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Slamdance Announces 2012 Writing Competition Winners

The Bloodline, written by Sneha Koorse, has won the 2012 Slamdance Writing Competition Grand Prize. Sneha was awarded $8,000 in cash prizes for her original teleplay at an awards ceremony hosted by the Writers Guild Of America, West last night on October 3, 2012. It's the first time a teleplay has won Slamdance's Grand Prize.

The Bloodline tells the story of seventeen-year-old Lucy who can't get away from her overprotective parents fast enough. But what she doesn't know is they're protecting the world from her.

Slamdance recognizes four categories in its Writing Competition and has established a reputation for finding production worthy screenplays. Each winner receives additional cash prizes, or in the case of best short screenplay, the option to be produced and premiere at Slamdance 2013.

The top three Slamdance screenplays in each prize category are as follows:

Features:
1. Chump by Jasmin Tekiner ($2,000 Cash prize, plus a certificate for legal services from Pierce Law Group, LLP)
2. The Third Sex by Sheila Sawhny & Dee Johnson
3. Call me Luke by David Carren

Horror/Thriller:
1. The Unraveling by Tobin Addington ($2,000 Cash prize)
2. Purge by David Christopher O'Neill
3. The Decent Man by Scott Robert Waldvogel & Matt DeMartini

Shorts:
1. La Mime by Marjorie Cohen & Alan Kininsberg (Option to be produced and premiere at Slamdance 2013, plus a certificate for legal services from Pierce Law Group, LLP)
2. Ethan and Ian by Katrina Albright
3. Glare by A. Rouveyrol

Teleplays:
1. The Bloodline by Sneha Koorse ($3,000 Cash Prize plus $5,000 Grand Prize, for $8,000 total Prize Money)
2. Breaking News by Mark Hefti
3. Nurse Jackie - "Jesus Rx" by Bisanne Masoud & Tal Gonzalez

Writers Guild of America, West Vice President Howard A. Rodman states, "The WGAW joins Slamdance in supporting emerging writers, and those whose work is made with an economy of means. Slamdance's annual Screenwriting and Teleplay competition has always found writers of talent, and provided them with opportunities to expose their fine work to the larger community."

Director of Slamdance Operations Summre Garber said "It is never an easy task to go through as many submissions as we are honored to get to find the top twelve scripts. The Slamdance readers and I would like to congratulate these twelve writers for making it to the finals. We are excited about your works and seeing where you go next."

The Slamdance Screenwriting and Teleplay Competition is sponsored by the Writers Guild of America, West and Pierce Law Group, LLP. Slamdance received nearly 2,500 submissions for the Writing Competition, which strives to bring attention to the most talented emerging screenwriters and introduce them to the industry. Previous competition-winning screenplays that were acquired for production include Nicole Kassell's The Woodsman, Joshua Marston's Maria Full of Grace, Tim Boughn's Neo Ned, and Nancy Kissam's Drool that will be theatrically released by Strand. Last year's winner Jug Face, written by Chad Kinkle, completed production this year and was directed by the script's author. The 2010 winner 100 Bloody Acres written by the Cairns brothers was also produced this year.

The success of the Slamdance Writing Competition over the past sixteen years and the writers it has discovered continues to attract the attention of industry professionals searching for the best new independent writing talent. As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their cinematic vision. The Slamdance 2013 Film Festival will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 18-24, in Park City, Utah. Slamdance still lives by its mantra: "By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers." No other festival is fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance is proud to count among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the festival, including such cinematic luminaries as Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster, Jared Hess, Oren Peli, Lena Dunham and Benh Zeitlin. New filmmakers and writers today realize that Slamdance is a place to launch their careers.

Updated: 10/04/2012

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