(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- On Saturday, April 22, Montclair Film held the Awards Ceremony for the second annual Emerging Screenwriters Competition. All the finalists were celebrated at a Red-Carpet Reception at Cinema505. The Grand Prize-winning script was read at a professional table read, and all winners and finalists received professional script notes from the judges.
Montclair Film’s Emerging Screenwriters Competition celebrates the work of screenwriters who are in the 8th through 12th grades. The emerging screenwriters’ screenplays represent a wide range of styles and voices that showcase the diverse talents of young people who are using story to express themselves.
The screenplays are submitted in a variety of genres including Comedy, Drama, Action/Adventure, Sci-fi/Fantasy, and Horror, and were adjudicated by a jury of screenwriting and filmmaking professionals.
“These students continue to impress me with the quality of their scripts. We are thrilled that we at Montclair Film can celebrate and showcase their hard work through this competition each year.” commented Education Director Sue Hollenberg.
“This year’s emerging screenwriter competition proved, once again, that our young New Jersey writers are dedicated and passionate— all of the judges agreed that these students were writing far beyond their years.” stated Ryan Moore, Montclair Film’s Education Program Manager.
Submissions for the 2024 Emerging Screenwriters Competition will open in November 2023. For more information, email [email protected].
Grand Prize Winner: Michael Liotta, Glen Ridge High School - 9 Years
Drama: Sam Zaslow-Braverman, Golda Och Academy - Palate Absentia - Winner
Emily Kalosieh, Waldwick High School - The Trouvaille Times of the Paralian and an Altruist
Amelia Knapp, Montclair High School - Deathrow
Santiago Tapia Torres, Cooper City High School - Acceptance
Comedy: Logan Corea Hinojosa, Bloomfield Middle School - The Art of Inconvenience – Winner (tie) and Michael Liotta, Glen Ridge High School - 9 Years – Winner (tie)
Grace Szostak, James Caldwell High School - Meet Cute
Horror: Luis Zonenberg, Klein High School - Face the Light - Winner
Mia Petrous, Passaic County Tech - My Friend Sophia
Romance: Emily Kalosieh, Waldwick High School - Recurring - Winner
Amelia Knapp, Montclair High School - Would you love me?
Jose Santos, Donald M. Payne Tech - Two Straws, One Milkshake
Michael Liotta, Glen Ridge High School - Rat Face
Sci-fi/Fantasy: Rebecca LeMoult, Ramapo High School - The Last Day of Earth - Winner
Alix Seidma, Morris County School of Technology - Wilted Flowers
Elian Saldivar, Passaic County Tech - Over This Reality
ESC Judges
Jessie Gant – Freelance Writer and Script Coordinator for DreamWorks, Disney Channel, Disney+, Amazon, and Warner Brothers. Masters in Producing and Writing for Television from Boston University.
Tim Greenberg – Writer and Creator of the Netflix series “Living With Yourself”, also known for writing and producing “The Detour” and “The Daily Show”.
Ryan Spindell – Writer and Director of “The Mortuary Collection”, “The Babysitter Murders” and writer/producer for the show “50 States of Fright”.
Susan Skoog – Program Director for Screenwriting, University of the Arts. Writer and Director of “Whatever” and “Breeding Grounds”.
John Rotondo – Screenwriting Professor at University of the Arts and Writer of “The Garden Left Behind” and “Resemblance”.
Evan Dickerson – Screenwriting Instructor and former curriculum coordinator with Montclair Film. His production and writing credits include: “Good Friday”, “A Revolution”, “Split Ends”, and “Disarray Days”.
Ryan Moore – Education Program Manager with Montclair Film, Screenwriting Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and writer/director of “Marijuana Minutes”.
Montclair Film, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization connects filmmakers from around the region and world with audiences by presenting films and year-round programs that engage, educate, and entertain through the power of visual storytelling. In addition to owning and operating The Clairidge, Montclair’s six screen art house cinema, the organization also hosts the annual Montclair Film Festival which will take place from October 20-29, 2023. Montclair Film is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all programs are made possible with funds from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism, as well as the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, among many others. Montclair Film provides unique and meaningful ways to engage with diverse, creative, and sophisticated audiences and seeks sponsors for its signature film festival, educational programs, and other year-round community events that attract more than 46,000 annual attendees and generate more than 800 million media impressions yearly.
PHOTOS BY Kareem Wilder
