After a huge number of submissions for New York Lift-Off Film Festival, here are the 5 screenplays officially selected to go forward onto the Network platform. Congratulations all! In order to read the screenplays, sign up to the Network here!
The Tooth Hurts – Christopher Kerr
SYNOPSIS: A new-arrival to a small Welsh community wrangles an emergency out-of-hours dental appointment. However, things are not as they initially seem – and his reckless, drink-driving past is about to catch up with him.
READ THE SCREENPLAY HERE
Lufthansa 181 – Jack Ecker
SYNOPSIS:In 1977, Palestinian terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa 737, taking ninety-one people hostage. Their demands: the release of twelve incarcerated terrorists and 15 million U.S. dollars. While a crisis team of diplomats raced against the clock to buy more time, a team of elite German and British special forces operators prepare to launch a daring raid and rescue the hostages.
Lufthansa 181 was originally written for a class at my university called “Writing the Adaptation” but it quickly became so much more as I truly fell in love with the story and knew that it had to be told. All my life, I have loved dramatic non-fiction films. While I enjoy some great original content, I truly believe the best stories are ones about real people overcoming real adversity. Lufthansa 181 is such a story. It follows a group of admirable characters, from dedicated civil servants like Hans, to unlikely heroes like Jurgen and Vietor. It is my dream that this script get produced so that more people know the heroic actions taken by the hostages, crew and the West German government’s response team during those tense five days.
The Guide – Henry Radoff
SYNOPSIS:Father and Son escape the Nazi occupation of Frieberg, Germany in 1938 by going over the Swiss Alps with their guide being a dog.
What was the inspiration behind this screenplay?
The script is based upon a true event as told to me by a Holocaust survivor. Most of the story was researched by me over a five year period. I taught a course at a local congregation for thirty years and have collected survivors stories during that time. This story was never told to the Shoah project so I decided to write and publish first the novel “Breaking Free, A Journey for Survival” and then the script based upon the novel. I wrote the script with the assistance of Kris White, a Los Angeles script writer.I always felt this script was ripe for production and entered it into numerous contest and it has won awards but only one expired option. I felt the project should be done over seas such as at Pinewood Studios.
The Unnaturals – DJ McPherson
SYNOPSIS: Extraordinary teen Ryder Clarke is on the run from the ruthless enemies that murdered his Mom. Changing his identity and moving towns, Ryder encounters his first love, the onset of powerful new abilities and a strange connection to four others who all share his incredible origins.
What was the inspiration behind this script?
The key concept was inspired by my love of comic books, graphic novels and YA fiction. The Unnaturals is not a superhero tale…. there are no superpowers, mutants or superheroes. It’s a gritty, action-packed, coming-of-age-story with real stakes, real danger, underpinned by a horrifying historical sci-fi mythology.
What are you looking for to take this project to the next stage?
The Cut – Christopher Kerr
SYNOPSIS:In a world without experts – where trope trumps truth – an unlikely male duo must find passage through the canals of post-apocalyptic London; to peace and freedom in the ‘Promised Land’ beyond – Bristol.