasons on the show, jotting down script ideas in between takes. Now that she's stepped behind the camera, the world can bear witness to the fruits of her scribbling. Having made The Red List twice during her first 6 months on Coverfly, she has rightfully earned her sel...
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The Short List
Feature
· Thriller
· 104 Pages
Arriving in Australia to find her brother missing and the police unwilling to conduct an investigation, a relentless Indian woman follows clues and her gut as she heads deeper into a dangerous underground world of racism and hatred.
Brisbane, Queensland, AU
Paul is an award winning screenwriter based in Australia. His stories transport the audience into the shoes of ordinary characters in extraordinary situations. His scripts have won the Page International Screenwriting competition and Final Draft Big Break. Currently three of them are optioned and in development. Paul was selected to be a creator for...
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Coyotl
Private
The Short List
Short
· Drama
· 13 Pages
When a family of immigrants are at the mercy of abuse, human smugglers must decide whether to abandon the family or liberate them.
Bartlett, Illinois
I am dedicated to bringing underrepresented, complex, and original stories to the screen! A Mexican Indigenous woman about to change up the industry~
The Short List
TV Script
· Faith
· 34 Pages
The irresistible force of Israel and what it stands for leads an affluent Jewish girl from America to drop out of college to defend her people as a member of its “Lone Soldier” program in the elite Oketz Unit.
Crofton, MD
In my first year of writing scripts and entering contests, I had more than 20 selected as finalists with over 60 honored, even winning one contest. My scripts have received awards from more than 20 different entities. The genres have been comedy, action, drama, thriller, crime, family and faith, among others. Degrees from Harvard, Johns Hopkins...
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The Short List
Short
· Comedy
· 19 Pages
A stressed, depressed millennial wakes up one morning without any more reasons to live. She feels like the universe has fated her to suicide, but it may actually have other plans in store.
Noisy Le Sec, FR
My life has taken a few different paths in my few years alive. I've traveled, I've taught, I've debated (competitively), but I keep coming back to writing. I'm a potential award-winning writer, which is to say I'm new to the game, and I'm excited to see where it takes me!
The Short List
Feature
· Drama
· 95 Pages
In this surrealistic dramedy, a closeted trans woman just wants to avoid her story’s conflict by focusing on the summertime fun and the problems of all her weird burnout friends. Unfortunately, if she wants to make it to the end of this play alive, she’ll need to quit pretending everything’s fine.
Los Angeles, CA
Alexandra is published with Marvel comics, her plays have been staged in several states, and she received the editor’s choice award in her college lit mag – which felt super cool at the time. She grew up in small, conservative towns as a closeted, bisexual trans girl with a divorced set of Wiccan and Baptist parents, so she knows how to make a party...
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The Short List
Short
· Comedy
· 15 Pages
The three founders of an exclusive lesbian sex app may be shattering the start-up world’s glass ceilings, but the pressures of success have begun to threaten the integrity of their friendship – and worse, their brand.
Los Angeles, CA
Rae Binstock is a playwright and screenwriter from Cambridge, MA. Her work interrogates climate change and social justice through the lens of intersectional reckoning. Rae served as the Writers’ Assistant on both FX Networks’ FOSSE/VERDON and Apple TV+’s shows Schmigadoon, IF/THEN, and LIBERTY. She lives in Los Angeles with her cats, Lila and Garli...
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The Short List
Feature
· Drama
· 117 Pages
A scam artist has his life thrown into chaos when his long-lost sister shows up after years apart.
Miami, FL
I love my family,
I love film,
I love writing.
6/8
The Short List
Feature
· Horror
· 101 Pages
A father takes his young disabled son to the country to reconnect in an old Victorian, but their stay becomes one of regret after a malevolent presence is awakened.
Hyattsville, MD
My name is A. Demetrius Glenn, and I am a screenwriter, producer, and director currently living in the Washington, D.C. metro area. I have written fourteen feature-length screenplays, with twelve reaching the quarterfinals to finals and winning two screenplay competitions.
Heat of the Moment will be my first feature-length film shot in the Washin...
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Everything Has Changed
Private
The Short List
TV Script
· Drama
· 34 Pages
“Everything Has Changed” is a half-an-hour dramedy about Tariq, an Arab-American Muslim high school Junior struggling with his sexuality and identity right after September 11.
In 2001 sixteen-year-old, hormonal, and awkward, Tariq, is just trying to fit in while discovering his sexuality and when his crush appears to like him back, it looks like it's working. Then comes September 11th and everything changes. This pilot provides a unique look into the life of a gay Arab American teenager in the early 2000s.
Mithra's Recommendation
Coverfly Writer Development Team
Los Angeles, California
Sufian Abulohom is a 27 years old Yemeni-American writer living in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in Sana’a, Yemen and moved to Falls Church, Virginia when he was 15 years old. He received a BA in Film and Media from American University 17’ and an MFA in Film and T.V Production from the University of Southern California 20’. Sufian aspires to h...
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The Short List
TV Script
· Comedy
· 35 Pages
Kaye, a 30-something year old sex addict, alcoholic millennial pansexual, who uses her vices to deal with (rather, not deal with) her trauma, wakes up one day to realize she can’t physically have sex.
Vancouver, BC, CA
Residing in Canada's Hollywood North, Vancouver, Alex shaped her early career on set working as PA up to 2nd AD, and assisting writers & producers. After twelve years she finally decided to chase her wild writing dreams. To her delight, her first feature shortlisted at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and her first pilot advanced to the 2nd Round at ...
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The Short List
TV Script
· Drama
· 55 Pages
Justice takes on a different form when a diverse group of exonerees come together to fight crime their way.
Los Angeles, CA
Kristy's a lifelong educator with a writing and publishing business as well being an adj. college professor. Being the first black family on the block, youngest of four, and the only girl gave her a different kind of perspective. Storytelling became her focus when she lost her brother and her voice is focused on telling honest stories. Not all endin...
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The Short List
Feature
· Thriller
· 96 Pages
A starving comic book artist is plagued by hallucinations of his hellish creations after being diagnosed with a rare brain disease.
Los Angeles, CA
What's up reader!? The name's Andrew Dean Pearson! I work in Special effects/Write for Rockstar Games. I'm a stand up comedian/actor who LOVES the horror/Sci-fi genre. I have 5 features so far that I am very proud of. 2 you can view here and 3 that I haven't entered into contests yet because.... It's expensive lol.
Ferdinand the Self-Aware NPC
The Short List
Television
No logline available.
Fidelity
Private
The Short List
Feature
· Thriller
· 98 Pages
A woman who profits off adulterous men comes face to face with a proposition of murder.
London, GB
No bio available.
The Short List
Feature
· Horror
· 90 Pages
The unseen fourth act of slasher flicks: The sole survivor of a slasher killer’s murderous spree struggles to overcome her grief and regret while fighting urges to exact vengeance on the killer’s family.
Consistently recognized for his unusual stories and ear for character and dialogue, Zach has had several films produced from short scripts and a couple feature scripts optioned.
He’s won several local screenwriting contests and has been named as a winner, finalist, semifinalist, and quarterfinalist in many national screenwriting competitions.
He has...
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