Jon Fusco, Charles Haine and yours truly, Liz Nord discuss one filmmaker’s major role in Russia’s Olympic doping scandal, the first news from Sundance 2018 and what it might mean for makers of shorts, and the inaugural Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards decision to split best male and female directors into two separate categories. We say goodbye to influential video essay series Every Frame a Painting, and Charles answers an Ask No Film School question about how to deal with brands and logos in your film.
As always, the show also brings news you can use about gear, upcoming grant and festival deadlines, this week’s indie film releases, industry wisdom, and other notable things you might have missed while you were busy making films.
Listen to the episode by streaming or downloading from the embedded player above, or find on iTunes here.
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This episode of Indie Film Weekly was produced and edited by Jon Fusco.
The Black List is an annual list of the best, unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Every time I get paid to write a screenplay or TV pilot, I think about The Black List and how important it has been to me.
It was back in 2013 when my screenplay, Shovel Buddies, got on the list. It helped start my career.
Reading these entries, you; 'll see what Hollywood execs loved reading this year, and maybe it'll give you the push you need to finish your masterpiece.
Let's dive in.
The 2024 Black List
60 mentions
ONE NIGHT ONLY by Travis Braun
Two strangers scramble to find someone to sleep with on the one night of the year when premarital sex is legal.
Agency: UTA
Agent(s): Charles Ferraro, Zoe Prince
Management Company: Echo Lake Entertainment
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Manager(s): Matt Horwitz, Kara Hume, Amotz Zakai
Studio: None
Production Companies: Olive Bridge Productions
39 mentions
PLAYDATE by Marie Østerbye
When taking her daughter to a playdate at a new friend’s house, Alice suddenly comes face to face with her childhood bully, Katrine. An evening of seemingly polite dinner conversation and catching up turns into a night of psychological warfare as the two women reveal the scars of the past and the wounds of the present while their two young daughters play mind games of their own.
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Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Artists First
Manager(s): E. Brian Dobbins, Haley Jones
Studio: None
Production Companies: Gloria Sanchez Productions
38 mentions
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ALIGNMENT by Natan Dotan
A board-member at a booming AI company wrestles with corporate politics and warped incentives as he tries to prevent his colleagues’ willful ignorance from causing a global catastrophe.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Faisal Kanaan, Ben Rowe
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Studio: Fifth Season
Production Companies: MakeReady
37 mentions
LOVE OF YOUR LIFE by Julia Cox
Maya — a smart, wry nurse — is swept up in an immersive love, one that sets her life on a trajectory she never would have imagined.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Adam Perry, Kelly Berger
Management Company: Project D
Manager(s): Allison Doyle
Studio: Amazon/MGM
Production Companies: General Admission
29 mentions
HOW TO SAVE A MARRIAGE by Ross Evans
In hopes of spicing up their marriage, a husband and wife join a mysterious couples retreat, only to discover it’s a front for a dangerous cult.
Agency: Paradigm
Agent(s): Ethan Neale
Management Company: Entertainment 360
Manager(s): Evan Silverberg, Geoff Shaevitz
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Studio: Sony
Production Companies: Icki Eneo Arlo, E 360
28 mentions
DON’T BORROW TROUBLE by Caroline Glenn
A broke TaskRabbit in debt to her estranged sugar daddy holds a stolen painting she’s been tasked to deliver for ransom, leading to a deadly cat-and-mouse chase across the weirdest corners of New York City.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Brian Kend, Pete Stein, Connie Yan
Management Company: None
Manager(s): None
Studio: None
Production Companies: T-Street
25 mentions
ZADDY by Sarah Ramos
Twenty-something fitness instructor Ellie Noone has been toiling away in the LA rat race for years, until her luck changes when she meets an attractive older man with a mysterious past that’s as complicated as his skincare routine.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Linden Ent
Manager(s): Trent Hubbard
Studio: None
Production Companies: Gold Company
24 mentions
CLEAN BREAK by Ryan Brennan
Mary, a hair trigger pool hustler, has her hedonistic lifestyle all figured out until she meets Ray, a fellow pool shark. Will she change her ways and let herself fall in love? Or just kill him and make a break for it…
Agency: WME
Agent(s): Danny Greenberg, Perry Weitzner
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Sam Warren, Adam Klein
Studio: Searchlight
Production Companies: Scott Free
TICKLE ME ELMO by Aaron Karo
The true story of how one toy saved Sesame Street, shocked Wall Street, and tickled the nation.
Agency: Gersh
Agent(s): Jeff Greenberg, Greg Pedicin
Management Company: Linden Ent
Manager(s): Trent Hubbard
Studio: None
Production Companies: Misher Films
23 mentions
BUST by Matt Ackels
In 1991, Houston TX, millions of women sport the latest fashion trend: breast implants. But when they develop life-threatening side effects, they’ll need a special kind of lawyer to seek justice. This is the incredible true story of a women’s public health crisis, a gunslinging plaintiff lawyer, and the biggest lawsuit in American history.
Agency: Gersh
Agent(s): Dave Alexander, Shan Ray
Management Company: Heroes and Villains Entertainment
Manager(s): Markus Goerg
Studio: None
Production Companies: Smoke House Pictures
22 mentions
THE 7 GUYS YOU DATE BEFORE MARRIAGE by Julia Yorks
After her 10-year relationship collapses, a newly single woman dives back into the dating pool, navigating seven wildly different romantic entanglements that prepare her for her future husband.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Austin Denesuk, Stephanie Smalling
Management Company: Rain Management
Manager(s): Matt Rosen, Mike Vanderhei
Studio: None
Production Companies: Olive Bridge Productions, Mischief Entertainment
NASTY by Isabella Jarosz
After an injury sidelines Dylan’s ability to train for the Olympics, the determined gymnast must regain the trust of her demanding coach while facing off against a prodigious new competitor threatening to eclipse her place in the spotlight.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Kelly Berger, Drew Leffler, Maia Paterno
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Sam Warren, Raz Moayed
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
VANISHED by Samuel Franco , Evan Kilgore
Ten years after she disappeared as a teen, Violet, now 25, turns up with no memory of what happened to her, but as her family welcomes her home, it quickly becomes apparent that the past cannot be forgiven or forgotten.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Rain Management
Manager(s): Matt Rosen, Jonathan Baruch
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
20 mentions
ASSEMBLY REQUIRED by Kevin Yang
During a clandestine overnight stay in the Burbank IKEA, four friends get caught in a firefight between rival criminal organizations, forcing them to figure out how to save each other — and the store they love so much.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Steve Yurovsky
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
TEST DRIVE by Matt Venne
A down on his luck car salesman takes a mysterious stranger on a test drive – which turns into a dangerous and unsettling crime spree across the rain-soaked streets of Los Angeles.
Agency: Independent Artists Group
Agent(s): Joe Fronk, Sheryl Petersen
Management Company: Heroes and Villains Entertainment
Manager(s): Joseph Cavalier
Studio: 20th Century Studios
Production Companies: Safehouse Pictures
19 mentions
BLOODY MINGO by Jonathan Easley
Investigating the crime scene of a potential homicide in the Appalacian mountainside, a deputy encounters a strange mountain community that claims to be haunted by an evil witch that lives in the woods.
Agency: Gersh
Agent(s): Dave Alexander
Management Company: Traction
Manager(s): Zak Kristofek, Jason Tamasco
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
18 mentions
THE 13TH HOUR by Anna Klassen
When a group of teenagers repair an old clock with a mysterious 13th numeral, they are granted an extra hour where their actions have no consequence
Agency: WME
Agent(s): Brett Rosen, McCall Koenig
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Faisal Kanaan
Studio: None
Production Companies: Lab Brew
BO KNOWS INFINITY by Adam Best
Bo Jackson gets stuck in a time loop. Lessons are learned.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Writ Large
Manager(s): Nadya Panfilov
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
DECOYS by Jack Waz
When two cocky self-proclaimed CIA badasses learn they’re being used as diversions, they must prove to themselves and the world that they’re capable of being real heroes.
Agency: UTA
Agent(s): Alex Rincon
Management Company: Fourth Wall
Manager(s): Russell Hollander
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
DIANA DESTROYS A WEDDING by Elizabeth Evans
When her youngest son proposes to a middle-class farmer, New York business icon DIANA IVY incentivizes her dysfunctional children to protect the family name the only way she knows how… by creating a competition: whoever can break up the couple during their luxurious seven-day destination wedding will inherit The Ivy’s Lake Como Estate.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Redefine
Manager(s): Max Goldfarb
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
17 mentions
OVER ASKING by Caroline Dries
After a chance encounter with a powerful female litigator, a seemingly perfect couple begin to ask questions about marriage, power, gender, and sex.
Agency: WME
Agent(s): Zach Druker, Marc Korman, Danny Greenberg
Management Company: Entertainment 360
Manager(s): Geoff Shaevitz, Jill McElroy
Studio: Paramount
Production Companies: Sunswept Entertainment
SKIN by Matisse Haddad
When famed Beverly Hills dermatologist Amelia Williams’ status begins to slip as she ages, she makes a revolutionary discovery that allows her to completely revitalize her appearance and maintain her lifestyle. It just requires a bit of murder every now & then.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Bellevue Productions
Manager(s): John Zaozirny, Zack Zucker
Studio: None
Production Companies: Story in the Sky
16 mentions
AMERICAN MONSTERS by Chris Grillot
A senator and his estranged son must fight to survive when they’re stranded at a hunting ranch where mythical beasts from global folklore are genetically engineered as dangerous game.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Bryant Barile
Management Company: Rain Management
Manager(s): Matt Rosen
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
THE BUSBOY by Elad Ziv
After a mysterious busboy manipulates his way into a job at the most exclusive nightclub in South Beach, he quickly rises through the ranks using ruthless tactics.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Bellevue Productions
Manager(s): John Zaozirny
Studio: None
Production Companies: Co Created Media
FRAGMENTS by Jake Moses
After a tragic accident, a young nurse finds herself blacklisted and out of work until she’s approached by a detective with a unique job offer—become the caretaker for a murder suspect who may be faking his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Housefire
Manager(s): Jon Hersh
Studio: None
Production Companies: Boulderlight, Housefire Management
TONY by Lou Howe, Todd Bartels
In 1975, a wayward young Anthony Bourdain stumbles into a summer dishwashing job in Provincetown and discovers his life’s calling.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Kelly Berger, Pete Stein
Management Company: Mosaic
Manager(s): Dawn Saltzman, Emily Rose
Studio: A24
Production Companies: Star Thrower
15 mentions
FELLOWSHIP by Cassie Keet
A burgeoning artist is offered a once in a lifetime fellowship, luring her into the dark side of New York’s elite art world.
Agency: Independent Artists Group
Agent(s): Nick Beldoch, Halle Mariner, Sheryl Petersen
Management Company: Industry Entertainment
Manager(s): Kasey Muraszko
Studio: None
Production Companies: Premeditated Productions
SHUTOUT by Alejandro Adams
A talented young pool player from the Bronx navigates the male-dominated world of pool hustling, guided by a seasoned gambler, as she rises to international fame and grapples with the moral complexities of the game.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Range Media Partners
Manager(s): Michael Kagan, Jay Baker
Studio: None
Production Companies: Roth/Kirschenbaum, Mark Bomback
STARDUST QUEEN by Joe Ferran
A prodigiously gifted young assassin attempts to escape the rule of her vicious step-mother and ascend to fame as a late-90’s pop star.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Empirical Evidence
Manager(s): Derrick Eppich
Studio: 30West
Production Companies: Birchall Entertainment
TIMESHARE by Mark Townend
In the not-too-distant future, where a new technology allows an individual to project their psyche into the body of another, thus creating a body-sharing gig economy, a financially-struggling married couple accepts a wealthy man’s proposal to use the wife’s body for a single night, but soon that decision causes their relationship and lives to spiral out of control with fatal consequences.
Agency: Paradigm
Agent(s): Babacar Diene, Varun Monga
Management Company: Bellevue Productions
Manager(s): Jeff Portnoy
Studio: None
Production Companies: Vertigo and Entertainment 360
TOLUCA LAKE by Mark Fleming
When Gavin discovers the girl of his dreams is actually a persistent hallucination caused by a rapidly growing brain tumor, he’s forced to question what’s real, what really matters, and what’s the best way to end things with someone that’s slowly — or not-so-slowly — killing him.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Range Media Partners
Manager(s): Alain Carles, Will Iannacone
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
14 mentions
AIDa by Alexis Jacknow
A new mother finds the perfect nanny in AI, only to learn that a “perfect” caregiver might be the most dangerous kind of all. This psychological thriller examines the disparity between human nature versus AI nurture and asks the question, could AI ever replace us as parents?
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Parker Davis Olivia Mascheroni
Management Company: Artists First
Manager(s): Allen Fischer, Haley Jones, Katie Zipkin-Leed
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
TURNAROUND by Elyse Hollander
After beloved movie star Tom Adair is found dead, the outpouring of grief and sympathy quickly elevates his best friend Alec Donavan to movie star status. Now Alec must contend with his newfound fame and success – and the fact that he and his agent/girlfriend Karynn Pieper secretly murdered Tom and are haunted by his vengeful ghost.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Laura Gordon, Adam Perry, Connie Yan
Management Company: Bellevue Productions
Manager(s): John Zaozirny
Studio: None
Production Companies: Bellevue Productions
13 mentions
CRUSH by Michael Jones
A woman wakes up in a room with no recollection of how she got there. The ceiling descends.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Anonymous Content
Manager(s): Ian McKnight
Studio: None
Production Companies: 6th & Idaho
DETOUR by Will Widger
When a feuding rap group’s tour bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere, three hip hop superstars find themselves locked in a life-or-death struggle to survive the night as they are hunted by a group of locals with a hidden agenda.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment
Manager(s): Josh Goldenberg, Aaron Kaplan
Studio: None
Production Companies: Federal Films, Polygram
GOOD FOR US by Alix Lerner
After surviving a terrifying home invasion with her two young children, a woman leans on her husband for support, but soon suspects that it was not a random incident and that her husband might have somehow been involved.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Bellevue Productions
Manager(s): Kate Sharp
Studio: None
Production Companies: Berlanti / Schechter Productions, Bellevue Productions
HOWL by Madison Vanderberg
All hell breaks loose when a famous—but notoriously troubled—actor announces on a talk show that in less than an hour, he’ll turn into a werewolf … all on live TV.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Michael Chung, Isaiah Williams
Management Company: 3 Arts
Manager(s): Daniel Vang
Studio: None
Production Companies: Weed Road
KING OF THE FRESHMAN by Matt Bailey
During the glittering ascent of Abercrombie & Fitch, a bold CEO and his enigmatic British partner craft an empire of desire, exclusivity, and allure – only to see their legacy unravel as a scandal of exploitation and power threatens to expose the dangerous lengths they went to in their pursuit of perfection.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Parker Davis, Noah Liebmiller, Isaiah Williams
Management Company: Time Train
Manager(s): Adam Rejwan
Studio: None
Production Companies: Netter Films
MOTHERBOY by Tess Brewer
When a woman becomes trapped in a snowstorm with her overbearing mother-in-law and husband over the Thanksgiving holiday, she begins to suspect that their relationship is not as maternal as it seems. BARBARIAN by way of an erotic, Hallmark holiday movie.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Anonymous Content
Manager(s): Ian McKnight, Kate Hart
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
OLD SOULS by Hannah Stoddard, Jenny Ulmer
A trio of sassy, elderly women receive a unique offer from Death for a week of youth in exchange for their lives.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Heroes and Villains Entertainment
Manager(s): Joseph Cavalier
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
PAPARAZZO by Christian Nilsson
Desperate for fast cash to help his ailing mother, an opportunistic outcast partners with a wily paparazzo who entangles them in a homicide involving young celebutantes.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Housefire
Manager(s): Jon Hersh
Studio: None
Production Companies: Passage Pictures
ROAD TEST by Kris Bertin, Naben Ruthnum
A young woman long overdue in getting her driver’s license finally takes her road test, only to find herself receiving direction from a psychotic instructor who wants her dead.
Agency: Transatlantic Agency
Agent(s): Laura Cameron
Management Company: Range Media Partners
Manager(s): Andrew Nallathambi
Studio: None
Production Companies: BoulderLight Pictures
12 mentions
BATO BATO by Donn Kennedy
When his family is murdered and child kidnapped, a Neanderthal goes on an epic rampage journey to save her from the new dominant species.
Agency: WME
Agent(s): Connor Armstrong
Management Company: None
Manager(s): None
Studio: None
Production Companies: Boulderlight Pictures, Bad Grey
MOMMY’S HOME by James Morosini
When a 24-year-old woman is unfrozen decades later in a futuristic society, she struggles to adjust while finding herself the unwitting target of a global conspiracy.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Bryant Barile, Joe Mann
Management Company: Anonymous Content
Manager(s): Ryan Cunningham, Kami Putnam Heist
Studio: Lionsgate
Production Companies: Anoymous Content, Craig Flores
OUT THERE by Kate Folk
Based on the short stories “OUT THERE” and “BIG SUR” by Kate Folk. Fresh off a breakup, Meg is thrilled to meet Roger, who seems like the perfect man: disarmingly handsome, sweet, and obsessed with her. But she’ll soon discover that a disturbing secret lies behind Roger’s perfection, and will have to decide how far she’s willing to go on behalf of true love–even if the person she loves happens to be fake.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Will Watkins
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Merideth Bajana, Erick Mendoza
Studio: None
Production Companies: Merman
ROT by Geo Bradley
Haunted by the death of his hoarder mother, an antisocial man suffering from obsessive compulsions takes work as a trauma cleaner in hopes of facing his past, but the job soon begins to infest and unravel his mental state.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Noah Liebmiller, Nicky Mohebbi
Management Company: None
Manager(s): None
Studio: K Period Media, Intrepid Pictures
Production Companies: Mike Flanagan
THE TELLER by Ben Ripley
A timid, overlooked bank teller with incredible sleight-of-hand dexterity teams up with a rogue FBI agent to rob her own bank.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Parker Davis, Noah Liebmiller, Adam Weinstein, Olivia Mascheroni
Management Company: Brillstein Ent Partners
Manager(s): George Heller
Studio: None
Production Companies: Catchlight Studios, Zoic Pictures
TRAPPED by Jill Blankenship
A woman trapped in a tight cave shaft must fight to escape when the shaft starts unexpectedly filling up with water
Agency: WME
Agent(s): Scott Seidel, Zach Druker, Niki Montazaran, Danny Greenberg
Management Company: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment
Manager(s): Josh Goldenberg
Studio: None
Production Companies: Prologue Entertainment
TURPENTINE by Justin Varava
When a deadbeat son hires his friends to rob his own mother and father in order to pay an outstanding debt to a local drug dealer, things don’t go as planned, and family bonds are stretched to their furthest extremes.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Drew Leffler, Rob Kenneally, Austin Denesuk
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Cooper McCary, Sam Warren
Studio: None
Production Companies: T-Street
THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RAINBOW by Dan Woodward
Inspired by the disastrous making of THE WIZARD OF OZ, Maggie Hamilton fights to keep her role as the Wicked Witch, while resisting the forces stifling Judy Garland’s childhood.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: LIT Entertainment
Manager(s): Kendrick Tan
Studio: None
Production Companies: Incognegro, LIT Entertainment
11 mentions
BOY, GIRL, FIG by Kayla Sun
Aden was born with a rare condition where he becomes invisible to those who love him. He struggles when he falls in love with his childhood best friend.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Kelly Berger, Max Miller
Management Company: Bellevue Productions
Manager(s): Zack Zucker
Studio: None
Production Companies: Imagine Entertainment
IS THIS YOU? by Kaitlin Fontana
Maura and her mother Jeanne have always had a tricky relationship. But when Jeanne starts publishing essays about her troubled daughter’s teenage years, those versions of her appear like hormone-fueled poltergeists hell-bent on ruining the real Maura’s tenuous adult stability.
While on hiatus from filming “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” international movie star Audrey Hepburn is recruited by the CIA to hunt down a Nazi criminal hiding in Buenos Aires with ties to her past.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: First Story Entertainment
Manager(s): Jason Lubin
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
MOM? by Marc Bloom
When a deadly virus infects mothers and turns them against their offspring, a father must do whatever it takes to protect his daughter from her mom.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): David Boxerbaum
Management Company: Housefire Management
Manager(s): Jon Hersh
Studio: None
Production Companies: Housefire Management, Platinum Dunes
SATURN RETURN by Gaelyn Golde
Eve and Anders dated for a decade. Now, Eve is going to see Anders for the first time in years… at his dad’s funeral. Together, they confront their shared past and the infinite nature of love, even after it dies.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Pete Stein, Celestine Au, Connie Yan
Management Company: 3Arts
Manager(s): Nora May
Studio: Neon
Production Companies: Plan B
SPIN THE BOTTLE by Jeff Feuerstein
Convinced her disastrous dating life stems from breaking the rules of Spin the Bottle two decades ago, Hallie enlists her former crush to track down—and finally kiss—the boy she rejected that night, hoping to lift the curse and find true love.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: None
Manager(s): None
Studio: None
Production Companies: Rideback, The Menagerie
TWIN SOUL by Dani Feito
When a psychiatrist and his sickly wife travel to their country cabin for a quiet Thanksgiving weekend, they will have to deal with the unexpected visit from one of his patients, who claims his dead twin brother is after him for revenge. It will quickly become clear things aren’t what they seem.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Epicenter
Manager(s): Jarrod Murray, Allard Cantor
Studio: None
Production Companies: Epicenter
VICKY by Alessandra Clark
The incredible true story of Victoria Woodhull’s improbable run to become the first female President of the United States, 50 years before women even had the right to vote.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Untitled
Manager(s): Faisal Kanaan, Cooper McCary
Studio: None
Production Companies: 1.21
10 mentions
A BAND OF WOLVES by Reynaldo Leal
After surviving a rival tribe’s raid, a pregnant Mesolithic woman forms an unlikely alliance with a wolf in order to survive the unforgiving prehistoric wilderness.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Empirical Evidence
Manager(s): Derrick Eppich
Studio: None
Production Companies: Empirical Evidence
BRIDGEHAMPTON by Jeremy Leder
Recently dumped Ezra Green accidentally brings a terminally ill woman home to Bridgehampton for a long weekend with his eccentric family. Don’t judge — he needs to cope with his estranged father who just got out of white-collar prison.
Agency: Gersh
Agent(s): Abram Nalibotsky, Julien Levesque
Management Company: Bellevue Productions
Manager(s): John Zaozirny, Zack Zucker
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
CAMP DAVID by Megan Amram, Joseph Carnegie
In 1981, a young George W. Bush and his siblings are hunted by a masked killer while partying at Camp David.
Agency: Carnegie: Verve
Agent(s): Carnegie: Bryan Besser, Chris Noriega
Management Company: Amram: Entertainment 360
Manager(s): Amram: Clifford Murray
Studio: None
Production Companies: Point Grey
INTIMACY by Sam Rubinek
A rising movie star and her struggling playwright husband meet with a pretentious director and a manipulative intimacy coordinator to rehearse a sex scene. Over one chaotic day, power struggles, petty jealousies, and explosive accusations threaten their marriage – and the careers of everyone involved.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Jillian Holch
Management Company: Underground Management
Manager(s): Trevor Engelson
Studio: None
Production Companies: Mood Bath Pictures, Tilted Windmill Pictures, Planetarium Productions
ONBOARDING! by Jackson Kellard
When a group of new hires get invited to their company’s corporate retreat, things quickly take a turn as they discover the only way to land the job is to survive the weekend. Literally.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Rain Management
Manager(s): Lucius Cary, Matt Rosen
Studio: None
Production Companies: Hidden Pictures
RIDE OR DIE by Alexander Vargas
A debt-ridden Peloton instructor finds his entire class held hostage by a bomber during one of his live-in-studio classes.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: 831 Entertainment
Manager(s): Alex Pelham
Studio: None
Production Companies: Ace Entertainment
THE ROAD TO COLD VALLEY by Arun Croll
In search of a lost family heirloom, a graduate student and his friends take a road trip to the ruins of the remote Japanese American internment camp where his ancestors were incarcerated during World War II. But after a car breakdown and a series of misunderstandings, the group must fight for their lives as they are stalked across the desert at night by an unhinged, racist mechanic.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Writ Large
Manager(s): Eric Borja, Nadya Panfilov
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
THREE HIT MEN AND A BABY by David Matalon, Matthew Altman
Three of the world’s top hitmen must take on their most challenging assignment yet—babysitting an infant who holds the key to their survival.
MATALON Agency: Paradigm Agent(s): Ethan Neale, Matt Snow Management Company: The Gotham Group Manager(s): Brooke Lindley, Charlie Scully
ALTMAN Agency: Independent Artist Group Agent(s): Nick Beldoch & Chris Ridenhour Manager: Jim Wedaa Production Companies: 87North
Studio: Lionsgate Production Companies: 87North
TIPSY by Barry Galperin, Memo Noriega
A young couple, feeling the pressures of adulthood, are thrown into a supernatural drinking game that tests their commitment, relationship, and more.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: None
Manager(s): None
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
TRUE* MERMAID STORY by Matthew Carnahan
A struggling screenwriter’s life spirals into chaos when he becomes obsessed with telling the true* story of a mermaid’s life and death.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Chris Noriega, Nicky Mohebbi, Noah Liebmiller, Adam Levine, Jillian Holch
Management Company: None
Manager(s): None
Studio: None
Production Companies: Low Spark, Joel Ehninger
UNTIL YOU by Cameron Fay
When a chance encounter thrusts two perpetually single best friends into each other’s lives, they navigate the blurry lines between friendship and love.
Agency: Paradigm
Agent(s): Mark Ross, Ethan Neale, Zac Simmons
Management Company: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment
Manager(s): Josh Goldenberg, Aaron Kaplan
Studio: None
Production Companies: Di Novi Pictures
9 mentions
BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY by Matthew Kic, Mike Sorce
In the last days of the Britpop era, enigmatic musician Richard Ashcroft’s quest to transform an obscure Rolling Stones cover into the iconic single “Bitter Sweet Symphony” sparks a legal battle that threatens to both destroy his band The Verve and silence the song forever. ALMOST FAMOUS meets THE SOCIAL NETWORK.
Agency: Paradigm
Agent(s): Varun Monga
Management Company: Brillstein Entertainment Partners
Manager(s): Jared Ceizler
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
DO NOT DISTURB by Ben Miller
When a bumbling pretty-boy criminal screws up a job, he and his scruffy partner decide to lay low at a luxury LA hotel where they cross with a British playwright and a Hollywood starlet.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Rain Management
Manager(s): Lucius Cary
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
DOG by Lucy Campbell
Lukas and Sofia’s new life in a small town is shattered when they return home one night to find their dog gruesomely killed – was it a wild animal, a neighbour or a sinister, supernatural force from the valley? Desperate for the truth, Lukas embarks on a witch hunt after evidence points to a young local boy – but as they are plagued by further unexplained, malevolent events, the family unit unravels with devastating consequences.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Writ Large
Manager(s): Matt Dartnell, Melisa Baloglu, Eric Borja
Studio: None
Production Companies: Yoki, Inc.
DYERSVILLE by Will Hettinger
Two Federal Marshals guarding the most important cooperating witness in Chicago’s history — a legendary gangster— are forced to reckon with their own complicated pasts and with the first mole in the history of the witness protection program. Inspired by true events.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Darian Lanzetta
Management Company: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment
Manager(s): Michael Wilson, josh Goldenberg
Studio: Netflix
Production Companies: Higher Ground
EX-CONS by Michael Montemayor
A former husband-and-wife jewel thief duo, now divorced and in jail, must team up to help the authorities catch the most elusive thief of all: their son.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment
Manager(s): Tobin Babst, Ben Neumann
Studio: None
Production Companies: Project X Entertainment
GOLDEN BOY by Connor Martin
To save his cash-strapped soccer club, the owner of SSC Napoli stakes his reputation and the taxpayers’ dollars on a mercurial, drug-addicted star named Diego Maradona.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Stride
Manager(s): Austin Aronson
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
GRAVE EXPECTATIONS by Sam Wright
After the recession hits their funeral business hard, a desperate mother is convinced by her manipulative daughter to start a risky side hustle – selling body parts. Based on a true story.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Writ Large
Manager(s): Melisa Baloglu
Studio: None
Production Companies: Rough House Pictures
IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME by Shane Kennedy, Ant Simpson
When Nick and Sophie break up just days before the lavish destination wedding of his best friend and her sister, they vow to keep it a secret until after the nuptials. But what should be a simple white lie becomes a living nightmare when a mystical encounter turns them into the one thing they hate most in the world: each other.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Art/Work Entertainment
Manager(s): Spencer Robinson, Cindy Ambers
Studio: None
Production Companies: Sugar23
MILDRED by Josh Corbin
Years after being banished from her family, an aging matriarch returns to the family business to save her estranged children from a deadly criminal syndicate.
Agency: Paradigm
Agent(s): Ethan Neale, Matt Snow
Management Company: Writ Large
Manager(s): Noah Rosen
Studio: None
Production Companies: Range Media Partners
NDA by Audrey Ellis Fox
Through a maddening day of mediation for an office harassment claim she filed, the clock is ticking on Dana as she questions the price of her silence, sanity, and the truth.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Albert Lee
Management Company: Writ Large
Manager(s): Melisa Baloglu, Matt Dartnell
Studio: None
Production Companies: Mighty Engine
A PAYROLL TO MEET by Joseph Sloman
Based on David Whitford’s best-selling book chronicling the true story of college sports’ greatest scandal, a Dallas real estate tycoon spearheads the rise-and-fall of SMU football’s Pony Express.
Agency: Gersh
Agent(s): Mark Hartogsohn
Management Company: Greenlight Management
Manager(s): Adena Chawke
Studio: None
Production Companies: Bradley Whitford, Menagerie Productions
RIPE! by Tusk (Kelly Furrh and Olivia Mitchell)
Nothing says “it’s complicated” like breaking your crush’s arm. Set in rural Spain against the backdrop of a passionate soccer rivalry, the story follows young protagonists Sophie and Gloria as they navigate their relationship.
Agency: None
Agent(s): None
Management Company: Artists First
Manager(s): Corrine Aquino, Haley Jones, Matt Shepley
Studio: None
Production Companies: Juxtapose Studio, O’House Productions, Adam Kopp, Liz Siegal
THUMB by Cesar Vitale
When a lonely and socially-stunted young woman mistakenly receives a severed thumb in the mail, she makes it her life’s obsession to return it to the hand it once belonged to — putting her on a collision course that will upend her world forever.
Agency: CAA
Agent(s): Adam Perry, Connie Yan, Matt Felker
Management Company: Untitled, Jen Au Management
Manager(s): Jennifer Levine, Jennifer Au
Studio: Bluestone
Production Companies: Weed Road Pictures
YELLOW WALLPAPER by Taylor Streitz
A headstrong woman living in 1975 America descends into madness as she battles postpartum depression, dismissive family, and a gaslighting husband. The mounting oppression and untreated psychosis come together to tell the origin story of a haunted house.
Agency: Verve
Agent(s): Valarie Phillips
Management Company: Echo Lake
Manager(s): Dana Jackson, Amotz Zakai
Studio: None
Production Companies: None
Lots of cool ideas on here, best of luck to all the writers!
