From Scriptapalooza to Festival Premiere
Early-career screenwriters often enter competitions as a way to gauge where their work fits within the industry.
In 2010, screenwriter Vasilios Bouzas submitted his script The Curse to several U.S.-based competitions after researching the field and identifying Scriptapalooza as a long-running and well-established program. The submission was made on March 29, 2010. 
The script did not advance to the quarterfinal round, but the experience proved memorable for Bouzas. After following up with the competition regarding his submission, Contest Director Mark Andrushko responded directly.
"That gesture meant the world to me," Bouzas says. "It showed me that Mark genuinely cares about every writer who enters his competition - even complete newcomers."
For Bouzas, the response stood out less as validation than as an example of how some competitions engage with writers at early stages. "That personal touch gave me faith and confidence to continue pursuing writing," he adds.
In subsequent years, Bouzas came to view Scriptapalooza as more than a contest submission point. "They didn’t just run a competition - they helped launch my career in the industry," he says. "In many ways, they’ve been like a big brother in this business, offering feedback, answering questions, and being present when guidance was needed."
Deathkeeper
Bouzas's most recent produced work is Deathkeeper, a supernatural thriller built around a stark moral exchange:He can save a life by touch, but doing so causes him to age.The film was directed by Tristan Barr and stars Charles Cottier as Luke, alongside George Pullar as Makagor.
To reverse the process, he must take a life.
Worldwide sales are being handled by SC Films International (Simon Crowe).
Deathkeeper will have its world premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival – FrightFest on March 7, 2026.
Taken together, Bouzas's trajectory—from early competition submissions to a festival premiere—reflects a path familiar to many working screenwriters: incremental progress, intermittent encouragement, and long stretches of development between visible milestones.
Updated: 02/03/2026
Additional Contest Info: Scriptapalooza Features & Shorts Competition
ScriptLinks
Post Your Script Here!Luck Is a Hard Target
The screenplay is in spy, action, thriller jenres Logline When Hamas uncovers the Bulgarian counter terrorist Jean, he is urgently relocated to Canada, where he twice encounters lethal artefacts drawing him into a battle against the Ndrangheta mafia and the FBI, with US national security on the line.
LIPIUNA
A Story of Love that can change the Future of Humanity
DRAGONFLY
Vincent and childhood friend Sue pour years into building the Tomahawk prototype, the key to their dream supercar Dragonfly until a seductive stranger draws him into a deadly undercover sting against crime lord Alphonso DiPasquale, unraveling.
Not About Money
A competent late forties corporate gal gets promoted into management, but is soon demoted and faced with a battle of resilience, justice, and a lawsuit, while an unexpected ally attempts to redeem himself and discloses the unscrupulous ruler behind the scheme to oust her.
The Cajun
When a notorious pirate, made immortal by the curse of a Voodoo Queen, is invited to a mysterious poker game in modern day New Orleans, he discovers a clue to find the treasure that can set him free.
Episode 2: Across the Hudson: The Dark Knight
As media attention and political pressure explode, a shadowy kingpin known only as The Dark Knight makes his first calculated moves, forcing law enforcement into high-risk raids that threaten to expose just how deeply the system is compromised.
Episode 1 - Across the Hudson
An officer haunted by a childhood destroyed by addiction is recruited by a covert DEA task force to hunt the elusive opioid kingpin known as the Dark Knight, only to find her mission becoming a living nightmare when she unknowingly falls in love with the man himself.
TAKEN AWAY
A desperate man kidnaps two teens to bring “family” to his dying mother, but as his plan unravels in a remote mountain hideaway, secrets explode, relationships shatter, and survival comes at a deadly cost.
Fish Fetish
What happens when you mix compulsion with alcohol? A horrific, fast paced story of abuse and revenge inspired by "Tales From The Crypt"
Someplace Safe
Rejecting the bribe of a Russian mob boss sends a DC police officer into hiding, where she must choose between her safety or exposing heself to respond to a family crisis back home.
