One of our most challenging competitions yet, hundreds of writers across Write the World entered their burgeoning films to our Screenwriting Competition this March!
Guest Judge Zoe Cheng described the winning pieces as "heart-wrenching," "lovely," "magical," "sharp," and "precise." Read on to discover the winning pieces, plus Zoe's glowing commentary!
Winner:
“Fish Creek,” by Lily_ (New Zealand)
Within just a handful of short scenes, this piece does a fantastic job at painting a portrait of three children: two young sisters, and the refugee boy they find playing in their creek. Each character's point-of-view feels so distinct and palpable, and the writer does an incredible job of portraying very tough worldly themes through the eyes of the children dealing with them. Even the action lines really stand out here: "Her hand traces the sky where the stars burn." I loved the parallel of the two sisters and Minh both dealing with father figures who aren't there. It was especially heart-wrenching toward the end, when Minh starts to cry for his father. This piece is lovely, almost magical in feel, perfectly capturing what it's like to be a very young person trying to make sense of a horribly complicated world. Excellent, excellent job!
Runner-Up:
“Confessions of Dying Men,” by Luna-ze-Tuna (Australia)
I found this piece both incredibly sharp and deeply profound -- pulling off the difficult task of combining high stakes with dark, sardonic comedy. It really worked, starting out with a scene of all these men sitting in a windowless truck, and us only slowly piecing together the circumstances of their situation and the inevitable fate that awaits them. What stood out most to me in this piece is the dialogue -- it felt grounded and real, especially so when the men are poking fun at Senka at the beginning (Boris: "This guy here wants to see outside."). Good dialogue almost immediately transports us to a place and time, and this piece does an excellent job at that! I found it a little difficult to piece together the larger metaphor the story is trying to pose at the end... but overall the pacing, suspense, and tone of this piece are so deftly woven together. Wonderful work!
Best Peer Review:
“A humbling meet,” reviewed by Aaranya (India)
I felt that this peer review of "A humbling meet" was thoughtful, precise, and constructive -- it is so clear that the reviewer took their time to analyze and probe through every story element contained within this short piece. I thought that the reviewer accurately diagnosed an issue I noticed in "A humbling meet" as well: that the piece requires more specific moments of action to convey what's going on in the protagonist Leela's mind. And I also loved how the reviewer praised the moment toward the end of the piece, where Leela returns to the diner and how this symbolizes her character choosing to accept her hand in life. This review was a perfect mix of analysis and constructive feedback, a great way to both bolster a writer's confidence as well as provide them with a specific path forward toward improvement. Excellent work overall!
Piece Finalists:
“A Late Morning Caller,” by Michael W. (United States)
“Life Is Written In Graphite,” by Pippa-the-bear (United States)
“Where the caterpillar disappears,” by Vibez (New Zealand)
“The Brief Autopsy of a Mary Jane (Doe),” by Valery Liang (United States)
“The Sky's Egg,” by p1n-3y3 (United States)
“The Tragedy of Marcus Augustus,” by The Karst (India)
Peer Review Finalist:
“Jellyfish: An Animated Film Script,” reviewed by MDWords (India)
