I cried when I found out. I actually cried. The Ojai Film Festival named my feature screenplay, THE DRAGONS' CHOSEN, as "2024 Best Screenplay" for the festival this year-- that alone was astounding, to actually win a screenwriting contest-- but what moved me to happy tears was the prize: a table read of the full screenplay at the festival in November. Whaaat!?!
A table read is when actors perform a work with voices only, sitting at a table. A narrator reads the action lines in between the dialogue so the audience can follow the story. It's as close as you can get to the movie version without making the movie. (That might not be strictly true, but you get what I mean.)
What's so incredibly exciting is that my words, and Gwen's story (Gwen Dandridge wrote the award-winning YA novel I adapted), will be brought to life-- actors will speak the words, embody the story! And that's what a screenplay's wildest dream is, a collaboration of artists coming together live, to create a storytelling experience for an audience.
On Sunday, November 3rd, 2024 at the 25th anniversary of the Ojai Film Festival, my screenplay won't just be ink on paper anymore, it will come alive through skilled and talented actors and a director. I can't wait.
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