As I mentioned in my last post, I got three rejections for my current writing project a couple weeks ago. I am moving on! And in the spirit of sharing my screenwriting journey, I have a handful of fellowships, labs, and contests that I’m applying to that I want to share.
First, some context. I just finished a second draft of the screenplay (Strangers), and I feel…okay about it. (I mean, I also did an outline and what I call a “barf draft”, so maybe this is more like a fourth draft? But that seems arbitrary.)
For my third draft, I’m trying something new and just focusing on character. I’m going through the script one character at a time to delve into each character’s arc, objectives/obstacles, strengths/weaknesses, voice, etc. So far, it’s been really helpful to hone in and track each character across the story. Especially for the secondary characters, who get a lot less of my attention than, say, the protagonist and antagonist.
So that’s what I’ll be ploughing through for the next couple weeks. And while I do that, I’m thinking about what to do with this project once I feel it’s in a solid place.
As before with sharing my rejections, I hope listing these can be helpful to other screenwriters who are at a similar place in their journey. Maybe I can shine a spotlight on opportunities that you haven't heard of. Maybe providing examples will give you ideas for what to do or what not to do with your own screenplay.
Where do I Want to Go with this Feature Film Script?
Am I ready to apply for contests, labs, and fellowships as a screenwriter? Will it be worth my money? I don’t know!
I hope so. Only time will tell.
Although I haven’t applied to these sort of initiatives before, I was nominated for two awards as a screenwriter for Windchcasers, the first short film/proof of concept that I co-wrote. I also had my first feature screenplay optioned in 2023, and I’ve won a handful of awards and placed First Place as a playwright (I was a playwright for about a decade). So I’m reasonably confident that I can write something that’s at least good. And I’m working towards writing something that’s great.
With that in mind, I’m sharing the five major opportunities I’m working towards as I continue writing Strangers.
The Five Screenwriting Labs and Competitions I’m Applying to This Year
Blood in the Snow Horror Development Lab - Strangers is a thriller with elements of science fiction and horror, so this lab, as part of the BiTS Deadly Exposure Industry Conference, seems like the perfect place to develop it. I'm also planning on submitting the short film I wrote and directed of Strangers to Blood in the Snow. So I’ll keep my fingers crossed for both.
Frontières Market Short to Feature Lab - This one is the big lab for me. Though it’s not just specific to screenwriting, the pitching opportunity at the Frontières Market seem worthwhile. I’m not quite sure if Strangers will be ready for this year’s deadline, as Frontières and Fantasia Film Festival are sort of a BIG deal. My thought is that applying this year will be good practice for me and possibly set me up to succeed in future years.
Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition - AFF was on my radar even back when I was playwriting. Having never submitted to a screenwriting contest before, I'm starting with AFF because it has the option to get detailed feedback from the jury and it seems to be respected in the screenwriting community, especially in the States. Having a designated horror category to submit to is a nice bonus.
Slamdance Screenwriting Competition - This one's got two things going for it for me. It provides feedback to everyone who enters (which is lovely), and it has a designated Horror/Thriller category. Plus, I figured submitting to at least one thing in Los Angeles would be fun.
PAGE International Screenwriting Awards - In addition to feedback and a thriller/horror category like the others, this contest has a history of selecting winners from countries outside of the U.S. (like Canada). It boasts some big cash prizes, and from the poking around I’ve done on the internet, it seems like one of the legit ones.
So there’s my list.
What about you screenwriters out there? What are planning on submitting to this year?
Does anyone have experience with any of these competitions or labs? I’d love to hear what people liked or didn’t like about the application process (or better yet, if anyone was accepted into a lab or placed in a contest)!
What do I Have Control of as a Screenwriter?
Applying to a lot of programs (especially ones that are totally new) can be a bit nerve wracking for me. Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is the idea of Spheres of Control. Basically, what is in my control as an artist? What’s outside of my control?
That’s what I try to think about when I’m writing. I can’t control what other people think of my script. I can’t control if people like it. I can control what I write though. So I just write things that I like, that I think are cool, or that are personal to me.
The same is true for submitting to contests, grants, and festivals. I can’t control if my work is selected. Accepting that helps me to focus more on what I can control. And for this it's writing the best damn script I can.
I sometimes find myself spending a lot of energy fretting about whether I’ll get accepted into something—as I am trying very hard to avoid this week while I wait for results from a film festival that's important to me for my short film... So I’m trying to work on channeling that energy into the work. Pushing that energy into my writing.
Similarly, it's in my control to craft strong pitches/applications and choose the programs that are a good fit for my projects. And then, I try my best to accept the rest is out of my control.
Which sort of leads me to another topic.
There Are a Lot of Screenwriting Programs to Submit to…
There are just so, SO many contests for a feature screenplay—not to mention labsand fellowships. You can find a very helpful and very long list of them here from Lauri Donahue. An entire industry seems to have sprung up around the literary world of screenwriting. This is, in my opinion, a bit antithetical to the goal of screenwriting, which for me is creating a piece of visual and performing arts (i.e. making a movie).
Though I haven’t applied to screenwriting contests before, I do have a lot of experience (and success) applying for grant applications and government funding. My method is what I half-jokingly call the shotgun approach. I throw out as many shots as I can and see what hits the mark.
However, in the grant writing world I’m familiar with, it doesn't cost money to apply. And when you’re successful, you get money in return for your time. Similarly, many playwriting contests don't have an application fee. So I’m being more selective of where I send out my screenplay. I think these sort of applications need a strategy, just like when submitting a film to film festivals. Sure you can submit to everything, but the cost is going to add up real fast.
So, here’s a few more programs on my radar that I’m not quite convinced about yet for this year.
I’m interested in the Whistler Film Festival Screenwriting Lab—I’ve trained at the Banff Centre and really enjoyed the combination of beautiful scenery and artistic creation—but their website doesn’t have any info on 2025 dates yet. Anyone know about this one? The Toronto International Film Festival CBC Film Screenwriting Award is also on my list.
Besides, like, the Sundance Lab or the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, are there any important ones I might be missing? The deadline for these two have already passed for the year, so I have them down for later. (I’m also going to save my money until I’m really confident with my script because these are seem extremely competitive.)
For example, is the Big Break Screenwriting Contest worth looking at? I’m not just looking for coverage right now, I have a lot of avenues for that in my network. I am, however, interested in The Black List (maybe I’ll post about this at a later date)...
And speaking of, The BlackList Feature Lab and The Black List Genre Film Manuscript Program are both on my long list for the future. I’ve read a lot online about The Black List evaluations, especially on Reddit, but not about their programs. Anyone have experience with these?
One final thing since I talked about grants. I'm also planning on applying for Telefilm's Talent to Watch program this spring, because my goal is to direct a feature that I write. But that's a much longer story and likely will need to be its own post.
So. That’s where I’m at this week with my journey in screenwriting.
When I posted last week, I had no idea if people would even read it, let alone respond so positively or find it inspiring (their words, not mine). It’s really encouraging me to keep writing about writing. To hone in on the process of filmmaking and explore the journey to do the wild and audacious notion of actually getting a movie made. So I’m going to make this a regular thing.
Writing this has also given me a happy distraction from actually working on my the third draft of my screenplay but…I think should get back to writing now.
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