Riversong (TV Hour)

By Minka Bleakley

In a desperate bid to continue her research and effectively change the world, a young scientist escapes with a billion-dollar seed patent to the commune where she was raised, unwittingly entering into a dangerous world fraught with power politics, eco-terrorism, and new-age ritual.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Minka Bleakley is an Australian-American writer and director currently based in Sydney, Australia. She graduated from Bard College with a BA in Film and Electronic Arts, and graduated with Honors from Columbia University with an MFA in Screenwriting. Her work addresses the female experience, tackling such topics as motherhood, relationships, and societal expectations of womanhood and gender. Her films have screened at the Academy qualifying Seattle International Film Festival and beyond. During her time at Columbia, Minka was awarded the Teaching Fellowship, was the recipient of the Sloan Foundation Treatment Grant, and the Indian Paintbrush Grant. Her latest film, After Dark, stars Pauline Chalamet and McKinley Belcher III. Minka is currently in pre-production on a proof-of-concept short film for her feature, Bite the Hand.

New Hampshire Boy (Feature)

By Patrick Clement

With a cross country trip less than a week away, two homeless punk rockers come to a crossroads when sexual exploration and street violence test their complicated friendship.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Patrick Clement is a Kansas-based screenwriter and filmmaker. His short films have screened at festivals in the US and around the world including Reykjavik International, Bolton, Cardiff, Uppsala, Dances with Films, Cucalorus, the Florida Film Festival and more. His film ‘Rabbits’ won Best Student Short at the New Hampshire Film Festival and his Columbia thesis ‘Three Corner House’ (starring Orange is the New Black’s Michael J. Burg) won Best Actor at the Tallgrass Film Festival for newcomer Ty Baumann’s portrayal of a sexually adventurous teen in the subversive drama about family secrets. His feature screenplays have been finalists at Screamfest, Nashville Film Festival, and in the top five on the Blacklist’s real-time Screenplay List. He’s a seven-time Kansas Press Association Award winner, a Catwalk Artist Residency fellow and a card-carrying member of the Wichita Postcard Club.

Cicada (Feature)

By Jade Edwards

A humanitarian journalist grappling with the grief of her recently deceased twin brother takes a holiday with her fiancé to meet his parents at their home in Monaco. But paradise is fast lost when a boat of African refugees wash ashore, prompting her into an investigation that will uncover the dark underbelly of human trafficking.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Jade Courtney Edwards is an English-Irish writer/director hailing from London. She is drawn to stories concerning humanitarian issues and her work reflects an acute interest in moral ambiguity, social injustice, underdogs, outsiders and female-driven narratives.

She is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she obtained a BFA in Film Production with a minor in Entertainment Business from Stern School of Business. She is a current scholarship recipient of Columbia University's MFA program in screenwriting and directing. She has been selected as a BAFTA 2020 Newcomer.

Jade started her film career as a creative executive for Pandemic Films and co-produced their debut feature starring Jeremy Irons. She has worked on projects with Smuggler, Sony Screen Gems, Nu Image, SHFT, and Deltree.

Between Heaven & Here (Feature)

By Jon Lazar

When Joel's father disappears in the middle of the night in what seems to be a spell of Alzheimers confusion, Joel searches for the truth down a rabbit hole of paranoia and finds secrets about his mother and father that he wasn’t ready for.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Jon Lazar is a Los Angeles-based writer/director from New York. He graduated Columbia University where he obtained an MFA in Screenwriting/TV Writing. Jon's work tends to focus on character-driven drama & genre pieces.

Prior to Columbia, Jon worked as a Zamboni driver which he used as source material for his short film, Zamboni, which premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival. He currently works in post-production for David Fincher's Reset Content.

"Not Our People" (TV Hour)

By Jon Lazar

A young Mexican-American Border Patrol agent is forced to confront the rift between his heritage and nationality when his girlfriend's illegal immigrant father is forced to cross the border in order to return to the United States.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Jon Lazar is a Los Angeles-based writer/director from New York. He graduated Columbia University where he obtained an MFA in Screenwriting/TV Writing. Jon's work tends to focus on character-driven drama & genre pieces.

Prior to Columbia, Jon worked as a Zamboni driver which he used as source material for his short film, Zamboni, which premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival. He currently works in post-production for David Fincher's Reset Content.

Heaven Forbid (TV Half-Hour)

By Lia Nies

When a narcissistic billionaire unexpectedly dies, he talks himself out of Hell and into Purgatory, where he must complete Earthly missions answering trivial prayers deemed “God’s spam mail” as punishment.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Lia Nies is a writer whose passion for storytelling is rooted embracing the unconventional. After receiving her BA in Psychology from University of South Florida, she realized she would rather write satirical comedies about the human condition than attempt to understand it. Her work focuses on off-beat characters whose perceived differences ultimately help them create meaningful connections with others. In addition to comedy, Lia enjoys writing psychological thrillers that aim to fight the stigma around mental illness.

While attending Columbia University’s MFA Film program, Lia was among the few selected to pitch an original pilot to executives at HBO’s Pitch Workshop. Her pilot High Priests was a quarterfinalist in the 2017 BlueCat Screenplay Competition, reached the Second Round of the 2020 Austin Film Festival, and received Faculty Honors in the 2020 Columbia University Film Festival. Her pilot Heaven Forbid reached the Second Round of the 2016 Austin Film Festival and recently received Faculty Selects in the 2021 Columbia University Film Festival.

Boy on Fire (Feature)

By Alies Sluiter

BARB (40’s), is a drifter who takes a teaching position at the juvenile state prison, where she’s tasked with rehabilitating CAIN, a 17-year-old who murdered a female classmate when he was twelve. An unlikely bond develops that causes both of them to question how they came to be who they are and seek redemption for their actions.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Alies grew up in Australia on a farm with no electricity and enjoyed an international career as a violinist and AACTA nominated composer before becoming a filmmaker. She’s a Berlinale Talent Campus alumna, a 2020 BAFTA Newcomer, a John Monash Scholar and graduate of the MFA in Screenwriting from Columbia University, where she was awarded a Screenwriting Fellowship.

Her short Ayaan, has been nominated for over 20 awards and won 15, including Best Student Director from the Australian Directors Guild, Adelaide Film Festival Audience Award, National Board of Review Motion Pictures Award, Grand Jury Prize at the South Australian Screen Awards, IFP Audience Award and the Adrienne Shelly Best Female Director Award.

Her screenplay Boy on Fire won the 2020 Arthur J. Harris Memorial Prize. 

Sunday Money (TV Hour)

By Cole Smith

After ending her marriage to a top ranked NASCAR driver, Melissa must rebuild her career as a driver manager with a reckless newcomer.

An excerpt from this project will be performed as part of Screenwriting Night on Friday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET

Cole Smith is a filmmaker from Charlotte, NC. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as an Air Force officer from 2012 to 2017. During that time, he worked as a nuclear weapons operator — working nearly 300 shifts in underground missile silos across Wyoming and Nebraska where he oversaw the targeting, maintenance, and security of up to 50 nuclear weapons.

Cole is the recipient of the 2021 Sloan Screenplay award for his feature script “Damascus,” which tells the true story of a 1980 Titan Nuclear Missile explosion.

Cole is the lead Virtual Reality director at the Emmy nominated VR production company Moth+Flame. He also works closely with Arts in the Armed Forces, a non-profit founded by Actor Adam Driver that brings world class story telling to military audiences.