A huntsman battles a brutal winter and the spirits that inhabit the forest around his family’s home.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Val Cole
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Matthew Toffolo, Rachel Elder
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editors: Kimberly Villarruel, Kyle Drier, John Johnson
Festival Directors: Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Denissa Palmer, Temitope Akinterinwa, Efren Zapata, Zack Arch
Argentinian writer Gabriel De Lara receives national success with his novel, but in the wake of tragedy he struggles to produce the next best-seller. When a young, Canadian translator shows up at his door, he immediately recognizes that she is different. Catherine’s intentions are unclear at first, but she becomes instrumental in his creative process, forcing Gabriel to witness the real-life manifestation of his mythological protagonist, Urraca.
CAST LIST:
Interviewer: Isabel Kruse
Narrator: Val Cole
Paco: Ryan Singh
Gabriel: Jarrod Terrill
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Producer/Director: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Festival Moderators: Matthew Toffolo, Rachel Elder
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editors: Kimberly Villarruel, Kyle Drier, John Johnson
Festival Directors: Rachel Elder, Natasha Levy
Camera Operators: Denissa Palmer, Temitope Akinterinwa, Efren Zapata, Zack Arch
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-FI
Professor STEPHEN EMERSON (50’s) is obsessed with a book, THE DNALYM RHAPSODY, written by EDGAR GRAVES. It explains his theory of past lives and the ability of man to tap into his consciousness to see his or her other lives. One of Dr. Emerson’s patients commit suicide after it is believed that she saw into her past lives. Several years prior, Edgar, along with his colleagues, DAVIS, SUZANNE, and JULIO ran an experiment on a homeless man. Edgar has a secret lab and an extraordinary machine that allows the person to explore their past.
Visual Design by Kimberly Villarruel
Voice Actors:
Matt Barnes
Danielle Nicole
Val Cole
Geoff Mays
Esther Teeboo
Manny Pacheco
Produced by Matthew Toffolo
Life as we know it is thrown into question when a disparate group of young creatives attempt to unravel the multi-generational mystery surrounding the reemergence of a reclusive artist, one who aspires to save the world by forever changing the face of the planet.
CAST LIST:
Narration: Danielle Nicole
Miranda: Val Cole
Kita: Esther Thibbo
Visual Design by Kimberly Villarruel
Produced by Matthew Toffolo
Visual Design by Kimberly Villarruel
Produced by Matthew Toffolo
VOICE ACTORS:
Matt Barnes
Danielle Nicole
Geoff Mays
Val Cole
They want our garbage. They can’t have it.
Deep within the icy cloud layers of Neptune live the X-tonians: a mighty race of silicone-based lifeforms who regularly breathe a toxic mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. However, their world is dying. The factories of their highly industrialized society continually belch great plumes of clean air into the atmosphere bringing the X-Tonian race to the brink of extinction. In desperation, His Majesty King XYY9Z3 dispatches his horde of Receptacle Robots to Earth. Their mission: to liberate and harvest all of our garbage, toxic waste, and pollution, leaving a wake of clean destruction behind. And you might think we’d be okay with all that.
Elementary school principal living in Texas. Working on several novels and short stories. Published in The First Line Literary Journal.
It occurred to me about five years ago that we really needed a new robot invasion movie, but not one that was in any way believable. The golden age of science fiction was a time when we still believed that the solar system might actually harbor advanced civilizations. We transferred our Red Scare paranoia over to the safer alien and/or robot invasions scenarios in order to vent pent-up anxiety–much like today’s zombie apocalypse phenomenon acts as a somewhat silly substitute for the very real fear of total societal collapse underpinning its appeal.
Put another way, I miss the silly robot invasion genre. I wanted to write a script that harkens back to that time, and I failed. I ended up writing something else instead. I wasn’t even setting out to make an animated film, but that is clearly what ROBOTS FROM NEPTUNE is. Two more scripts are also underway: RFN2: The Venus Casino and RFN3: Pax Neptunia. I hope you enjoy the first installment.
Watch the September 2016 Winning Feature Screenplay
LUCIDAE
Written by Jacqueline Marett
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Val Cole
IMOGEN – Lauren Toffan
AZE-URE – Katelyn Vanier
SAM/WILSON – Mandy Magnan
NAVE-URE – Devin Upham
GERARD – Scott Beaudin
VARIOUS – Neil Kulin
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
LUCIDAE is an epic action packed romp about supernatural contact with another world. There are no space ships or robots – this is a sci-fi story that has more to do with ancient unified beliefs in Astral travel, dream walking and out of body experiences – what limits could space and time have in this kind of contact?
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Sci-Fi, Adventure, Fantasy
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Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
It is truly original. It is also not simply entertaining – it has many thought provoking elements.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Ground breaking.
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Blade Runner
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
3 years
How many stories have you written?
6
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
A deep dissatisfaction with the limited imagination of sci-fi so far generally, with very few notable exceptions. But also the knowledge that this was a totally new approach that has the potential to impact heavily on a huge international audience hungry for something different.
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Mainly time and financial – you have to pay your bills. Writing a screenplay on spec does not pay. So you are forced to balance it with a job that pays – this slows down progress and can be frustrating.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Loved ones. The wood where I live. Big issues like diminishing resources in an over human populated world, injustice. Cake 😉
Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Find an original story. Grow your sense of empathy to understand truly natural dialogue, use characters you know/witness and adapt/enhance them. Use small details to crystallise them. Don’t agonise and rewrite the same scenes over and over and get bogged down. Move on, get it all down, take a break then go back and do an entire polish. Lots of others but hell I am on a very steep learning curve myself…
*****
Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Editor: John Johnson
Casting Director: Sean Ballatyne
Watch the June 2016 Sci-Fi Best Scene Screenplay Winner.
FOR ALL MANKIND by Matthew O’Connell
SYNOPSIS:
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi
In this high concept, atomic-era, sci-fi adventure, a brilliant WWII veteran and his determined daughter lead a team of mercenaries across the globe in a race to recover a mysterious, supernatural artifact with the power to permanently alter the future of humanity.
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Val Cole
IVANA – Laura Darby
PRITCHETT – John Lester Phillips
BLAZANOV/ENU – Christopher Huron
ARTHUR – Jeff Sinasic
COLIN – Deney Forrest
MARy – Tracey Beltrano
Get to know the winning writer:
1. What is your screenplay about?
For All Mankind follows a brilliant, British WWII veteran and his daughter during the height of the Cold War as they attempt to solve an ancient mystery. They recruit an international team of mercenaries to travel to the ruins of Maya to recover a powerful, supernatural artifact before their Russian nemesis can claim it.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
This movie is just plain fun. It’s envisioned to be seen on a big screen surrounded by fanfare. It’s a classic, old-fashioned adventure that mixes in fresh, original sci-fi elements. I love each and every character in here, and it’s an escalating journey filled with surprise and action with plenty of levity. It captures the spirit of films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Kong, Stargate, Jurassic Park, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. I think fans of smart science fiction and big action will enjoy the ride.
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Astronomic adventure.
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Back to the Future.
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I’ve been working on this for about 1-2 years. It’s been through a lot of drafts!
6. How many stories have you written?
From shorts to features, probably dozens. For polished, marketable work, I have three features and two pilots.
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I wanted to write something that I would get excited about seeing in the theater if I heard about or saw a trailer for. I wanted it to be a big, fun, exciting movie that was also intelligent and emotional. I wanted to challenge myself to write something big, since most of my work is more contained.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
The first draft was over 160 pages and included a lot more mythology and locations and set pieces. I did a lot of research on the ancient civilizations mentioned in the script in order to make the mythology real and organic, and a lot more research on celestial and geographic events to make sure this story had a real, historical foundation. But I got consistent feedback that the deeper science and mythology were slowing the story down, so I had to cut a lot of it out. Maybe it’ll make the sequel!
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I have also produced and shot movies, so anything relevant to film/TV production is of interest to me. I’m interested in technology too, and write for a technology publishing company.
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
The affordable entry rate and quick turnaround were appealing. But more than that, I appreciate how the festival supports a wide range of written work, including fan fiction, shorts, and more. It’s great to see that. And everyone involved has been genuinely interested in making the work better and increasing its exposure.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Every writer is nervous about showing their work. Every writer also knows that they can revise and polish their work endlessly. The toughest part about being a writer is knowing when your work is strong enough to show to people without revising it for eternity. The more you write, the better those instincts get.
*****
Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
