Carrie’s Catalogue of Amazing Successes

Compiled by Carrie Wachob

 Welcome to news from far and wide about film work by our community.

Written and directed by NYC’s Shari Carpenter, romantic comedy THREE’S COMPLICATED premiered January 13 on TVOne.

The film features a dynamic cast, including Charles Malik Whitfield (Empire), Leland Jones (Greenleaf), Shari Headley (The Haves and the Have Nots), and Yohance Myles (Shots Fired). 

Shari had this to say about the long road to production - and the benefit of not giving up:“In spring of 2011 I wrote the first draft of 'Three's Complicated' (it had a different name at the time). It wanted to be a theatrical release when it grew up.The folks at TV One always loved the script and said if I wanted to do it as a MOW they'd be on board. And finally after 7 years of almosts and not quites and ‘yeah buts’ on the theatrical front, I finally took the universe's hint: go where the love is and now my baby premiered on TV One on January 13th.” Congrats to Shari and lift a glass to the team at TV One!

LA’s Austin Kase’s short film ANOTHER GIRL is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

And Alum Alicia Keyes brought Netflix to Albuquerque! As Director for the ABQ Film Office, Alicia brought the deal in, helped put together the financing package from the City and State, and will oversee the partnership of behalf of the City.

Valerie Dalena’s script FINA'S CHILDREN (formerly REST IN PAIN) was Grand Prize winner at the 2018 New York Metropolitan Screenwriting Competition! The script was consequently read by A24 and others. She has also been hired (details under wraps for the moment) to co-write MIMOSA PRECIOSA,  “a crazy fantastical road trip unlikely love story.”

Short film SYLVIA, written and produced by Angela Page, premiered at the California Women's Film Festival on January 11!

Quebec’s Daniel Watchorn has been busy! He wrote the short documentary EMPTYING THE TANK, directed by longtime collaborator Caroline Monnet. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Daniel also co-wrote a short that will be part of a compilation film called LES SEPTS DERNIÈRES PAROLES (Seven Last Words), and he recently did an interview with Criterion regarding his horror film THE BLACK CASE.

New Zealander Anita Ross recently finished post-production on an anthology feature that she co-produced. They’ve had their cast and crew screening and are now heading into the strange waters of movie sales. “ENCOUNTERS is directed by fresh, exciting Wellington voices, interweaving different genre takes on chance meetings changing lives - for better or worse. Eight stories, one film and always one step away from love or death.”

James Repici recently directed a music video for Thomas Giles (from the band Between the Buried and Me). "We used an old 1960s-era broadcast TV camera - not so nimble, and VERY finicky, but it produced some strange glitch effects. Exciting and nerve-wracking submitting control to the thing. At one point it stopped working altogether. The result was cool though… and strange."

Writer/filmmaker Devi Snively has launched film site BEYOND THE BECHDEL to facilitate public discussion about gender/race/sexuality representations in media. Devi is inviting guest bloggers, conducting interviews with underrepresented voices in the film world, and highlighting writers/directors and their work. Incidentally this is not exclusive to females, and will include a diverse range of voices to highlight feminist-friendly film folks/storytellers and their work. Please reach out to Devi if you would like to participate!

Stacey Davis and Jen West made a short film together! Please check out their Facebook page Cherry  (and Instagram and Twitter) if you want to follow their festival run!

Mugs Cahill (2d from Right) and 2019 ISA Fellow Diane Lansing (Right) were both named Top 25 Writers to Watch in 2019 by the International Screenwriter’s Association (ISA).

Tricia Lee (SPOKEN) (Left) and Elise Salomon (INSIDE) (2d from Left) were recognized by The Bitch List

Dagmar Blommaert’s video game MARIE’S ROOM has been nominated for the 2019 Belgian Game Awards! Dagmar also recently started game studio Like Charlie (check it out!) and has been hired as lead writer for Mantis Games (JOURNEY FOR ELYSIUM)!

Dina Fiasconaro was selected to participate in the Saul Zaentz Innovation Labs, part of the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund in Film and Media at Johns Hopkins, with her feature film script DAYS IN THE WAKE. The Innovation Lab consisted of four days of intensive one-on-one meetings with industry mentors, including Mary Harron (director - I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho) and Radha Blank (screenwriter and producer - She's Gotta Have It Netflix series). Participation in the Innovation Lab qualifies Dina for potential funding up to $75,000 for her script.

Cat Dale has been hired to write a feature film for ELEVEN ARTS Studios in L.A. (details under wraps for the moment)! Cat also received an assistant professorship at Montana State University to teach film!  

Martha Swetzoff’s THE FUGITIVE GAME, a PAGE quarter-finalist, was recently accepted into the IFP No Borders International Co-Production Market!

2018 Tangerine Fellow Melody Cooper is writing a film with award-winning director Sebastian Silva! Her short documentary DETAINED also won an Award of Excellence from the Docs Without Borders Film Festival, and her musical SHOW WAY (adapted from the children's book) is having two regional productions in 2019! Melody was also interviewed recently by ScreenCraft as an up-and-coming horror screenwriter.

Jackie Perez had an essay on silent era screenwriter Ida May Park published in the book "When Women Wrote Hollywood: Essays on Female Screenwriters in the Early Film Industry" via McFarland Press, and her screenplay treatment AMAZING GRACE, a biopic based on the life of Grace Hopper, made it to the 2nd round of the Sundance Sloan Commissioning Grant.

E. Napoletano recently signed with Industry Entertainment! They also advanced in the Cinestory TV Retreat competition, and made finals in the WeScreenplay Diverse Voices competition!

Debi Yazbeck recently produced and directed short film OUT OF THE WALLS! Debi is also writing her latest feature with the mentorship of literary manager Dan Seco of Schemers Entertainment.

Clare Sladden to make her feature directing debut on thriller SHADOW LODGE! Read more about it here.  Clare was recently awarded a place in the Screenworks (TAG) Directors Pathway Program, and was also part of the Screenworks’ 2018 “Inside the Writers Room,” where she sat in with the Goalpost Pictures writers room.

Jude Lutz was honored to be chosen this past June to participate in the 2018 Athena Film Festival TV and Screenwriting Lab for her one hour TV pilot PYTHON. The script has been picked up by veteran producer Carol Baum and currently has interest from a studio (details can’t be disclosed quite yet!), and her theatrical play AMERICAN DINER was just invited to participate in Ensemble Studio Theater/LA for their 2019 Winterfest reading series!

2018 PAGE fellow Susan Brunig’s short film LIFELINE (produced by Afterwork Films) started its festival run at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema! It also took home a Best Actor Award (Hugo Carbajal) at the XicanIndie Film Festival held at the Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center in Denver.

And finally, back with Mugs Cahill (ALLYSONS WONDERLAND) and New Orlean’s Leslie Nipkow (SALT OF THE EARTH). Both made it to the second round of the 2019 Sundance Institute!

Have something to share?

We want to crow about you, so please reach out to Carrie!

Congratulations to all. Well deserved, strong showing, and keep pushing forward. Bending the world through story.

Finally, a quick note to alumni in the house:

Are you a member of our Stowe Story Labs Alumni House FB page (open only to lab alumni)?  As we dive into 2019 wearing our screenwriting speedos, a quick reminder that our Facebook space is great for sharing, collaborating, and soliciting feedback/notes on films and scripts.

Want to form a new writers group or find fellow festers? That’s the place (and reach out to Katerina  or Carrie if you need help sharing/connecting). Also, ask Kat or Carrie for access to the alumni map - our community plotted around the globe. Don't be shy - dive in!