RIIFF Announces Winners for its

2007 Screenplay Competition

Rhode Island screenwriter wins the top prize for the international contest

PROVIDENCE, RI • This year¹s top prize in the 2007 Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) Screenplay Competition will go to a scriptwriter with local roots. Cranston,RI native Joel Davis, along with his writing partner David C. Matthews, have won the Grand Prize in the contest for their screenplay "Last Ride of the Valkyrie."

“Our judges loved the script,” commented Adam Short, manager of the screenplay contest.  “So it was pleasant surprise to learn that one of the writers had a local background.  There is a lot of film talent in Rhode Island, but it often doesn’t receive the national recognition that it deserves.  Our Grand Prize will go a long way in helping to remedy this discrepancy.”

Screenplay judges poured through over 200 entries this year that came in from across the globe. Each submission was analyzed and scored according to a set of five criteria, including Characters, Dialogue, Setting, Plot, and Technique.  After much reading and deliberation among the judges, seven prizewinners were chosen.

“RIIFF is an internationally know festival, but recognizing our local talent is one of our top goals,” explained George T. Marshall, Executive Director of the film festival. “This year we have three writers- including the Grand Prize winner- with a connection to our state. It’s very exciting.”

The 2007 prizewinners are:

Grand Prize

“Last Ride of the Valkyrie” by David C. Mathews and Joel Davis from Los Angeles, CA

When Valhalla is destroyed, Thyvalla the Valkyrie must battle the evil deity, Loki, to retrieve the fabled Odinstone.  Thyvalla’s quest takes her to modern day Earth, where she meets a student of Norse mythology, who accompanies her back to the ruins of Valhalla to aid the Valkyrie in her epic struggle.

First Prize
“Dramatis Personae” by M. C. Brennan from Ventura, CA
A transgendered High School actor and the troubled new kid in town begin a scandalous love affair- pushing sexuality and gender to the breaking point to discover where acting ends and real love begins.

Second Prize
“The American Family” by Adam Moore from Los Angeles, CA
The husband of a U.S. President, miserable with his life in the White House, defies his wife’s political  agenda and embarks on a cross-country journey to find his estranged teenage son.

GLBT Prize (Barren Branches Screenplay Competition)
“A Year at Sea” by T. Gates Councilor from Mystic, CT

A newly widowed woman discovers her teenaged son is gay.  Both struggle to overcome their own self-doubts and prejudices to repair their relationship.  Yet, tragedy and betrayal looms threatening to drive them apart forever.

Rhode Island Screenwriter Prize
“Kate  & Co.” by Scott Parrish and Chad Gilkison from Sunnyside, NY
Everyone in Bristol, Rhode Island knows Kate as a long lost relative trying to make a new start in this quaint, franchise free town.  But, would the town approve approve if they knew her true identity as the front-woman for Organic Hearth, a coffee conglomerate taking root in their backyard.

Honorable Mentions
“Salsa con Fusion” by Jonathan Newman from London, UK
A spicy tale of love and Physics set in Puerto Rico.

Children of the Asylum” by Anthony Demmings from Providence, RI
Set in the 1940’s, a young, unwed woman from a prominent Newport family must decide whether to relinquish her baby to a local orphanage.

Prizes to be awarded to the winners are worth over $20,000 dollars in value and include: software from Final Draft magazine subscriptions from MovieMaker Magazine and Creative Screenwriting, web placement services from Inktip.com, listings from Sell-a-Script, and free passes to the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival and ScriptBiz Screenwriter’s Workshop. The Grand Prize winners will be flown to Providence to attend the 2008 ScriptBiz program, where actors will give scenes from her screenplay a live reading.