Cinequest is proud to announce the 10 finalists of the Cinequest 17 Screenwriting Competition. Authors are given two weeks to submit a revised version of their work before it is handed to the final jury of top industry producers and production company executives.

San Jose, CA (PRWeb) January 26, 2007 -- Cinequest is proud to announce the 10 finalists of the Cinequest 17 Screenwriting Competition. The finalists were chosen out of 461 entries for the fourth year of this venture. Scripts were judged for Maverick vision, story, character development, dialogue, marketability and originality. Jurors did not know any information regarding the author(s) while making their decisions. Authors are given two weeks to submit a revised version of their work before it is handed to the final jury of top industry producers and production company executives (see below for list of jurors). The top-three winners will be announced and awarded cash prizes during Cinequest's Day of the Writer forum, Friday, March 9, 2007. Cinequest 17 occurs February 28 - March 11, 2007.

Finalists:
A Wedding in Niagara Falls
Alan Barkley
On the eve of her wedding in Niagara Falls a young woman discovers that her grandmother's own romantic future was affected 50 years ago by a chance encounter with Marilyn Monroe on location for Niagara.

At The Point of a Sword
Patrick Vala-Haynes
Leading as much with her heart as with her sword, a blacksmith's daughter joins her swashbuckling aunts to avenge her mother's murder.

Limbo
Phil Marley
Three strangers die... and find that afterlife isn't what they expected.

Cage
Philip Landa
Three friends on a business trip are kidnapped by a Mexican gambling syndicate that broadcasts death matches over the Internet.

Elysian Fields
Joel King
A reclusive man, seemingly trapped between two realities, strives to escape the banalities of everyday life. However, his liberation may not be as literal as he envisions.

Hiding in Plain Sight
Sheri Sussman
A true story about a teenage Jewish girl who survived WWII all alone by pretending to be Polish. She lived with a German family, escaped the SS, and posed as a Red Cross nurse saving the lives of soldiers.

Losing Walter
Nathan Robard Levinson & Nicholas Daniel Driggs
A simple man, who is obsessed with winning because of his inability to do so, sur-realizes his dream. With $10 million, will Walter survive the swarming sharks who smell his success?

Refuge
Frances Overheu
There are some decisions no one should ever have to make. An Englishman struggles to save his family and closest friends from a plague that is plunging the world into anarchy.

Son Up
Andrew Shearer and Nicholas Sherman
A teenage graffiti artist struggles to keep out of juvenile hall--but staying loyal to his gang could send him straight to prison.

The Lashes Dark
Susan Alukonis
After his wife uncovers a big secret, a Manhattan lawyer explores the highs and lows of life, love, and sexy shoes.

Finalists will have their scripts read by an outstanding jury including the following individuals. (Listed alphabetically by last name of juror).
• Erik Bauer, Publisher, Creative Screenwriting.
• Joanna Burish, Production, Distribution, Acquisitions, Imageworks Entertainment (An international production and distribution company).
• Steven Haft, Founder and Producer, Haft Entertainment Inc. (Producer, Dead Poets Society, Tigerland, Executive Producer MAD TV).
• Marla Halperin, President of Publicity and Promotion, Magic Lamp Releasing.
• Halfdan Hussey, Executive Director, Cinequest Inc.
• Janet Jeffries, Development Executive, Lawrence Bender Productions, A Band Apart Films (Cutting-edge production company, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2).
• Eliot Kotek, Editor-in-Chief, Moving Pictures.
• Dana Lambert, Vice President of Creative Affairs, First Look Studios (A multi-faceted media company including First Look International, First Look Pictures, First Look Home Entertainment and First Look Media).
• Eugene Mandelcorn, President, Film Artists Network (A non-profit organization aiding filmmakers in development, funding, production, post-production, marketing and sales).
• Bobby Moresco, President, Moresco Productions (Producer / Screenwriter Crash, Co-Producer Million Dollar Baby).
• Eric Morris, President, ELM Entertainment (Latter Days, Peter Paige's Say Uncle).
• Lucy Shuttleworth, Head of Development, Spice Factory (One of the fastest growing film companies in the U.K. today).
• Nancy Rae Stone, Executive Vice President of Production, Beacon Pictures. (One of the most respected independent motion picture companies in the industry).

Prizes

• 1st Place $2,000 U.S.
• 2nd Place $1,000 U.S.
• 3rd Place $500 U.S.

• Top 10 finalists will:
o Be given exposure to literary agencies, film studios and Hollywood producers.
o Receive a Cinequest 17 Festival Pass, which allows full access to all Cinequest events, screenings and parties.
o Be contacted January 22, 2007, and be given until February 6, 2007, to submit a rewritten script.
o Have names and contact information posted on Cinequest Web site.

• First, Second and Third Place winners will receive the above mentioned, PLUS will be:
o Included in a Cinequest press release.
o Posted on the Cinequest Web site along with brief script synopsis and contact information.
o Given further opportunities by having their scripts read by influential producers, agents and / or managers who play an active role in today's industry.

Empowering the Maverick
Cinequest is a premier motion picture institute that produces:
• Cinequest Film Festival, a discovery festival of Maverick films and technology forums.
• Cinequest Distribution: delivering films to fans worldwide through leading Internet technologies plus DVD.
• Cinequest Screenwriting Competition.
• Camp Cinequest: a groundbreaking youth education program.
Cinequest Film Festival 17 will occur February 28 - March 11, 2007 www.cinequest.org