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Saving Mark Twain

MARK TWAIN, American superstar, has writer’s block, is nearly bankrupt, and fears his Muse is gone forever. But could an infuriating star-struck fan, RUDYARD KIPLING (23)-- an unknown newspaper reporter from India who invades his life and steals his teenage daughter’s heart-- be the surprising key that unlocks the famous author's biggest secret, restores his confidence-- and saves Mark Twain? Inspired by a true story.

Written by:

Staton Rabin

Contact Author

Format:

Screenplay

Genres:

Family

Posted:

10/16/2022

Updated:

12/04/2023

Author Bio:

STATON RABIN is a working, award-winning screenwriter who adapts IP and true stories for film and TV producers, and is a YA novelist (BETSY AND THE EMPEROR from Simon & Schuster; etc.) with a global audience. She is a member of New York Women in Film & Television. In 2022, Staton wrote two screenplays on assignment for Afterglow Pictures and Missing Three Days (both were adaptations of novels). She has two scripts on Coverfly's Red List including her original spec script (dramedy) "Saving Mark Twain", is a PAGE Awards Finalist, a Historical/Bio Genre Winner/ISA Fast Track, Winner of the Ridgefield Film Festival, Top Ten Finalist in Table Read My Screenplay, Finalist in WeScreenplay Awards, a Finalist in the Mystic Film Festival Screenplay Competition, etc., and has received contest recognition in both comedy and drama categories. Staton finds remarkable true stories about famous people or events-- blends them with a lot of heart and a dash of comedy-- and creates warm, funny, poignant movies about relatable human beings. When the world is spinning out of control, her stories give us something to hang onto: what sustains us is love of family and friends, and our courage. If you miss seeing movies that make you laugh, cry, and root for the hero-- and remind you that life is worth living-- you've come to the right place. As Austin Film Festival's report said of "Saving Mark Twain": "As you can tell, I loved this script. It’s the last script I’m reading for the festival this year, and it’s comfortably my favorite. There’s a richness of character and human behavior here that’s hard to come by. It’s got a keen sense of history, yet you don’t use it as a crutch. These people behave like real people. I think this script could be made as is [...] and it would be a great film for everyone to enjoy...It’s got a very broad appeal...this script is warm, considered, funny, bittersweet." In addition to writing screenplays and books, Rabin is a freelance story analyst and writing coach (see: www.ScreenplayMuse.com). She writes original scripts, and screen adaptations of books and other material, especially books about true historical events or biographies. Her YA novel BETSY AND THE EMPEROR (Simon & Schuster) is published in 15 languages globally, and was previously under film option-- along with her screenplay-- and in development with Al Pacino attached to star, as reported in "Variety". The novel is a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age and an American Booksellers' Association/Book Sense Pick for Teens. Her screenplay based on "Betsy and the Emperor" is the winner of "Best Unproduced Feature Script" at the Montreal Independent Film Festival, and also won an award from the Festival Napoleon in Paris. Rabin's YA novel published by Simon & Schuster, THE CURSE OF THE ROMANOVS, was recently named a Finalist in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition, and she wrote another YA time-travel novel, BLACK POWDER, for the same publisher. She's also written books for Viking (MR. LINCOLN'S BOYS) and Harcourt (CASEY OVER THERE), which received starred reviews in "School Library Journal" and "Publishers Weekly", respectively. Staton Rabin has taught screenwriting on occasion as a "sub" at NYU (from which she has a BFA in film), and elsewhere, and was previously a freelance reader for Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, and the former William Morris Agency before it was WME.

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Contest Results:

ISA Fast Track (First Place, Historical Genre Winner) [2020]
PAGE International (Third Place, Bronze Prize-winner) [2023]
Vail Film Festival (First Place, Best Feature Screenplay ) [2023]
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