11/1/98 - Philadelphia, PA. The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema
presented by International House is pleased to announce the seventh annual
"Set In Philadelphia" Screenwriting Competition. The Competition is
co-sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Film Office and is open to all
screenwriters nationwide. All genres of screenplays are eligible and will be
judged on their overall quality and the extent to which they tell a "genuine
Philadelphia story." Screenplays should capture the spirit, characters and/or
locations of the region.
The winning screenwriter will be awarded $5,000 in prize money, a
professionally-cast live script readings of their screenplay at the Nuyorican
Poets' Café in Manhattan's Lower East Side, and also one at The Lab at Mike
Lemon Casting in Philadelphia. There will also be a special prize of $1,000,
the Irene I. Parisi Award, awarded to an outstanding writer under 30 who has
not won the competition. The award is made possible through the generous
contribution of screenwriter, novelist and playwright Stephen J. Rivele in
honor of his mother, Irene I. Parisi (1925-1964).
Deadline for entries is January 26, 1999 (postmarked or hand delivered).
The winning screenplay will be determined by a panel of industry
professionals who have lived in Philadelphia, or have strong connections to
the region. Judges for last year's competition included: Steve Rivele,
Screenwriter (Nixon) Michael Schiffer, Screenwriter (Crimson Tide, The
Peacemaker, Colors, Lean On Me), Richard Suckle, Atlas Entertainment (Twelve
Monkeys, Fallen), Jonathan Cohen and Jeffrey Clifford, Blue Guitar Films
(Safe Men, Broken Giant), and M. Night Shyamalan, Writer/Director (Wide
Awake, Praying with Anger).
Entries must be accompanied by a signed entry form, brief synopsis and an
entry fee of $35. Entrants wishing to be considered for the Irene I. Parisi
Award must be under the ago of 30 as of April 30, 1999, and are also eligible
for the main prize, but can not win both.
For competition guidelines and form, interested screenwriters should send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope to: "Set in Philadelphia" Screenwriting
Competition, International House, 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
19104-2415. They can also visit http://www.libertynet.org/pfwc/sip to view
rules & regulations, criteria and to download an application, email
[log in to unmask], call (215) 895-6593 or 1-800-WOW-PFWC.
The 1998 winner of the "Set In Philadelphia" Screenwriting Competition was
Robert Palumbo for his screenplay CHIAROSURO, the story of 19th century
Philadelphia painter Thomas Eakins, mostly through the memory of his widow,
Susan. Robert Palumbo's first feature film, Fallout, debuted at the 1995
Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema and has since screened at the
Edinburgh, Chicago and Palm Spring Film Festivals.
The winner of the Irene I. Parisi Award went to Hugh Sterbakov for his script
West Philly, a compelling drama in which friends are torn apart when racial
tensions rise. Twenty-four year old West Philadelphia native Hugh Sterbakov
is a graduate of Ithaca College, and is currently enrolled in the graduate
program in screenwriting at UCLA, having placed as a finalist in the
highly-competitive Disney Fellowship contest.
The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema is an annual, citywide celebration
of cultural diversity and artistic excellence highlighting the best of recent
and classic world cinema. The eleven day festival, presented by International
House, features premiere screenings of international and American independent
productions, tributes, workshops, forums and parties. The eighth annual
Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema will take place April 29 to May 9,
1999. International House of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization
dedicated to increasing intercultural understanding.
The Greater Philadelphia Film Office works to promote and market Philadelphia
as a location for film and video productions and to foster the development of
the local production community. The Film Office serves Southeastern
Pennsylvania, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia
counties.
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