MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Eric Diekhans

An interview with screenwriter Eric Diekhans regarding the IL/Chicago Writing Competition.

A: It's called "Sunday River." Set in 1946 in Montpelier, Vermont, it's about a 15-year-old girl named REED BANCROFT. For Reed, life revolves around her church and her family, and especially around pleasing her father, REV. WALT BANCROFT.

Then 16-year-old HESTER ELLIOT arrives in town. Hester is everything Reed isn't—beautiful, glamorous, and fascinating. Rev. Bancroft encourages his daughter to be a good influence on the rebellious, emotionally troubled new girl.

After a rocky start, Reed and Hester find common ground in Hollywood fantasy. Hester takes the naive girl under her wing, teaching her about sex and other mysteries of womanhood. The two girls form an increasingly intense bond. Influenced by Hester, Reed begins to assert her independence from her father. Yet, it is at this time that she needs him most—for Reed finds herself facing an unplanned pregnancy and sexual advances from a trusted family friend.

Both the reverend and his daughter learn that even close friends are not always as they seem.

A: Because it's limited to Illinois residents, I thought I had a better chance of winning. "Sunday River" has done well in other contests. It was a semifinalist for the Nicholl Fellowships, placed second in the Screenplay Showdown, and was a finalist in the Rhode Island International Film Festival Contest. Of course, there were plenty of contests where it didn't even make it out of the first round, which just shows you how subjective these things are.

A: The contest seems to be well run. The folks at the Illinois Film Office and Chicago Film Office are great. They're vague about the prizes when you enter, but what really counts in these things is the Hollywood access you gain. That remains to be seen.

A: They give the finalists their judges' notes and let you rewrite your script before the final round. I did rewrite the script slightly based on those notes, but they were fairly sketchy. Having been an overworked, unpaid contest judge myself, that's what I would have expected.

A: I haven't been contacted by any agents, managers, or producers yet, but I do mention it in query letters, even for other scripts. Like George Costanza in "Seinfeld," it's always nice to say "I won a contest."

A: I have an MA in Film from Northwestern University. I've written six scripts in the past seven years. My romantic comedy "Anywhere's Better Than Here" and my rock 'n' roll drama "Blue Suede Shoes" have also done well in contests. I'm co-founder of a long-running screenwriting group and contributor to "The Writing Group" book published by Chicago Review Press. I was also one of the featured writers at the 2003 CineStory Writers Retreat.

A: I don't, but I would be happy to move if the price were right.

A: I'm working on a Hitchcockian mystery called "Soul Catcher" and I'm also writing a horror script with my friend and fellow screenwriting group co-founder Diane Berz.

Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2005