RIIFF ANNOUNCES 2020 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS

.... 557 submissions received from throughout the United States and across the globe, 16 Winners and 55 Finalists Selected...

• Download the 2020 News Release

Rammy Park, winner of the RIIFF Grand Prize for Best Screenplay on stage at

The Vets for the 2019 Opening Night Gala where she received her award trophy

Photo by Mike Braca

(PROVIDENCE, RI – October 30, 2020) • Edward Balli from Canada won the Best Screenplay Grand Prize Winner for this year's Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) Screenplay Competition. Edward's winning screenplay is entitled “Leadeth."

George T. Marshall, RIIFF Executive Director/CEO, made the announcement of the 2020 awards that featured 557 entries in competition. From these, 55 scripts were selected as finalists and 16 scripts were selected winners by an international team of adjudicators.

“What an amazing year for storytelling and our screenplay competition. This year’s entries were inventive and re-defining. They were scored on criteria that included character, dialogue, setting, plot, structure and technique,” said Shawn Quirk, RIIFF Program Director. “We reviewed the largest entry base in competition’s history making for difficult decision-making on the part of our international group of judges.

"After extensive and careful deliberation, prize winners were chosen in eight distinct categories: Best Screenplay, Best International, Vortex Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror, Best LGBTQ, Spotlight on New England, Best Short Screenplay, Best Animation Screenplay, Screenwriting Discovery Award and Best Television Pilot," Quirk noted.

"Our sincere congratulations to this year's winners," stated George T. Marshall. "This competition continues to introduce us to some of the world's brightest and most talented writers in the craft."

Prizes awarded to the winners of the screenplay competition (which vary with the specific screenplay category) include: 1 Script Listing and 1 Magazine Listing from InkTip; Final Draft software featuring Final Draft Screenwriting Suites; and Passes to the 2021 Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival and the ScriptBiz™ Screenwriter's Workshop.

The Best Screenplay Grand Prize winner will be brought to Providence to attend the 2021 ScriptBiz program, where their screenplay will be a central focus of the program, plus receive a private script consultation and an official award on RIIFF's Opening Night Celebration on the stage of the 1,900 seat Vets located at One Avenue of the Arts, Providence. Lodging and transportation will also be provided.

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THE 2020 PRIZE WINNERS:

BEST SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
"Leadeth," By Edward Balli, Canada

FIRST PLACE:
"Deluge," By Kenneth Vatan-Woodall, Sheila Vatan-Woodall, United States

INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
"Project Fog," By Adva Reichman, Israel

FIRST PRIZE:
"The Shell," By Hakan Ünal, Turkey

VORTEX HORROR/SCI-FI SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
"Ghost Species," By Justin Hayward, United Kingdom

FIRST PRIZE:
"Writer's Retreat," By Jennifer Potts, United States

JAMES L. SEAVOR LGBTQ SCREENPLAY
GRAND PRIZE:
"He Hangs Brightly," By Daniel Talbott, United States

FIRST PRIZE:
"I am Yusuf," By Zain Sheikh, Pakistan

RI SPOTLIGHT ON NEW ENGLAND
GRAND PRIZE:
"Anna and Ahana," By Tanni Chaudhuri, United States

FIRST PRIZE:
"TOMAS," By Robert Bedick, United States

BEST TELEVISION PILOT SCRIPT
GRAND PRIZE:
"Versions," By Craig Reynolds, Ireland

FIRST PRIZE:
"Still Life," By Duncan Putney, USA

BEST SHORT SCRIPT
GRAND PRIZE:
"Entrance of Pink Elephants," By Tatiana Fedorovskaya, Russia

FIRST PRIZE:
"Rosa," By Ferran Navarro-Beltrán, Spain

SCREENWRITING DISCOVERY AWARD
GRAND PRIZE:
"MILA," By Bella Ramsey, United Kingdom

FIRST PRIZE:
"Rear," By Edward Worthy, United States

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The 2020 Finalists Announced:

A Tent on Jupiter | Writer: Derek Nicoletto, United States

Alec Guinness: A Kind of Victory | Writer: Bill Baxter, United States

Anna and Ahana | Writer: Tanni Chaudhuri, United States

Bleed Just Like Us | Writer: EZEKIEL Jeremiah WALKER, United States

Blood and Ash | Writer: Kenneth Sanabria, Costa Rica

Blue Jay Singing in the Dead of Night | Writer: Dale Griffiths Stamos, United States

Braddock | Writer: Gregory Caruso, United States

BRITANNIA GEARS | Writer: Alfred Thomas Catalfo, United States

Coffee with Squid | Writer: Alexander Hadley, United States

Dear Lola | Writer: Emily Fairweather, United Kingdom

Deluge | Writers: Kenneth Vatan-Woodall, Sheila Vatan-Woodall, United States

Dogwood | Writer: Joshua Marion, United States

DUNCAN | Writer: Joseph Dionisio, United States

Elemental | Writer: Jonathan Hall, United Kingdom

Entrance of Pink Elephants | Writer: Tatiana Blintzer (Fedorovskaya), Russia

Face Painters | Writer: Giovanni Sanseviero, United States

Ghost Species | Writer: Justin Hayward, United Kingdom

Great White | Writer: Justin Memovich, United States

Gretchen | Writers: Jeffrey Kerr, Joe Barajas, United States

Grynszpan/Thompson | Writer: Hal LaCroix, United States

Gunpowder | Writer: Damian Hussey, Australia

Guacamole Yesterdays | Writer: Hudson Philips, United States

HE HANGS BRIGHTLY | Writer: Daniel Talbott, United States

HEDY | Writer: Natalie Alison, Austria

I am Yusuf | Writer: Zain Sheikh, Pakistan

I Know How To Swim | Writer: Cheryl Lewis, United States

Ignorance Is Bliss | Writer: Patrick J Grizzard, United States

Impaired Innocence | Chandra Gerson, United States

Leadeth | Writer: Edward Balli, Canada

MILA | Writer: Bella Ramsey, United Kingdom

Notes from Paris | Writer: Cloe de la Vega, United Kingdom

Of Saints & Scholars | Writer: Amy N Allen, United States

Project Fog | Writer: Adva Reichman, Israel

Rear | Writer: Edward Worthy, United States

Renaissance Man | Writer: Robert Tolz, United States

Rosa | Writer: Ferran Navarro-Beltrán, Spain

Santeras | Writer: Yerania Del Orbe, United States

Scrubs - My Impossible Decision | Writer: Brian Michael McDevitt Jr., United States

Sequoia Blue | Writer: Josiah Signor, United States

Still Life | Writer: Duncan Putney, United States

The 211 Home | Writer: Jim Huggins, United States

The Breeze of Fire | Writer: Ali Javad, United States

The German King | Writers: Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Matt Feit, United States

The Ghost's Writers' Workshop | Writer: Philip C. Sedgwick, United States

The Last Schubert Hotel | Writer: Sean Patrick Hennessy, United States

The luck of the draw | Writer: Julia Antuerpem, Brazil

The Mind Electric | Writer: Johnny Coffeen, United States

THE SHELL | Writer: Hakan Ünal, Turkey

Ticket To | Writer: Qiancheng Guo, United States

Tomas 6_2020 | Writer: Robert Bedick, United States

Undercurrent | Writer: Debby Huvaere, United States

UNDERTAKEN | Writer: Alix Reeves, United States

Versions | Writer: Craig Reynolds, Ireland

Visceral Fatherland | Writer: Lele Park, United States

Writer's Retreat | Writer: Jennifer Potts, United States

THE WINNERS OF THE 2020 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON OCTOBER 30, 2020

ABOUT THE FLICKERS: RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), has secured its place in the global community as the portal for the best in international independent cinema, earning the respect of domestic and foreign filmmakers, filmgoers and trend watchers. This confluence of art and commerce brought together world-class celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members in record numbers last year. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animation and Documentary Short Film Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Canadian Screen Awards. There are only 10 film festivals worldwide that share this distinction and RIIFF is the only festival in New England. The Festival takes place every August.

The next Festival will take place August 9-15, 2021. 

2020 Sponsors:

• InkTip Script Listing: A listing of your script on InkTip so that producers and reps can find you.

• InkTip Magazine: Publication of your logline in InkTip's magazine sent to nearly 15000 producers and reps.

• InkTip helps writers sell their scripts and get representation. Producers have made more than 200 films from scripts and writers they found through InkTip.