Byron Bay International Film Festival

Pim Hendrix : BBIFF SCREENPLAY CONTEST DIRECTOR announced the three winners of the script competition:

The pandemic may have brought the economies of many countries to their knees, but if the winning entries in this year’s Byron Bay Film Festival Screenplay Contest are any guide, it did nothing to dampen the creativity and brilliance of screenwriters.

In what has been a tumultuous year for everyone, it was no surprise that entries were a little down on previous years, but according to Contest Director, Pim Hendrix, the quality of the winning scripts were some of the best ever.

And this year’s winners made it a truly global celebration, with the top screenplays coming from the four corners of the English speaking world - Australia, USA and the UK.

This year’s winner, taking home the Grand Prize of $1000 AUS and the latest screenwriting software from Final Draft, was STORMS OF TOBRUK, a searing World War II drama set amidst the Siege of Tobruk in Libya in 1941 as the Germans swept across North Africa.

Written by South Australian writer, Christopher J. Morrison, this riveting, well-crafted and sparsely written saga follows the Heart of Darkness journey of an Australian Corporal, Douglas Gleeson, and touches on themes of courage, sacrifice, heroism, humanity, mateship, and beauty amid the horror and insanity of war.

Morrison grips the reader from the very get-go with his mastery of cinematic storytelling and delivers a powerful and gripping page-turner.

The second place getter is no stranger to our contest, having also won second place last year for his screenplay entitled LEASE OF NATURE.

Anderson Boyd from Raleigh in North Carolina couldn’t do one better this year, but his incredible Western MESCALERO was a worthy 2nd place getter again, showing his pedigree as a writer.

Mescalero is a gritty Western thriller about revenge and redemption with a dash of Carlos Castaneda thrown in for good measure.

In Anderson’s own words: “To fulfill a dying wish, a former US Marshall embarks on an odyssey across the Southwest. A band of fearsome outlaws shadow his every move, promising a final showdown with worldly implications.”

What is so stunning about Anderson’s writing in particular, is his incredibly authentic and entertaining dialogue, a real treat for any reader or actor to tackle.

Anderson wins the latest screenwriting software from Final Draft for his efforts.

Our third place getter comes all the way from Liverpool in the UK.

And what an interesting, dark and amusing tale this screenplay, which feels like something from the Guy Ritchie stable, proved to be.

HAPPY ALONE is a hoot. Written by Lloyd Seddon, the story follows “two brothers as they drive through Wales to deliver a stolen statue to a mysterious buyer, only to find their journey complicated by the pursuit of a pair of ruthless henchmen, a jilted Korean hotel clerk, a well-meaning cop, and a vagrant who may or may not copulate with sheep”.

Lloyd also wins the latest screenwriting software from Final Draft for his efforts.

Congratulations to the winners and all the entrants in this year’s contest. Here’s hoping that next year will be a more normal one for everyone.

Watch his video by Christopher Labanne