Slamdance has announced the winners of its annual screenwriting competition, with Mike Ackerman’s feature-length screenplay “This End Up” taking home the top prize.
Slamdance announced the awards – which recognise writers in the categories of feature film, horror/thriller, TV pilot, short film and a special mentorship award – during a ceremony at the Westwood Landmark Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. In total, the organisation handed out more than $18,000 in prizes and industry services.
According to the official synopsis of “This End Up”, Ackerman’s winning screenplay follows “a sheltered man who lives his life literally and physically upside down. When he finally meets a woman who accepts him for who he is, her close-minded family has doubts about whether his condition will get in the way of their dream of an adventurous lifestyle”.
Commenting on Ackerman’s work, Anna Lee Lawson, director of the festival and screenwriting competition, said, “Mike’s script is a unique story of overcoming obstacles and using disability in a remarkably creative way.
Lawson noted that Slamdance received over 4,000 screenplay submissions for this year’s competition. “We were all more than impressed with this year’s submissions and the tremendous amount of creativity on display,” she continued. “The 2023 winners and their screenplays truly embody the spirit of Slamdance, taking risks and refusing to compromise. We are deeply honoured to welcome these writers into the Slamdance family.”
To support their burgeoning writing careers, the feature and horror/thriller winners are now eligible for membership in the Writers Guild of America West’s Independent Writers Caucus.
Elsewhere in the competition, Vanessa Magic won Slamdance’s Screenwriting Mentorship Award for her series pilot script “I Want To Be Evil,” about a woman who works as a data entry clerk at a company for bad guys.
“Our alumni are thrilled to mentor Vanessa Magic and value the fresh perspective she brings to the table,” said Slamdance Festival Director Taylor Miller, adding that Magic’s film “crafts a narrative that aligns brilliantly with our ethos of championing disruptive, transformative and innovative storytelling. Through her exploration of identity, legacy and the blurred lines of morality in a supervillain universe, Vanessa shows her mettle. We look forward to following the development of this promising series.
Previous winners of Slamdance’s screenwriting competition include Joyce Sherri, head writer on Disney’s upcoming series “Tiana”, and Tyler Tice, whose grand prize winning screenplay “Day Shift” was produced by Netflix and starred Jamie Foxx.
The top three scripts in each of the competition’s four categories were honoured by Slamdance. The winners are listed below:
Feature Film
1st Place: “This End Up” – Mike Ackerman
2nd Place: “Popcorn Prophets” – Reynaldo Leal
3rd place: Scraps – “Matthew Francis” – Ryan Nordin
Horror/Thriller
1st place: “Sundown – Nick Hurwitch
2nd place: “Purgatory” – Brian Schwab
3rd place: “07 Honda Civic” – John Schlirf
Drivers
1st place: “Do I Belong Here?” – Teri Rusike
2nd place: “Prey For Us” – Zoe Kerr
3rd place: “Ether Run” – Westin Lee
Short Film
1st place: “Free Martin” – Scott Thompson, Hayes Hart-Thompson
2nd place: “An Ideal Life” – Keegan Stull
3rd place: “Meat Baby” – Katherine Gauthier
