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. ---- To sign off SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]