The screenplay: it’s the foundation of a successful film and the cornerstone upon which films and television are built. Though often overlooked, these are the works of art that initially capture our hearts and minds. It is a great feat to write a screenplay. To write an incredible one, even greater. Every year, we have the pleasure of reading countless different screenplays, with this year being no exception. Today, we announce which of these screenplays are quarterfinalists.
Congratulations to those who have made it this far and thank you to everyone who submitted this year. Your passion and dedication are the driving force behind the magic of cinema, and we are honored to have been a part of your creative journey. Stay tuned for later announcements regarding the semifinalists and finalists for the 2023 Nashville Film Festival Screenplay Competition.
30 Minute Pilot Quarterfinalists
Against the Current by Adam Sleper
Cashley by Christl Stringer
DESTINY: A Relationship Game in the Metaverse by Angela Cohen
Existent by Ruby Mainieri
FiSHWoRLD by Natalie Stigwood
Guardians of Abel by Adam Sleper
Haunted Mines by Lisa Pha
Hot Property by Stephen Hoover
I’m Dating the Devil’s Daughter by Morris Jackson
Negro-tism by Aadrise Johnson
Original Sinners by Martin Aguilera
Otherworld, NJ by Matthew McLachlan
Shady Acres by Jaimie Bouwkamp
So, We’re Heroes? by Victor Dean & Shannon McClain Robertson
Something of Value by Myron Ward
Sunnyside by Michael Davison
Surviving Family by Brian Cunningham & Tony Blando
SWOLE by David Koutsouridis
Tenured by Matt Everts
The Republic by Andrew M. Henderson & Andrew Wheaton
The Stumptown Buzzsaws by Andy Silverman & Jerome Krui
60 Minute Pilot Quarterfinalists
Agent Koch by Richard Bethea
Aquarius by Adian Moretti
Ashes to Ashes by Rachel McClard
At Death’s Door by Matthew Catanzano
Big Booty Judy by Julia Tokarz
Blood Trials by Geoffrey Prather
Bog Water by Jonathan Weisbrod
Brooklyn Country by Wayne Nuessle
BUTCH by Rae Binstock
Call Of The Void by Ben Monaco
Cancelled? by Thomas L. Ferguson
Creemore Village by Helmann Wilhelm
Desire by Katherine Cronyn
Fashion Apocalypse by Susan Berman
Glass Ceiling by CJ Grooms
HAGS (Have A Great Summer) by Lizzy Bryce
Human Resources by R.L. Hooker
I’m Not Okay by Gustave Cadet
Inheritance by Michael Smallwood
La Madrina Adam Santa Maria
Magical Negro by Sam Watson
New Cardiff by M. Rowan Meyer
New Olympus by Matthew Nicholson
O.T.i.S. by K.J. Sparrow
Pandora by Jeff Bower
Past Lives by John Cerrito
Public Displays of Affection by Samantha Jose
Quantum Entanglement by KC Kramer
She’s Not Here by Emily Grand
Sugar by Ima Djie
The Inspector Reboots by Mark Renshaw
The King of the Cannibals by Sam Watson
The Spirit of ’76 by Jerry Jerome
The Way You Look Tonight by John Cerrito
True Delta by Snowden Wright
Short Script Quarterfinalists
97 by Sarah Ward
A Good Day Will Come by Amir Zargara
A Wicked Game by Derrick Benton
A Woman’s Body by Tiffany Tenille
Are You Ready? by Jensen Mcrae
Baby Love by Kate Kelsen
Bearbatfrankenstein by Shaun Radecki
Bela Sefer by Kiki Denis & Liya Kebede
Cherry-Colored Funk by Chelsie Pennello & Corbett Blair
Compulsion by Mark Renshaw
Corius by Jason Balas
Cotton’s Sack by Will Sims
Eggplant by Joaquin Palma
Feed the Brute by Corsica Wilson
Hard Lead by Patrick Gatov
Heartless by Diamond A Batiste & Leonard Langford
I See You by Faith Dismuke
Image by Priyanka Arya
Into The Dark Wood by Benjamin Rummans
Kill the Competition by Will Altemeier
Lasting Love Blasting Love by Lorraine Portman
Leo Lets It Rain by Jasmin Sinclair Prophete
Little Horse by SP Batchelder
Lizard by Andressa Da Silva
Lyrebird by Jeremy Brown
Noa’s Place by Maria Romanova-Hynes
Other People’s Lives by Montgomery Burt
Partners by Nicholas Ryon Joseph & Jerry Ferrell
Passing by Hunter Davis
r.e.g.g.i.N by A. D. Smith
Right Hook by Jaden Duenas
Rudolph by Man-oh Lee
Shattered Windows by Kimberly Jade Soliman
Superman Doesn’t Steal by Tamika Lamison
Table by Marelize Roets
Teeth by Lyubo Yonchev
TEN BOYS VILLE by Mohammad Pourriahi
The Rosary by Wiliam Wiitala
The Rusty Nail by John Acquaviva
When I Was Younger by Dylan Polniak
Why It is Never a Good Idea to Burn a City and Blame a Cow by Shaun Radecki
Drama Feature Quarterfinalists
A Story of the London Fog by Robert Simpson
A8450, M.D. by Shia Labeouf
Adam & the Astronaut by Robby Justiss & Jordan Maze
Beauty for Ashes by Patrick Barry
Bows and Diamonds Cupcake Gallery by Arwood NMN ‘Butch’ Garrett
By Any Other Name by John Doble
Dauntless by Barry Leach
Half Way Down by Patrick Monger
Her Name is Goldie by Jennifer Tesler
Huerfano by Colten Ashley
Is That You, Cecelia? by Erica Scandariato
Julia Morgan: The Woman Who Built Hearst Castle by Ross Brown
Just for a Day by Maryann Castronovo
Leila by Faryar Hosseini
Madame Butterfly’s Mad Jaunt by Barry Leach
My Idiot Sister by Michael Basha
She’s All Right by Shon Keane & Melanie Williams Oram
Operation Underworld by Lisa Corn
Panorama Connection by Nicole Weaver
Piper by Katy Dore
Prisoner of Deceit by Gretchen Klein
Renewal by Robert Michael Neumann
Rib Vipers by Ariorad Taherian
Road Closure by John Cerrito
Rooted by Brian Koukol
Salesman From Topeka by Adam Seidel
Saving Marcus by Clinton Green
Self Evident by Lawrence Kennon
Signature Photo by Michael Bucklin
South Wind Come by Ernestina Juarez
Surrender No Surrender by Mary DelSol Dobon
Thaw by Alex Bush
The Basement by J.D. Elliby
The Cabin by Casey Baker
The Cline by Heidi-Marie Ferren & Dana Joiner
The Ghost of You by Megan Harris
The House on Felicity Street by Brea Cola Angelo
The Life We Chose by Guilherme Viegas
The Many Deaths Of Wallace Badger by Nicky Calloway
The Rommel Gambit by John Doble
Three Kachinas by Casey Blackburn & Jef Connor
Water Strider by Barbara Ward Thall
Watermelon, Watermelon, Watermelon by Calvin Claudio
Whyoming by Kelvin C. Bias
Wide Open Spaces by R.L. Hooker
Ziggy and Rachel by Michael Rispoli & Gregg Greenberg
The Fountain by Link York
Playing the Changes by George Edward Collins
Genre Feature Quarterfinalists
A Ghost Story Of Christmas by Eddie Yaroch
A War Of My Own by Patrick Gatov
After Life by Dan Healey
Angels in Hip Hop Land by Gail E. Davis & Clyde Santana
Before the Lightning by John Cerrito
City Boys by Justen Ramsey
Do Not Touch by Jon Friesen
Frank M by Benin Trotter
From Above by Ben Tedesco
Guffy by Will Berry
If These Walls Could Shut Up by Gina DeAngelis
Iris by Shunori Ramanthan & Cidney Hue
Lucid by DeAndre Harris
Maddie and Frannie by Virginia Austin & Virginia
Moksha by Saurin Lakhia
On A Field of Legends by Nicholas Julius
Parallel by Ryan Werner
Putting Love On The Menu by Lance Dumais & Andrew McGivern
River Dreams by Michael Raymond
Tackle & Bait by Genevieve McDevitt
The Cheater Eater by Erika Kathryn
The Fury by Julie Koca
The Rifle Brothers by Brett Prieto
The Siren’s Revenge by Ellie Anthony
The Tea Room by Dan Corter
Time, Space, & The Poet by John Turner
When Two Ends Meet by Tom Tanno
Yatra by David Barbeschi & Vee Kumar
Horror Feature Quarterfinalists
Best Served Cold by Bill Crossland
Chateau Sauvignon by David M. Night Maire & Adam T. Wolfe
Don’t Come Looking by Larkin Campbell & Shawn Driscoll
Effigy by Jason Kaleko
Holdout Darren by Arthur Howell
Indigent by Briana Cox
Mars One by Andrew Henderson
My Elvis by John Burdeaux
Noctua by Andrew M. Henderson
Nocturnal by Richard Hohenrath
P.R.O.M. by Liz Maestri
Primordial by Andrew M. Henderson
Rough Cut by Mitchell V Slan
Rulo by Adam Sleper
Screaming Now by Raffaele V Marchetta
She by Jonathan Klemke
Solice by George Basiev
Symbiote by Andrew M. Henderson
The Chötgör by Max Rissman
The Empties by Anne K Hartner
The Fountain by Link York
The Good One by Michael Haas
The Horror Experience by Joseph C. Muscat
The Runner by Michael Buonocore
Tides by Tyler Dunning Evans
Trick Selfie by Chad Wellinger
Comedy Feature Quarterfinalists
A Girl’s Guide to Vampirism by Jack Aupperle
Alien America by Gorby Mufan Shih
Avery by Casey Warfield
Black Ice Below by Peter Fraser
Blackout Wednesday by Teddy Gilmore & Mat Dann
Cary in Retrograde by Priya Jane Domfeh & Philipp Yaw
Ghost Soldier by Brett Elam
Helen of Troy by Mary Ann Rotondi
I Got You Babe by T. Camponeschi
I’ll Be Going by S.P Rae
K-Poparazzo by Max Werkmeister
Kaleidoscope Cowboy by Deborah Green & Wiz Bryant
Loves Company by Jason Laurits
Me’n Gus by Leslie Flannery
Proud by Courtney Harrell
Screwed, a Comedy of Manners in Word and Song by Israela Margalit & Oran Eldor
The Sign You Have Been Waiting For by Debby Huvaere
The Wedding Knight by Stephen Hoover
The Yes Feeling by Theresa Martinez-Twa
Toying With Reality by Miles Burris
Tennessee Writer Quarterfinalists
Beware The Jabberwock by Allison Page
901 by Phillip Charles
9-Volt Velvet V3 by Dave Docimo & Brad Docimo
A Froggy Becomes by Becky Wahlstrom
Bike Lane Ends by Noah Glenn
Boil by Scott McKinlay, Paul Travers & Jim Bartoo
Globeheads by Briana Cox
Green Heights by Kennard H Murray
Lawless State by Sandra Webb Smith
Let Her Go by Melissa Sheridan & Amy Traurig
r.e.g.g.i.N by A. D. Smith
Remnants of Nova by James Barker & Kimmie Devereux
Shades of Right by Paula Phelps-Weaver
Shady Acres by Jaimie Bouwkamp
Summer Madness by Fr3deR1cK Taylor
Swingman by Zeki Turgut Gezgez
The Local by Mark Naccarato
The Pain Body by Adam Murphy
Under The Cover by Sarah Zanotti & Kd Amond
Submission to the Nashville Film Festival competitions does not constitute prohibited conduct of Strike Rules for the Writer’s Guild of America strike. The Nashville Film Festival is committed to supporting screenwriters at all levels and we support the WGA in their efforts to secure a fair agreement for their members.
