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Alumni in the Spotlight

Throughout the years, Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition has had the honor of recognizing, supporting and promoting the work of a wide array of diverse, talented and innovative writers

Previous Winners and Finalists

  • ​​Shia LaBeouf (SAG Award, People's Choice Award and Independent Spirit Award nominee)

  • ​Ron Friedman (Emmy nominee and WGA Award winner)

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  • Kent Moran (Feature films have been released by Warner Brothers, Netflix, Showtime, Paramount+, Starz, Apple, Hulu, Amazon, Hallmark, Lifetime, LMN, Regal Cinemas)

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  • Rosemary Griggs (2x Quarter Finalist, award winning author, published by Fence Publishing)

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  • Larry Collins (Emmy Award Winner, NBCUniversal/Peacock Network)

 

  • Jyllian Gunther (Emmy Award winner, producer for NBC, ABC, A&E), 

 

  • Henry Sarwer-Foner (Directors Guild of Canada Award nominee), 

 

  • Daniel Talbott (writer ABC's "The Conners", "The Mist"  produced by The Weinstein Company and Spike TV), 

 

  • Michael Vaynberg (writer/director Cannes Film Festival selection "9.8 m/s²"), 

 

  • Shruti Tewari (member of the Sundance Collab Directing Program), 

 

  • Ken Krauss (writer "Tom, Dick, & Harriet" - Hallmark Channel), 

 

  • Kevin Emerson (author of over twenty novels published by HarperCollins, Random House, Scholastic), 

 

  • Linda Shayne (writer/director "Undercover Kid" released by WARNER BROTHERS, HBO Family, "Little Ghost,” distributed by PARAMOUNT video airing on HBO), 

 

  • Chris Phillips (Finalist - Sundance Institute Development Track, Award for Overall Excellence in Playwriting-New York International Fringe Festival), 

 

  • Maia Henkin (Second Round Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, repped by Abrams Artists Agency) 

 

and many more...

 

TESTIMONIALS

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"Two of the agents I’ve practiced-pitched to have requested my script and one has followed up with a phone call to discuss representation. Your service is career-changing" - Nate Bynum (screenwriter)

 

"Since being a finalist with Big Apple, I was signed by A3 (Abrams) and have taken meetings with Starz, Lionsgate, and Anonymous Content (among others). I was also recently a Semi-Finalist for the Sundance Episodic Lab!" -Maia Henkin

 

"I wanted to thank you, I have signed with an agent. I met her because of the Big Apple Film Festival" - Andrea Careri (BAFF screenplay winner, Agents and Managers Conference participant)

 

"My feature script The Tenant recently became a finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival. This accolade moved my script onto Coverfly's Red List. This helped in querying representation and getting signed by a literary manager." 
-Janet J. Lawler

Alumni in the Spotlight

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