2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinalists

The Atlanta Film Society is honored to reveal the 215 screenplays advancing into the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Semifinals. The following 105 feature film scripts, 70 pilots, and 40 shorts represent the top 10% of the 2,135 total entries. In addition to a cash prize, their authors are competing for once in a lifetime mentorship opportunities. Please join us in celebrating the amazing accomplishment these talented scribes achieved, and wish them well as they continue to compete for the distinction of being named Finalists and Winners!

Feature Screenplay Semifinalists

1 BLACK GIRL'S FAIRYTALE by Celeste Banks
ACROSS THE VEIL by Alainna MacPherson
ADULT SUMMER CAMP by Amanda M. Miller
ALLIGATOR WOMEN by Rachel Hoiles Farrell
ANN LOWE by Rodney Wilkins
AUGUST JIG by Abraham El-Raheb
BAND OF MISFITS by Manny Fonseca
THE BATTLE OF EVERMORE by Bill Burton
BEAST OF VIRGINIA by Matthew Corley
BETWIXTMAS by Cheri Steinkellner
BEYOND THE PALE by Jared Faircloth
BLACK DOLLAR by Sharif Duncan
BLACK SANTA by Parco Richardson & Aiden Chapparone
BLACK SKIES by J. Ryan Briggs
BLOOD AND THE RYE by Rajiv Shah
BLUE COMEDY by Vincent Accettola
A BOXED LIFE by Frank Mendicino
BUDDHA'S SHADOW by Pattana Thaivanich
CICADA SUMMER by Andrew Adams
THE COFFIN CLUB by Joel David Santner
COME SAIL AWAY by Cheri Steinkellner
COME TUESDAY by Jason Holmes
CONSPIRE by Aaron Strand
COP KILLER by Greg Goodness
CRADLE SONG by Celeste Chaney
DA CLUB by Christopher Celestin
THE DEATH OF ME! by Debra Jarvis
DEATH, GHOSTS, & OTHER STUFF by Shannon Walsh
DIARY OF A MUSLIM CYNIC by Sarah Mokh
DON'T GLORP MY HEART by Avery Girion
THE DREAM JUMPER'S PROMISE by Kim Hornsby
ELLA & MARILYN by Jon Davis
THE EXIT COUNSELOR by Andrew Adams
FIREBIRD by David Jones
THE FIRST PENITENT by Josh Jacobs
FLASH CARD by Joseph Stephen Meadows
FOLLOWING THE TRACKS by Hailey Escobar
FREELANCE by Mike Gerbino
FULFILLMENT by Jeremy Christensen & Kevin Human
GO-LOVE-GO by John A. Griffin
GORDITO by Miguel Castillo
GORE VIDAL by J.R. Howell
GUYS ON SATURDAY NIGHT by A. P. Hello
THE HAGUE MOTHER by Dave Moutray
HE HAD HIS FATHER'S EYES by Bryan Liberty
HIGHWAY 83 by Anthony Rainone
HOUSTON: THE MAN WHO LYNCHED JIM CROW by Gregory Lemmons & Marc Theriault
I LOVE YOU, MARGOT ROBBIE by Sav Rodgers & Taylor Gates
INCARNATIONS by Albert M. Chan
INVISIBLE by Laura Carson & Krista Gano
IT CLINGS TO HER by Ariel Sinelnikoff
IVY by Kayla Hardy
A LABOUR OF LOVE by Olga Holtz
THE LAST LOST BOY by Mike Cochnar
LONG WAY HOME by Jamaal Pittman
THE LOST CAUSE CHATELAINS by Chris Marchesano
MADE WRIGHT by Tedros Habib
MAIN DRAG by Ryan Thorsen
MAKE BELIEVE by Brit Cowan
MEATLESS by Adam Pasen
MEETINGS WITH MARTY by Gregor Nicholas
MEG AND THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF BIBLE DRILL by Kyle A Smith
MESTENGO by Theresa A Carey
MIA'S ACCIDENTALS by Gina DeAngelis
MILES AWAY FROM HOME by Brit Cowan
MINNESOTA NICE by Jonquil Goode
MUSKET AND THE RAT by Adam Pasen & Sammy Horowitz
A MYSTIC FOG I CARRY by Yen Huang
NOT SUPER by Ethan Schneier
ONE-NIGHT STAND by Shaneequa Cannon
PERDIDO by Eduardo Maytorena
PERSEPHONE by Katherine Hill
THE PLUTOCRATS by Alison Lani
THE PURPOSE OF A LIGHTHOUSE by Gabe Berry
QUEER KAFIR by Danial Gondal
RADICAL by Jackie Ferro
READ BETWEEN THE LINES by Adante Watts
A REAL MAN by Magda Pazdej
RHYTHM by Liz Lachman & Cynthia Greening
RISE & GRIND by Levi McCachen
RUBY SAFEWAY by Amanda Biggs
SAFE SPACE by Madeline Rooks
SCOUT'S HONOR by Cynthia Mersten
SELKIE STORY by Fairlith Harvey
SENT AWAY by Joel McElvaney
SERIAL by Robert Benjamin
SNURSE - A MAGICAL, MAGICAL FAIRYTALE by Maxwell Alexander Drake
ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN by Jon Alston and Ron McCants
STANDARD DEVIATION by Will Downs
STATE LINE by Joe Brener
SUNFLOWER by Zac Cannon
SUNSET LANES by Elena Weinberg
THE SURVEILLANCE OF ORDINARY THINGS by Susan Brunig
TAKETH AWAY by Angel Partie & Michelle Sauer
TECHNICOLOR NOIR by Madison Sean Flannery
THE THING ITSELF by Desmond Coleman
TIME ZERO by Carlo & Erin Carere
TRAPPED by Robby Justiss
TRIP by Shannon Sipher
THE UNDEFEATED MAN by Joel Fishbane
THE UNTOLD TALE OF MORGAN BERKELEY by Simon X. Frederick
WEST OF LEONA by Christopher Thompson & Brian Cobos
WHIRLWIND by Monika Moreno-Lapp
WHITTIER by Manny Fonseca
WILD HEARTS by Jessica Rowlands

Pilot Screenplay Semifinalists

THE 40 by MB Stevens
ALEXANDRIA by Diego Sacramento
ALWAYS BLUE by Taylor Coriell
ANGEL OF SKID ROW by Aaron Michael Bailey
BACK FIRES by Alex Blumberg
BEFORE CRAZY COMES by Julie Starke
BLACKSEED by Nova Black
THE BLUE HOUR by Dralla Aierken
BOOM LAGOON by Shaun Radecki
BRAINDEAD by Valerie Parker Bodurtha
THE BROAD IN THE HUDDLE by Alexis Irvin
BROCK WILBUR: ADVENTURE PIG by Lukas Ridge
CHARCOAL by Manivone Nonthaveth
CHASING SUNSET by James L. Head
CHIKAMATSU ENDGAME by Federico Sanna
CHRISTMASTOWN by John Knauf
COLORLESS by Tom Kalaj & Jason Reif
CYBERPINK by P.A. Lopez
DARYL & D0R15 by Lukas Ridge
(DIS)ORGANIZED by Adam Pasen & Sari Sanchez
ELIZABETH LACEY by Butterfly Cherry
EXONERATED JUSTICE by Kristy Thomas
FAMILY BUSINESS by Mia Volta
FERGUSON by Jon Alston
THE FORGOTTEN PLACE by Jeff Locker
FREE SPIRITS by Katharine Densmore
THE GAYEST TOWN IN NORTH DAKOTA by Tyler Geditz
HEGEMONY by Christian Maxwell
THE INDUSTRIALIST by Vikas Bandhu
JAW CRUSHER by Santiago Fernández-Concha
KAIJUS & YOUS by Benjamin Lewis
KUMO by William Dobson
LA SIRENE by Nathalie Dortonne
LIBERTY: AN UNTOLD STORY by Kaifa Dennis & F. Ford Dennis
THE LIVING by Christopher Gallegos & Brandon Martin
LOBSTER ISLAND by Chris Willis
MATCHED by Estee Williams
MELANIN by Mark St. Cyr
MURDER-IN-MARSH by Elisabeth Hayward
OTTOMAN by Cindy Matta
OUR BODIES & OTHER SHAMES by Malka Wallick
QUEENS by Anika Shakir
QUEER AND SOUTHERN GOD by Shawn-Caulin Young & Melisse Prusinski 
QUIETUS by Priscilla Estrada
RACE & DARK ROYALTY by Natty James
THE RADICAL by Stephanie Stanley
THE RECOVERY AGENTS by Marco Santiago
RED, WHITE, & BLACK by Steven Anthony Washington
THE REPUBLIC OF WEST FLORIDA by Sam Jay Gold
ROOSEVELT by Audrey & Hallie McPherson
ROOT by Katherine Street
SAVAGES by Liz Fields
SEAFOAM by Abraham El-Raheb
SECONDHAND PAWN by Steve Holbert
SILICON WIVES by Leah Dubie
SPECIAL by Jeff Locker
ST. CASTRO ST. by Kirsten Cornay
STATE OF NATURE by Conor Canning
SYMBIONTS by Johnny Gilligan
TAMBER DAWN by Benjamin Lewis
THE THREE OF US by Janna Jilnina
TRIPPING by Joseph Scott Ford
UNCLE BIKE by Joslyn Jensen
UNEDUCATED by Octavia Clahar
UNTIMELY by Allison Sanchez
THE VILNA CHRONICLES by Ira Fuchs
WALL OF SLEEP by Stephanie Stanley
WHERE LIGHT HIDES by Yvonne Paulin
WOLF'S HEAD by Samuel Anderson
YONGE STREET STRIP by Lisa Gold

Short Screenplay Semifinalists

1996 by Ra A. Hearne
AFTERLIFE by Carolyn Elsey
AREZOU by Sarah Chang Tadayon
BANDIT by Ali Keller
BETTY ANN by Barbara Weetman
BLACK BUTTERFLIES by Tamara S. Hall
BOMB GIRL BALLET by Jennifer Giacalone
CHOPPED by Quenten McNair
COPAL by Kiki Tsakalakis
THE ELEPHANT KING by Pier Paolo Piccoli
GAY, ASIAN, IMMIGRANT by Ushmey Chakraborty
GOOD GIRL by Haley Dercher
GROUP THERAPY by Evelyn Anna Danciger
HAROLD, ELECTRA AND OUR LORD, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH by Kirsty Zane
IDENTIFICATION by Larry Collins
JUST LIKE SARAH by Jessica Rowlands
KENNEDYS DON'T CRY by Francesco Capussela
MRS. ANNE PARKER by Elisabeth Hayward
MY BLACK FRIEND by James Martin
ONE WHO KNOWS by Shiloh Nyce
OURS by Julie Cohen
THE PEOPLE OF LONG, LONG AGO V. CATERPILLAR by Shaun Radecki
PERMISSION by Joe Capucini
A PICKLE AND A COKE by Alex Kokenis
PIECE OF CAKE by Jamaal Pittman
PLATYPUS by Michael Mau
PONTUS by Nicolas Diaz
THE PORTER AND THE STONE by Nuh Omar
REAL GOOD AT BEING ALONE by Carly Kimmel
REGARDING THE PAIN OF OTHERS by Phil Vengrinovich
A ROBIN'S CALL by Tim Dann
SCARRED by Laura O. Solow
SHARDS by Carolyn Elsey
SONS OF TOLEDO by Matt Foss & Monty Cole
SUNKEN MEADOW by Courtney DeStefano
TO HAVE & TO HOLD by Ali Keller
TREE O' MINE by Bernhard Riedhammer
THE UNTAMED by Olga Holtz
WHERE PENGUINS LAY by Solomon Amadiume
WHO WE ARE by Kagure Kabue