NashFilm is thrilled to announce the Screenwriting Competition Finalists for the 56th Nashville Film Festival!
Every year, a few scripts don’t just land, they resonate. These finalists have created work that pulses with clarity, risk, and something unforgettable. They moved us. To all who entered: thank you for trusting us with your stories.
Congratulations to all who advanced from the semifinals! The winners of each category will be announced at the Nashville Film Festival Award Ceremony on September 21st, 2025, at 5:00 PM. The ceremony will be held at the Hilton Nashville Green Hills (3801 Cleghorn Ave, Nashville, TN 37215). Finalists will also have the opportunity to have a section of their script read at a table read on September 21st, 2025. Details to come.
Comedy Feature Finalists
I Got You Babe by T. Camponeschi
Old Patrol by Kevin Jordan
Snake Oil by Corbin Eaton & Michael Bentley
Stephanie Dellacosta by Al Naffah
Under The Influence by Aadrise Johnson
Drama Feature Finalists
Devil in the Details by Victor Dean
Her Word by Kezmit White
Jobber by Michael Ronca
Rose, Lily by Joy (Ji) Young (Yang)
The Girl who Cried Wolf by Alicia Herder
Yard Duties by Anna Daniels & David A. Daniels
Genre Feature Finalists
Augs by Derrick Benton & Torrin M. Kearns
Mesa by Pam Covington
The Bone House by Jason Kesse
The Love of Nick Chopper by Kavis Peak
The Man Called Dingo by Alexander Whitrow
Horror Feature Finalists
Beast Mode by Jason Kaleko
Deadbeat by Lauren Brown
Disco’s Not Dead by Toby Marks
Feral Mountains by Terry Podnar
I Don’t Dream In Spanish Anymore by Missy Hernandez
Join Us by Jon Bershad
Half Hour Pilot Finalists
Access Village by Brian Koukol
R.I.P. INC. by Harim Sanchez
Scammers by Kendall Pendlebury
Southern Bites by Nigel Tyrone Simms
The Mannings by Jennie Jarvis
Hour Pilot Finalists
Backwoods Chief by Heidi-Marie Ferren
Dysphoria by Scott Simonsen
I Am by Phillip Charles
Lady M. by Sara Hallowell
Midnight City by Jay Adams
No Saints in Reno by Terry Rietta
Ovid Marshall: Dinomancer by Eric Rosin
Tales of the Southern Gothic by Patrick Groff
The Pearson Five by Clare Higgins
What’s Buried Beneath the Pines by Kris Shuman
Short Competition Finalists
Fetch by Patrick Curran
Hook ’em Horns by Tyler Totten
My Best Friend, Shane by Christian Meier
Night Owl by Michelle Farley
Queens Get the Money by Alexyss Robinson
The Scream of the Butterfly by Anjini Taneja Azhar & Ariya Akhavan
Wicked Hearts by Derrick Benton
Tennessee Writer Finalists
Backwoods Chief by Heidi-Marie Ferren
Flicker by Adam Bryant
Meglacanda by Jett Sheridan & Melissa Sheridan
One And Done by Elvis Wilson
Snake Oil by Corbin Eaton & Mike Bentley
The Mississippi by Phillip Charles
To The Family of Verlean Banks by Briana Cox
Torment by Joseph Oliver Hooten
Two Kids in a Trench Coat by Noah Glenn
Unrest by Whitni Resides
For more information on the 56th Nashville Film Festival, please visit the official festival webpage here:
