![[Austin]](/images/ads/AFF2024a.png)
Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview: Robert Pest
An interview with Robert Pest regarding the Ozark Foothills Writing Competition.
Q: Who sponsors this contest, and what is their background in the industry? When was the contest founded?A: The contest was founded by Bob Pest, founder of Ozark Foothills FilmFest in 2001. The screenplay competition was added in 2007 because of demand from regional screenwriters looking for avenues for getting their work out.
Pest is a former member of the Southern Humanities Media Fund executive committee and past voce-president of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
He currently serves on the Arkansas Arts Council.
A: I work with the judges to get them the entries and keep up with their concerns and questions. This year we are adding a "comments" element and the judges will provide detailed comments for each entrant.
Q: Have any of the winning scripts from the contest been sold or produced?A: Last year's winner, The Writ Writer, is being considered several producers.
Q: Who judges the early rounds of the competition? What are their qualifications? Who judges the final rounds?A: Same judges for both rounds. Judges include Pola Zan, Israeli filmmaker and screenwriter; Ben Fry, screenwriting instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; and Levi Agee, programmer for the Little Rock Film Festival.
Q: Do the early-round judges read the entire script, or do they stop after a certain number of pages?A: Judges read entire script.
Q: Are the judges looking for any specific type of script? Are scripts of a certain genre more likely to do well?A: No.
Q: What do you do promote your winning writers, and to publicize their scripts?A: We send announcements of winners to national, regional, and local media.
Q: What advice can you offer to writers entering your contest?A: Be sure that your script has been carefully proofread by at least one other person.
Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010
