DIVERSITY Festival – 2023 Screenplay Winners

Here is the list of 2023 screenplay winners from the DIVERSITY Festival.

Watch the 10 winning screenplay best scene readings:

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Heroes, Just For One Day, by Salvatore Riggio
While on vacation with his family in Disney World, Johnny, a FDNY Firefighter (along with the rest of America) receives word of the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. He is not there with his fellow man and the guilt eats at him for years in the aftermath. Through a support group he is encouraged to join by his wife, he learns the value in opening up about his trauma and guilt, which leaves space for others in his life to do the same.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/heroes-just-for-one-day

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HOT PINK, by Piper Supplee
Short Script
A high school girl confronts her repression when her two best friends discover that she has never masturbated before.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/hot-pink

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Injustice! Ex Parte Crow Dog, by Christopher Manydeeds
TV Pilot
Injustice! United States vs Tribes is a TV anthology series about Federal Indian Law in dynamic US Supreme Court decisions. The series will address how the United States and Tribes decided the course of history through a hostile court system. Ex Parte Crow Dog is about a why the Federal government came to have criminal jurisdiction over Tribes for murder.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/injustice

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BUMBLEFUCK, by Lindsay Heiman
TV Pilot
Stuck in bumblefuck nowhere and pressured by her family to join a campaign she morally opposes, an angsty teen (who’s seen too many heist movies) plans a covert operation to sabotage her stepdad’s run for office.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/bumblefuck-screenplay

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FOLKTALE, by Donald Holmes Lewis, Ziggy Dantzler
Feature Script
When four young siblings spend a summer weekend at their grandmother’s home in the projects of Pawtucket, they listen to ghostly stories from the past but find themselves trapped in a dangerous and mysterious folktale of their own… with a fortune in slave trader gold at stake that can save the family from ruin.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/folktale-screenplay

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THUNDERSTORM, by Maria Mathis
TV PIlot
This eight-episode limited series is about the turbulent life, death, and afterlife of Henry “Stormy” O’Dell, a biracial escaped slave with paranormal abilities. Set in Gold Rush California, Henry’s mission is to stop a serial killer as he struggles to avoid forfeiting his soul to a demon who has wanted him since the day he was born.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/thunderstorm-screenplay

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DON’T SAY GAY, by Kevin J. Howard
Feature Script
Working for an organization that detains children of the LGBTQ community, a terrified father and son flee across the country after finding his sons name on the list of detainees, risking their lives to get to a free zone state where they’ll be safe from authorities.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/don-t-say-gay-script

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My Name is Blue, by Simone Brazzini
Feature Script
After an obsessive teenager sneaks into the trailer of their lifelong idol, a recently canceled actor, the two embark on a cross country journey of forced dreams and the impossibility of escaping the past.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/my-name-is-blue-screenplay

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NO RULES, Ashley Gianni
Feature Script
In 1992 New Jersey, at the boom of drag culture and amidst the raging AIDS epidemic, drag queen Visa Declined and best friend Angela Caruso find themselves at a standstill in their creative endeavors while desperately trying to build a community to call their own. Their dream of one day owning their own bar where they can produce their own shows and host community events is becoming less of a reality as they approach their mid-thirties and feel societal pressure to “grow up” and “get a real job”.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/no-rules-screenplay

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D.D.S- Drama of Dental Surgeon’s, by Steph Gallagher
TV Pilot
An intelligent young woman regrets her hookup with an ex. Her co-workers suggest she get back in the dating game, but her studies stand in the way. Work place drama distracts her and a budding relationship with a new man threatens a situation where personal and private life overlaps and is sure to cause issues.
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/drama-of-dental-surgeon-screenplay

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