Submissions open for Ojai Film Festival Screenwriting Competition

Attention screenwriters! Submissions are now open for the second annual Screenwriting Competition for the 18^th Ojai Film Festival. 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 award 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.

“Our first year was a big success,” said competition chair Bruce Novotny. “The winner, Pearse Lehane from London, flew over to attend the table reading. With the talent in our area, it was easy for director Larry Swerdlove to cast for all 22 parts. The Screenwriting Competition is a new highlight for the Festival that we hope grows over the coming years.”

The Ojai Film Festival is an intimate 10-day event within easy reach of the film industry of Los Angeles. In its 18^th year, 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 of the Screenwriting Competition

• Screenplays must be original, or adaptations of material to which the writer holds the film rights.
• Feature screenplays only; must run between 70 and 120 pages and conform to industry standard formatting.
• A writer can submit as many screenplays as he or she likes, with a separate entry fee for each. Revised drafts of previously submitted scripts require separate entry fee.
• We seek screenplays that demonstrate technical mastery and storytelling genius: original stories about characters whose choices and journeys reveal profound truths about themselves and our shared human condition. We believe the best screenplays are:
  • insightful
  • compelling
  • emotionally satisfying
• Dramatic screenplays should be rich and purposeful; comedy screenplays should be funny.
• Other factors that may be considered during evaluation are: audience appeal, industry standards (budget, casting, genre), and technical proficiency.

Click here o learn more or submit a script.