Thank you to all who submitted their screenplays to the 2018 Phoenix Film Festival Short Screenplay Competition. We are very excited to announce this year's winners!
First Place
The Siberian Trap by Jeffrey Howe
An FBI agent investigating the death of a gay Chechen refugee masters chess to extract what she needs from an informant -- and learns the true meaning of "pawn sacrifice."
Second Place
Stranger by Shervin Kermani
An old, deep, nonchalant voice resounds throughout a papier maché mock up of the universe, filled with planets and stars. Far from serious, this is a quirky, rough voiced but sentimental “God” here to tell his most upsetting tale: a great love story that never happens.
Third Place
Saline County, Illinois by Jeffrey Howe
A meticulous 1890s stationmaster finds a widow and her young children abandoned on his station platform.
Finalists
Ozzy by Chris Hoshnic
A disobedient dachshund attempts to train himself for his new owner when a dog-shaped gift is placed under the Christmas tree.
Costume Drama by Ben Gruner and Tyler Garn
A young girl gets more than she bargains for on Halloween when things get a little too real.
The High Dive by Brian Patterson
Four generations of Soliz men take in the sun at the water park. Two of them, Eddie and his great-grandfather, Naldo, each face an important rite of passage.
The Rental by L. P. Lee
A London tenant must find a new place to live or be forced to make a life-changing sacrifice.
The Confectionery Prince by Jeffrey Howe
When the Queen's Steward tries to kill the newborn heir to the throne, the Royal Confectioner finds herself entangled in a plan to stop him -- but destiny comes in more than one flavor.
Going Back by Rebecca Semik
Bobbi faces the choice between her past first love and her present fiance. Her future depends on whether she can find closure with her past.
Here to stay by John Kestner and Bill Pierce
The sad final ending to one of America's first rockers: Danny Rapp abruptly ends a tour and takes his own life in a Quartzsite, Arizona motel room. Based on a true story.
