Screenwriting Competition
The winning script, judged by a panel of accomplished industry professionals, will be presented at the Festival as a table read by a cast of professional actors. The writer of the winning script will be honored at the Festival’s awards ceremony with a trophy and a gift certificate from LA production services firm Birns and Sawyer. In addition, the writers of each of the four finalist screenplays will receive Filmmaker passes to the Festival and recognition at the awards ceremony.
The Ojai Film Festival is an intimate four-day event within easy reach of the film industry of Los Angeles. The Festival has built a reputation for presenting world-class independent films to a savvy, sophisticated audience. The continuing theme of the Festival is “Enriching the Human Spirit through Film.”
Rules & Terms
- Eligibility: Screenplays must be original, or adaptations of material to which the writer holds the film rights.
- Length & Format: Feature screenplays only; must run between 70 and 120 pages and conform to industry-standard formatting.
- Multiple Entries: A writer may submit multiple screenplays (separate entry fee for each). Revised drafts of previously submitted scripts require a separate entry fee.
- What We’re Looking For: Technical mastery and storytelling genius—original stories about characters whose choices and journeys reveal profound truths about themselves and our shared human condition. The best scripts are:
- Insightful
- Compelling
- Emotionally satisfying
- Genre Guidance: Dramatic screenplays should be rich and purposeful; comedies should be genuinely funny.
- Additional Considerations: Audience appeal; industry standards (budget, casting, genre); and technical proficiency.
Full details and submission form available on FilmFreeway.
What Winners Receive
- Live professional table read at the Festival.
- Trophy presented at the Awards Ceremony.
- Gift certificate from Birns & Sawyer.
Finalists’ Benefits
- Festival Filmmaker passes for each finalist.
- Recognition at the Awards Ceremony.