Screenwriting : Contests by Kimberly Kaplan

In general it's the real truth. A screenwriter (who is not producing their own work) needs someone to push your script forward. An agent, a director, a producer. Making a movie is not a solo effort, it takes a village. So you have to know someone. That doesn't mean you have to know someone today - it means you have to make contacts. That someone will not fine you, you need to fine that someone. An excellent, well written script that has characters that will attract top on screen talent is a huge help in finding that someone who will push your screenplay forward.

Screenwriting contests and film festival selection are two entirely different things. Even festivals like Austin that promote both are run and reviewed by two different groups of people. If the question is about favoritism in screenplay competitions -- I can tell you with that it is HIGHLY unlikely for a number of reasons. Competitions have several rounds of readers, so a first read may get a NO but the 2nd could overturn it and vice versa. Most don't have identifying names on the files, and most are assigned and sent or uploaded electronically. (When scripts were printed readers had to be local to the comp and go in a sift through the stacks, that hasn't been the case for years.) Also, most comps don't allow a reader to submit to it. Even online submissions such as Amazon, that go through a reader/review evaluation, do not give the evaluator the choice of material. The bottom line is that the more respected contests (there are probably 5 tops) have a reputation at stake and way too many submissions to play favorites.

Thanks for your comments.

One of my scripts is a semi finalist in a film festival, and I know no one. Keep pressing on.

If there is a contest or film festival where one of the judges admits that it's not about the quality of the entries but "who you know" or more "who knows you", that information should be out there. That contest is a fraud. Part of what I do is uncover these frauds in the industry, and that would be important information to know. I am aware of a highly respect contest (not by me) that utilizes "judges" who have never, ever written a screenplay- in a screenplay contest! The point is people pay to enter, and if they're not getting a fair shake because they've not networked as well, or this is their first screenplay, then this is wrong on many levels, including criminally. So the short answer to your question is "NO". If you've been around, making friends, making enemies, and entering contests, it's highly likely that you and your reputation are going to be known by members of the festival or contest (and everywhere else in the industry, frankly). Using a pseudonym and a special email addresses for these purposes can protect you somewhat, but it's human nature for some personal name recognition to have an effect. I've judged contests and saw many names I recognized, but I was surprised how poorly they wrote more than the opposite, so it made it easy not to pass them up the ladder.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply, Geno.

I'll say it all depends of the situation.