2018 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition Quarterfinalists Announced
by ScreenCraft on January 23, 2019
Listed below are the quarterfinalists of the 2018 ScreenCraft Cinematic Short Story Competition, selected from roughly 1200 submissions. We’re excited to be exploring these excellent stories and to have received a slate of compelling works.
This year's jury is comprised of editors from The Paris Review, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Granta Magazine, as well as an O. Henry Award-winning novelist and short story writer.
Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement of the semifinalists, finalists and winners here and on our Twitter and Facebook pages within the next few weeks!
If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries in 2019, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.
Here are the quarterfinalists:
| 1932 | DC Diamondopolous |
| 2004 | Jonathan Christian |
| #deathies | Jake Arky |
| 120 Seconds | Gordon Sun |
| 17 Sheikh Hamza Street, Cairo - | Avraham Bar-Av |
| A Breton Homecoming | Peter James Quirk |
| A date with a bullet | Romario Ashley |
| A Debt to the Dead | Cary Christopher |
| A Good Funeral | Craig Weeden |
| A Narrow Divide | Sofia Ashdown |
| A Plain Silver Ring | Derek Bowers |
| A Saturday | Neville Dastoor |
| A Seat at The Window | Herb Jordan |
| A Story of Firsts | Amy Whitaker |
| A Struggle for the American Dream | Mary Vela |
| A Turn of Events | John Tanner |
| A Walk in the Park | John Laws |
| A.C.E. | Scott Marshutz |
| Dženeta Means Heaven | Nicole Starrett |
| Acting II | Lorraine Martindale |
| Action and Reaction | Joel Doty |
| Adelaide | Amy Lambert |
| Afternoon Stroll | Damond Fudge |
| Alligator Wrassling: The 90s | Ann Cassin |
| Amethyst Kane | Julie Garcés |
| Among The Women | Selaine Henriksen |
| An Ophthalmologist and a Surgeon Duel with Sabers | Austin Ratner |
| Another Statistic | Travis Richardson |
| Arabian Knight | David Anderson |
| Arachne | Jason Huls |
| Attention | Marianne Rogoff |
| Based on a True Story | Paul A. Mendelson |
| Battle of the Four Seasons | Lydia Conklin |
| Be Yours to Hold | Nic Cohen |
| Best Kept Secret | Julya Oui |
| Better Late | Paul A. Mendelson |
| Big Country | Anna Forsyth |
| Birth Day | Amy Hogarth |
| Birthday | Melanie Flores |
| Black Box | Marina Hatsopoulos |
| Black Orchids: A David Milton Adventure | Antoine Devine |
| Black Prince | Jonathan Swords-Holdsworth |
| Blonde Noir | DC Diamondopolous |
| Blue death | Garth Scott |
| Bound | Joe Pezzula |
| Brazil and Back | Ben Hinshaw |
| Brothers | Daniel Boucher |
| Buggy, A Fictional Account of Generational Family Abuse | Timothy J Richards |
| Bury Me In The Garden | Kevin Lavelle |
| Bus Ride to Minot | Greg Stidham |
| But The Darkness Is For Our Imagination | Michael Crame |
| Butterfly | Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel |
| By the Light of the Fireflies | Marjorie Florestal |
| Candy Juice is Okay With It | Tracy Schumer |
| Captain Arnold and the Zantharian Invasion | Arthur Doweyko |
| Cathy | Jennifer Maimone |
| Charlie's Bridge | Russ Meyer |
| Chasing Hyde | Sven Safarow |
| Chastity | Ellie Black |
| Choking on the Light | Mark Zipoli |
| Chrome Bumpers | Timothy J Richards |
| Citrus Seed | Enrique Rosado |
| Collateral Damage | David Burton |
| Conference of the Birds | Huda Razzak |
| Consequences | Emi Cohen |
| Continuance | Irina Ivanova |
| Crossroads Diner #225 | Pamela Canepa |
| Crowned | Marjorie Maddox |
| Cyndie's Star Hollow | Stacey Parshall Jensen |
| Dani | Soudhamini Soudhamini |
| Danny | Jack Steeley |
| Dark as Hell | Sheldon Woodbury |
| Day Dreamer and the Sleeping Giants | Barbara Layman |
| Dear Ex | Sheila Marbella |
| Deepwater | Samsun Knight |
| Devotion | Julia Winn |
| Dilemma on Mars | Fred Shackelford |
| Doctor Terror | R.J. Begiebing |
| Dot: A Mother's Story | William Gilmore |
| Double Nickel Jackpot | Mike Tuohy |
| Eastfield | Svitlana Kochman |
| Emanuel's Trenches | Alexander Sikarevich |
| eMiosis | Peter F. Wolf |
| Entourage | RoseMary Griffith |
| Eternal Recurrence on Waikiki Beach | Michael Ostrowski |
| Expunge | Harris Kauffman |
| Fake Pigs | Jason Dennis |
| Family Tree | Bruce Beresford |
| Fanta | Landa wo Landa wo |
| Feeding The Comebacks | M. Naomi Warner |
| Final Bell | Damond Fudge |
| Flower Behind her Ear | Andrew Stiggers |
| For the Dillettante | Eric Mulder |
| Freeway of Love | Alida Thacher |
| Frigid pines | Joseph Vranas |
| Gardening for the Apocalypse | K.F. Whatley |
| Genesis | Sagar Jose |
| Girls and their Instincts | Olivia Sulkowicz |
| Go Home | Sohrab Homi Fracis |
| Hadal | Kohl Jordan |
| Hauntings | Sheila Thorne |
| Hidden Persuaders | Peter Kettle |
| Higher Love | R. Kerry |
| Hill 145 | Ruth Edgett |
| Homelost Ones | Mary Bergida DeLuca |
| Honesty | Matthew Robinson |
| Honyockers | Kelly Simmons |
| Hot Cockles | Rachel O'Hara |
| I am/I said | Paul A. Mendelson |
| I Think We're Alone Now | David-Matthew Barnes |
| In Jesus I Trust | Keith Jenkins |
| In the Blood | Jack Halliday |
| Infinite L&G | Shirley Petro-Timura |
| Injun | Jessica Marsh |
| It's A Hard Cow | Terry Jordan |
| Izzy Tells No Lies | P James Norris |
| Joy Writing | Esty Loveing Downes |
| Judging Solomon | Mary Oleske |
| Juliette | Taylor Sutton |
| Jump | Susan Kim Campbell |
| Just Facts | Sarah Mosseller |
| Karma Is a Large Flightless Bird | Ryan Curtin |
| Killer by Moonlight | Nicholas Yanes |
| Kist | Marie Wilson |
| Leaving | Maria Anderson |
| Let's Get Lost | Gordon Neufeld |
| Let's Live in Crazy Town | Jackie Bateman |
| Lieutenant Nakamora’s Third Kamikaze Mission | Steve Hrehovcik |
| Life Inches | P.D. Platt |
| Look Away | Matthew Haynes |
| Lorelei | Sabrina Mock-Rossi |
| Lost And Found | Ray Clark |
| Machines for Singing | Nick Wray |
| Madame | Barbara Shulgasser-Parker |
| Mangrove Trunk | Leea Glasheen |
| Marion's Marseilles | Jack Mayer |
| Maris on a Mountain | Will Silverman |
| Marked | Sheila English |
| Mary Angela's Kitchen | Karen Chase |
| Master of Rods and Strings | Jason Harris |
| Me and Bobby Snow | Carla Deterding |
| Me Too | Jude McGee |
| Messin' with His Head | Damond Fudge |
| Milk | Justin Joyce |
| Moonshine | Michael Aloyan |
| Mrs. Padgett's Pearls | Joe English |
| My Double Dutch Girl | Gila K. Berryman |
| Naja | Peter Kettle |
| Near Miss | Carol Dines |
| Negotiating the Narrows | Mike Tuohy |
| Night of the Full Moon | Jack Mulcahy |
| Nobody's Child | Marie Davidson |
| Oculus | Janet Swinney |
| Of Aphids and Ants | Narena Olliver |
| Of Ice and Snow | Chloe-Lynn Russo |
| Offsides: The College Football Revolution | Ron Turner |
| On the Properties of Things | Mary Barnes Jenkins |
| On the Side of the Angels | David Anderson |
| Once a Cellist | Will Pei |
| One of Us | David Tran |
| One Star | Tim O'Leary |
| Onryo | Travis D. Roberson |
| Our Lady of the Bass Boat | Mike Tuohy |
| Ourwhere | Tia Levings |
| Paintball | Robert Morgan Fisher |
| Panopticon | Kevin Kneupper |
| Paris Nocturne | John Bateson |
| Peach Cobbler | Deesha Philyaw |
| Pearl: You are Cleared to Land | Deanna Edens |
| Penny | Dan Finn |
| Perfect Trifecta Woman | Stephen Leach |
| Phaedra Swerves, Jukes, and Dunks on Death | Ron Austin |
| Pieces of Paradise Found | Yvette Kromann |
| Pillow Talk with Pablo | Helen Beer |
| Pink | Marsha Rosenzweig Pincus |
| Pink Like Candy Floss | Janet Ritchie |
| Plus The Universe Is Trying To Kill You | Jim Foley |
| Primitive | Emily Pease |
| Princess Pride | Nori Nettleton |
| Pulp Noir #1 A Perfect Night for Redemption | Chris Mata |
| Quality of Life | Christine Sneed |
| Queen of the Zombies | Alec Sillifant |
| Rachel Isum Robinson: Film Clips from My Life | Marjorie Maddox |
| Remembrance | Helen Beer |
| Requittal | Peter Fernandez |
| Restricted Fantasies | Kevin Kneupper |
| Return to Cinder | Kristy Tate |
| Riding with James Dean | David-Matthew Barnes |
| Roach Coach Confidential | Jason Gelt |
| Road to Zanzica | Phyllis Zimbler Miller |
| Rosegrove Recovery | Kerry Broderick |
| Rugaru, Montana | Harrison Demchick |
| Rumspringa | Kevin Kneupper |
| Runner | Elaine Dodge |
| Second Chances | Jessica Wabler |
| Second Wife | Tiffany Ezuma |
| Secrets | James Gallahan |
| Seven-Pointed Star | Heather MacDonald |
| Sharp Money | Brian Condike |
| She's Really Quite Normal | Melissa Benedict |
| Sheriff | Bryce Berkowitz |
| Shine | Donnelle McGee |
| Shoot | Susan Lowell |
| Sick Robot | D.C. Lozar |
| Silver Lake | Terry Connell |
| Six Steps | Sean Lester Durham |
| Snow Angels | Mitch Wieland |
| Solomon's Choice | Richard Geiwitz |
| Spectral Echoes | Eric Frost-Barnes |
| Spiral Bound | Tracy Schumer |
| Split Key | John Rosenberg |
| Stage 28 | Ray Clark |
| Stepping Out | Mandy Vicsai |
| Still | Billie Urabazo |
| Stitch | Bryce Berkowitz |
| Stop! | Sevgi Ikinci |
| Sub Night | Gina Mulligan |
| Swamp Girl | Ruth Knafo Setton |
| Swimming and Fucking | Kerry Russell |
| Tears for Lucifer | John Laws |
| The App | S.T. Ranscht |
| The Ark | Lori Stansal |
| The Battle of Melcher Hall | andrew orillion |
| The Beach at Narbonne | Nick Wray |
| The Blaming Heart (Or: Love in the Time of Nixon) | Emily Pease |
| The Brass Ring | Alle C. Hall |
| The Bucket | Jonathan Escoffery |
| The Cabin | Matthew Roderigues |
| The Canadian Sergeant | Unnamed |
| The Caregiver | Jim Gourley |
| The Case for Psychic Distance | Jennifer Hanno |
| The Children of Niobe | Cynthia Millen |
| The Choreographer | Will Pei |
| The Clever Chamberlain | Petra Winters |
| The Closet Monster | Kristina Banks |
| The Coach | Keith Elias |
| The Commander | David Altman |
| The Copenhagen Incident | Herb Jordan |
| the day the guinea pigs went missing... | Chad Broughman |
| The Deer's Cry | Sally Younger |
| The Devil's Proof | Kelly Fordon |
| The Disappearance | G.G. Silverman |
| The Driver | Matthew Kaler |
| The Education of a Naval Officer | Kevin Arnold |
| The Flowers Are Dead | Reva Santo |
| The Game | Mark Havlik |
| The Golden Arowana | Will Pei |
| The Good Parent | Dustin Grinnell |
| The Grass Oceans Beyond | Anthony Howcroft |
| The Healing Tree | Theresa Williams |
| The Horses | Sheila Thorne |
| The Inheritance | Raymond Warrillow |
| The Keys | Bob Bowersox |
| The Last Fare | Sam Beach |
| The Last of Rita Margarita | Lisa Reily |
| The Lord of Misrule | Ray Clark |
| The Man Who Struck Out Joe DiMaggio | Richard Geiwitz |
| The Many Deaths of Thurgood Marshall | Christian Waugh |
| The Meal | Carl Innes |
| The Mirror | Faisal Azam |
| The Monster's Girlfriend | R.C. Goodwin |
| The New Pantheon | Stan Werse |
| The Nothing Man | Ken Hanson |
| The Owl Girl of Myrddinswood | A. Roz Mar |
| The Profiler | Chris Ossman |
| The Purification | Tim OLeary |
| The Road So Black and Narrow | Kat Lewis |
| The Russian & Aunt Sophia | Rita Moreau |
| The Safety of His Gun | Alexander Sikarevich |
| The Salvation of Theron Connor | Bob Bowersox |
| The Sarajevo Plan | George Mano |
| The Shadow of Destiny | Melissa Benedict |
| The Shore | Maximino Diaz |
| The Son You Bore for This (or Goodhenge) | Porter Huddleston |
| The Starmaker or The Adventures of Poka | Marc Aronoff |
| The Story | Sam Herzog |
| The Sundowner | Danny Yang |
| The Tale of Roxy Shell | Melanie Brown |
| The Taste of Memory | Tristan Marajh |
| The Third Woman | Miriam Kuznets |
| The Trouble | Thomas O'Rourke |
| The Universal Balance | Patrick Finley |
| The VIP Club | Sheldon Woodbury |
| The Waiting Room | Keely Kalirai Cairns |
| The Wedding Photographer | Robert Guffey |
| The Wiring | Michael Long |
| The Witch of Burgess Ave. | J. Patrick Henry |
| This Sword for Hire | Gregg Chamberlain |
| Those Who Leave | Michael Choi |
| Threadbare | Mandy Vicsai |
| Through a Broken Window | L.F. Falconer |
| Together: Forever and Always | Autumn Riddle |
| Tredecim | Devon Mattys |
| Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning | Deborah Riley |
| Twenty-Seven Mood Swings To Moab | Hal Ackerman |
| Twin Threat | Jared Cappel |
| Twitcher | Blake McCallister |
| Two Heads are Better than One | Mark Robyn |
| Two Point Oh | Austin Ratner |
| Uncle Tom | Dolores Smith |
| Under Attack | Dennis Michael McNamara |
| Underneath It All | Sarah Lane Davidson |
| Unthinkable | John David Taylor |
| Until We Close Our Eyes | Nina Roselle |
| Uriah's last rite... | Chad Broughman |
| Vermont Rocks | Guy Prevost |
| Virtues of the Robin | Riley Helm |
| Waiting for Spiro T. | Ciro Scotti |
| Waiting For The Big One | Catherine Shorr |
| Wake Up | Micki Voisard |
| Walker | Leonard Dawson |
| Waterloo | Richard Hoffman |
| We Live Here | Jarrett Kaufman |
| Weightless | Tracy Schumer |
| What the eyes see | Kevin Longfield |
| What You See Is What You Get | Amisha Patel |
| What's The Worst That Could Happen? | Jude Lutz |
| Wild Beasts | Richard de Forest |
| With Special Guests | Seamus Heffernan |
| Wonderland DownUnder | Corinne MacKenzie |
| World Without End | Siobhan Barry-Bratcher |
| Yagruma | Rosa Soy |
| Yoyo and Toothman | Erni Johnson |
| Zei Gezunt, Hammerin' Hank | Chanan Beizer |
For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Get Our Screenwriting Newsletter!
Get weekly writing inspiration delivered to your inbox - including industry news, popular articles, and more!
