What's New, BlueCat?

The Official Newsletter of the

Bluecat Screenplay Competition

November 14th, 2013

2014 Call for Entries

Final Deadline is Tomorrow
November 15

Official Call for Entries

Entry Fee: $70 Features, $60 Shorts

This year, BlueCat establishes one of the largest cash prizes in the world for a Short Screenplay, with a Grand prize of $10,000, along with an increase in our Feature prize to $15,000.

Students will be eligible to submit their short screenplay at a discounted rate of $29 for the duration of the competition.

Each Short Screenplay submission will receive one written analysis, while each Feature Screenplay entry will receive two.

All submissions will be eligible for a Resubmission entry if received by the October 15th deadline.

Best Feature Screenplay

$15,000 Grand Prize

Four Finalists

$2,500 Prize

Best Short Screenplay

$10,000 Grand Prize

Three Finalists

$1,500 Prize

The Cordelia Award

Best Feature Screenplay from the UK

$1,500 Prize

The Joplin Award

Best Feature Screenplay from outside the USA, Canada or the UK

$1,500 Prize

SUBMIT YOUR SCREENPLAY

BlueCat Alumni Highlights

Each year, after our finalists and winner are announced, we start to field requests to read the top scripts from that year's competition. During those exciting times we do our best to support our writers. The same writers who have gone on to sign with UTA, CAA and WME, sold their work to studios like Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal, and won major awards at the Sundance, Berlin and Tribeca Film Festivals, all after being discovered by and winning BlueCat.

Below, you'll find a sampling of some our past finalists and winners, and their achievements since taking part in BlueCat. What's the common through-line in all of the stories from these BlueCat alumni? BlueCat was first to recognize their talents, and champion their work

Aaron Guzikowski - Finalist, 2005 - Interview

Aaron's the writer behind the film PRISONERS. The film opened at #1 at the box office in September, raking in more than $20 million. The film has grossed more than $60 million to date. Aaron is currently working on an original TV series for the Sundance Channel

Ashleigh Powell - Finalist, 2012 - Interview

Asleigh's script MALLPOCALYPSE earned her a spot on our list of finalists back in 2012. Since that time, her script SOMACELL landed on the Black List, then was purchased by Warner Brothers with David Goyer attached to produce.

Young Il Kim - Winner, 2006 - Interview

HYUNG'S OVERTURE took the grand prize in 2006. Kim's script RODHAM, about the life of Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 1970s, found its way onto the Black List in 2012, and is now slated for production with James Ponsoldt, of THE SPECTACULAR NOW, set to direct. Young recently won the 2013 Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant from Sundance, where he will write a biopic on Stephen Hawking.

Ana Lily Amirpour - Winner, 2007 - Interview

Ana Lily went on to participate in the 2009 Tribeca All Access program. Her winning script, THE STONES, also earned Ana Lily the 2009 Adrienne Shelly Fellowship before being selected for Fast Track at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival. Recently, Elijah Wood produced Ana Lily's A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, which is now in post-production.

Lance Hammer - Finalist, 2004

After the 2004 competition, Lance wrote, directed, edited and distributed BALLAST, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Lance won the Directing Award, and BALLAST was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. The film was also nominated for the 2009 Independent Spirit Award and Best Film at the 2008 Gotham Awards, where Lance won the Breakthrough Director Award.

Ryan David Jahn - Finalist, 2005 - Interview

After BlueCat, Ryan has gone on to tremendous success in the literary world. Ryan signed a three-book deal with Macmillan in December 2010. His crime novel "Good Neighbors," released in May 2011, has been chosen as a June selection by the Book-of-the-Month Club. He won the 2009 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award for his book Acts of Violence.

Jim Beggarly - Finalist, 2005

Jim had two features released in 2012: FREE SAMPLES which stars Jesse Eisenberg (THE SOCIAL NETWORK) and Jason Ritter (Oliver Stone's W.) and THE KITCHEN, which stars Laura Prepon (THAT 70s SHOW). Jim is repped by The Gersh Agency.

Andy Stock and Rick Stempson - Winners, 2005 - Interview

Andy and Rick's winning script, BALLS OUT: GARY THE TENNIS COACH, was produced and released by Sony in early 2008, starring Sean William Scott (AMERICAN PIE, ROLE MODELS). The duo's second produced screenplay, THE GOODS: LIVE HARD, SELL HARD, was released in 2009. The film was directed by Neal Brennan and starred Jeremy Piven (HBO's ENTOURAGE). Andy and Rick are repped by UTA.

Find a full list of past finalists and winners here, as well as other alumni highlights here.

BlueCat Screenwriting Workshops

BlueCat Screenplay Workshops are an intensive opportunity to certifiably improve your script in a small group environment, led by award winning screenwriter and BlueCat founder Gordy Hoffman.

Your script will be read in advance both by Gordy as well as the other workshop participants; everyone receives in-depth feedback on their script from a number of different perspectives.

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman has taught screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, as well as led workshops all over North America, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He has served as a panelist for the IFP Script to Screen Conference in NYC, Women in Film's Script DC Conference in Washington, DC, and the George Eastman House Film Festival, as well as a judge for the McKnight Screenwriting Fellowships in Minnesota. Gordy Hoffman founded the BlueCat Screenplay Competition in 1998 and remains its judge.

THE FULL SCRIPT WORKSHOP
Participants read all screenplays in advance of the workshop. During the workshop, Gordy provides direct and in-depth feedback on each screenplay, with everyone encouraged to contribute his or her own thoughts and concerns.

Each writer will leave with a great sense of what they can do specifically to improve their screenplay, as well as a better awareness of where they might properly develop as a professional screenwriter as a whole. Writers benefit from the direct focus placed on their screenplays by the workshop, along with the analysis of the other scripts.

Screenplays can be first drafts or rewrites, incomplete or partial, with first time writers and veterans all welcome. Scripts are due 10-14 days prior to the date of the workshop.

Note: Screenplays submitted to the workshop are not eligible to be entered into the BlueCat Screenplay Competition.

Regular Registration Option
Do you want to participate, but do not have a script to submit at this time? Regular registration for the workshop allows you to attend without submitting written material, read the scripts in advance and still participate in the discussion.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:

Los Angeles - November 24th - REGISTER