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)

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

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

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

"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