[cinestory]

Vail Film Festival Screenwriting Competition

Vail Film Festival

Contact

PO Box 1620
Vail, CO 81632
970-306-6843 (voice)

Web:
http://www.vailfilmfestival.com
Email:
info@vailfilmfestival.org

Contact: Sean Cross, Executive Director

Report Card

Overall: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.5/5.0)
Professionalism: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.5/5.0)
Feedback: 2 stars2 stars (1.8/5.0)
Signficance: 2 stars2 stars (2.0/5.0)
Report Cards: 20    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Objective

The Vail Screenplay Competition is a vehicle for aspiring screenwriters to have their scripts recommended to established film producers, managers, and agents who are actively working at the top level of the film industry.

The Vail Screenplay Competition is a signature program of the Colorado Film Institute, producer of the annual Vail Film Festival, now entering its 19th year. The Colorado Film Institute is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization, supported by sponsorships, donors, and grants, including support from Colorado Creative Industries and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Past Vail Film Festival special guests include Olivia Wilde, Aaron Paul, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Smith, Michelle Monaghan, Harold Ramis, Zach Braff, Julie Delpy, Jane Seymour, Christina Ricci, Tim Daly, Jesse Eisenberg, Luke Wilson, Allison Janney, Tate Taylor, Josh Lucas, Aya Cash, Michael Imperioli, Sophia Bush, Krysten Ritter, among others. Show More

Deadline/Entry Fees

Contact contest for this year's deadline.

Rules

Please see website.

Awards

The top finalist screenplays will be judged by the following industry executives: FEATURE SCREENPLAY FINALIST JURY
  • Rachel Crouch, Director of Development at Cold Iron Pictures
  • Munika Lay, Vice President, Film at Miramax
  • Josh Marks, Manager at Untitled Entertainment
  • Ashleigh Snead, Partner, Paper Street Pictures
  • Beau Ward, Director of Development at LD Entertainment
TELEVISION PILOT FINALIST JURY
  • Alex Goldstone, Partner, Anonymous Content
  • Adam Kassen, Producer (Shed Media, Warner Brothers)
  • Amanda Klein, Producer (Former SVP, Television at Miramax)
The 1st place Feature Screenplay will be read by established film producers and talent agents, and the 1st place TV Pilot will be read by leading television producers. 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place feature, short, and television screenplay winners will be included in a national press release, and will have their scripts recommended to key decision-makers at leading entertainment companies. All top placing screenplays will also be listed on the Vail Film Festival website as the top placements of the 2022 Vail Screenplay Competition. All semifinalists will have their scripts listed on the Vail Film Festival website.

Vail Film Festival

Contact

PO Box 1620
Vail, CO 81632
970-306-6843 (voice)

Web:
http://www.vailfilmfestival.com
Email:
info@vailfilmfestival.org

Contact: Sean Cross, Executive Director

Report Card

Overall: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.5/5.0)
Professionalism: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.5/5.0)
Feedback: 2 stars2 stars (1.8/5.0)
Signficance: 2 stars2 stars (2.0/5.0)
Report Cards: 20    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Contest Comments

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Vail Film Festival Screenwriting Competition

Contact

PO Box 1620
Vail, CO 81632
970-306-6843 (voice)

Web:
http://www.vailfilmfestival.com
Email:
info@vailfilmfestival.org

Contact: Sean Cross, Executive Director

Report Card

Overall: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.5/5.0)
Professionalism: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.5/5.0)
Feedback: 2 stars2 stars (1.8/5.0)
Signficance: 2 stars2 stars (2.0/5.0)
Report Cards: 20    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Contest News

MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Nancy Sanders

An interview with screenwriter Nancy Sanders regarding the Vail Film Festival Writing Competition.

Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?

A: Poe's Second Chance won first place in the 2008 feature screenplay competition. It is about a producer of a hit tv show about "past lives" who is planning her exit strategy from the broadcast when a mysterious man calling himself Edgar Allan Poe appears as a contestant, and throws her world into turmoil.

Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?

A: I spend time in Vail and had heard good things about the film festival, so it seemed a natural one to enter! The script also placed in the Second Round of the Austin Film Festival, as Finalist in Moondance, and Semifinalist in Women in Film/NY-More Magazine screenplay competitions.

Q: Were you satisfied with the adminstration of the contest? Did they meet their deadlines? Did you receive all the awards that were promised?

A: I was very satisfied with the contest in Vail. They came through on all that was promised, including a reading by actors during the film festival.

Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?

A: I was given a lot of compliments that is for sure, but most importantly, I heard the script read for the first time by actors and that was the best feedback I could have received. I could tell what areas needed improvement.

Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?

A: Yes, I was contacted by a producer who asked for an exclusive to pitch for a few months (didn't work out, but it was a great effort.) and I now have a manager in L.A. as a result of the festival. So yes, the festival made a difference!

Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?

A: I have written several feature scripts...Virginia Gentlemen, Weight of an Anchor, Exit Strategy...formerly named INSIDE OUTING, Beastie Bridesmaids, and Chisel Me. All of these have placed high in the usual competitions.

Also I wrote a short film script, Nail Talk, and a sitcom pilot, GOOD & EVIE, which was a finalist several years ago in the Scriptapalooza contest and one of Bette Midler's executives top choices, when she was looking at sitcoms many years ago...and picked the wrong one, obviously!

Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?

A: Don't live there, but would like to! If I had enough interest say, in the sitcom, then I would probably need to have a home there.

Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?

A: Yes, I have two projects I am planning as we speak. Both are comedies since I think they will play better with audiences than dramas in the economic downturn..which may last a few years! I have noticed that every movie I have gone to see lately has been packed with people. My father told me that during the depression, that is all he saved his money for--to go see movies. Even when he was starving. True story!

Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Vail Film Festival Screenwriting Competition

Contact

PO Box 1620
Vail, CO 81632
970-306-6843 (voice)

Web:
http://www.vailfilmfestival.com
Email:
info@vailfilmfestival.org

Contact: Sean Cross, Executive Director

Report Card

Overall: 2.5 stars2.5 stars2.5 stars (2.5/5.0)
Professionalism: 3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars3.5 stars (3.5/5.0)
Feedback: 2 stars2 stars (1.8/5.0)
Signficance: 2 stars2 stars (2.0/5.0)
Report Cards: 20    
Have you entered?
Submit a Report card

Submit Report Card

You must login to read or submit report cards.

First-time user? Register now to receive FREE email contest updates, news, results, deadline reminders and more. Rest assured, information submitted here is held in strict confidence. MovieBytes never sells or in any way distributes email names or addresses. We promise!

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