The Nashville Film Festival is excited to announce the semifinalists across 8 categories in this year’s Screenwriting Competition. Since 2014, NashFilm’s Screenwriting Competition has championed exceptional stories for film and television, and the visionary voices behind them, from around the world.
Congratulations to the 2026 NashFilm Screenwriting Competition semifinalists on this recognition.
NashFilm will next announce the finalists, who will be invited to the 57th Nashville Film Festival and treated to a live table read of a scene from their screenplay. Winners in each category will be announced at the festival’s awards ceremony and will receive cash prizes and personalized awards.
Tennessee Writer Semifinalists
32 by Melissa Sheridan & Jett Sheridan
A World Without Cold Beer by Melisee Pruinski
An Obvious Fact by Ama M Adair
Bit Players by Sally Pitts
Chihua-Wolf by John Hayes
Dolls of the Dead by Cashea
Grapefruit by Ali Alsaleh
Greg’s Dojo by Jeremy Ray Burchard
Heartline by Michael Henry Moore
not THAT kind by Michael H Moore
Pageant Dad by Carrie Freedle
Resurrect The Boy by Grant Gill
Revelation by Gabriel Eby
Saving A Christmas Carol by Shirley Amitrano
Sexy Chapter by Carrington Fox
The Cold Below by Robert Hamilton
Vibez by Alexia Greene
Comedy Feature Semifinalists
Bagels & Salsa by Lara Reznik
Guest Relations by Harim Sanchez
I Got You Babe by T. Camponeschi
Jackalope by Luke Guidici
Land Of Enchantment by Bob Giordano
Middlescence by Angela Manfredi
Notice Me by Jody Wiltshire
Salamanca Shadow by Christian Stevens
Saving A Christmas Carol by Shirley Amitrano
Sexy Chapter by Carrington Fox
Smut by William Casey
The Anti-Comic by Steve Savitz
The Suitcase Movie by Richard Jean-Paul Isaac Selvi
Horror Feature Semifinalists
32 by Melissa Sheridan & Jett Sheridan
Bloody Show by Andrew Betzer
Checking Out by JJ Brent
Chihua-Wolf by John Hayes
Darien by Farah Ysvette Mourad Vera
Dolls of the Dead by Cashea
Felt by Ran Jing
HIKR_95 by Elvis Wilson
Murmurmen by Anthony Preston
Old Mother Lynn by Justin Brock
Simulacrum by David Bayles
The Seventh Rule by Matthew David Riffle & Zackary D Hill
The Shimmers by Brendan J Vogel & Ruth Sabin
Genre Feature Semifinalists
A Dangerous Woman by Mary Delsol Dobon
Artificial by Tsung-Long Wu
BUSted by Hunter Davis & Bryan Bockbrader
Darien by Farah Ysvette Mourad Vera
Durango by Daniel J. Ricottone
Flight Plans by Keith Rivers
Inertia by Nyah Gazda
No Peace I Find by Hyten Davidson & Christian Missonak
Porch Pirates by JJ Brent
Praying to a Laughing God by Summer Shelton
The Caretaker by John Dilley & Seth Corr
The Consultation by Christopher J Lopez
The Qualifier by Andy Rogers
Who Stole the Head of Bobbi DuPree by Kris Shuman
Wild Woman Of The Woods by Tobi Iverson
Drama Feature Semifinalists
A Hard Print by David Alan Templeton
Ballad of a Poor Man by Deangelo Mcbride
Burden of Silence by Paul Frank
Carrie Buck by Paul Wagner
Ceasefire by Stash Capar
Cotton’s Sack by Will Sims
Day One by Stephen Hoover
Dope Friend by Matt Ferrucci
Dry Land by Oscar Rodriguez Gorriz
Durango by Daniel J. Ricottone
Echoes of a Gathering by Regina Junior
Eskimo Brothers by Alex Halpern
Filthy by Lisa Cole
Lucky Lucy and her Auto Dare Devils by Jan Reesman
Mambo by Peter Gibbons
Mesa Verde by Sean Joseph Salazar Jourdan
Panguitch by Jason Kaleko
Parlay by Brian Joseph Spatz
Perfectly Able by Robert Mcfalls
Summer of ’98 by Kavis Karlando Peak
The Caretaker by John Dilley & Seth Corr
The Education of Ebbe Graves by NC Jones
The Track by Alex Halpern
Short Semifinalists
A True Crime by Girault Seger
Babycake by Lauryn Massenburg
Cabbie by Paula Cantillo
Cavell by Alexander Menu
Crispy Pleasure by Lucia Bellini
Dead Water by Kevin Machate
Independence by Marc Pitre
Kanna (Dear) by Vivek Pranavamurthi
Last Man Standing by Alex Dauphin
Lejos de Aquí (Far From Here) by Missy Hernandez
Mass Production by Burak Sahin
Not That Kind by Michael H Moore
Only You by Seth Kelman
Patron Saints by Ashley Gabriela
Piggyback by Vincent Gallagher
Quimbara by Angelik Laboy Torres
Retrograde by Michael H. Moore
Self Love by Jeremy Brull
Sinner Man by Chad B. Hamilton
Spirit Walkers by Victor Dean
The Debutante’s Gown by Ashley Heathcock
Triple Crown by Tyler Totten
60 Minute Pilot Semifinalists
Bug Out by Jeff Affrunti
Dark Country by Daniel Yi
Freedom General by Raymond Cho
Gleason’s by Jess Waters
Gods of Iowa by Terry Rietta & Andrew Chapman
Oh Bloody Hell by Nigel Tyrone Simms
Out of Order by Christine Torres
Protection by Casey Madaley
Scooped by Eric Ortega
Tell Me About It by Jack Maxwell
The Drome by Hunter M. Davis
The Memory Tax by Russell Babcock
The Solicitor by Ellen Ancui
Valdez by L.E. Coleman
What’s Buried Beneath The Pines by Kris Shuman
Wormwood by Jordan Oakley
30 Minute Pilot Semifinalists
20-Something Zeus On Earth – Episode 1: The Ember in the Ruins by Will Moro
Camp by Alexia Greene
Dead Weight by Orly Morris
Exclusive by Zane Swift
How Did I Get Here? by Sarah Zanotti & Kd Amond
In Fertility by Jane Miller
Pharaoh Taharqa – Warrior King by Will Sims
Prime Time by Chance Wellnitz
Son of a Beekeeper by Marcus Ross
Tight by Heather Birmingham
Todos Santos by Erin Donovan