FIRST PLACE

Synopsis: A British trench in France, April 1916, the height of World War One. Thomas, a British soldier, has been playing the same tune on his harmonica for weeks – the only tune he knows. His pals are sick and tired of it, and when he plays it again, one of them grabs the harmonica and throws it out to no man’s land. But it comes flying back – with a note from Paul, a German soldier, who’s looking to trade the harmonica back for food. Paul and Thomas start meeting in no man’s land and become fast friends. But when a major German attack looms, their friendship is sorely tested. “Music Between Us” is about friendship in times of war. It explores how we make friends, how friendship changes our lives, and the difficult choices we face when we bind our lives with the lives of others.

Bio: When not writing plays and scripts, Tal Rayman works in the technology sector and spends time with his wife, kids and cat. Tal is a graduate of Tel Aviv University’s English and Life Sciences Departments. His first play, “A Cricket, A Grasshopper” was selected for the 2013 Pittsburgh New Works Festival. “Music Between Us”, his second play, was selected for the 2016 Different Readings festival at the Santa Fe Playhouse and has won several writing awards.

SECOND PLACE

Synopsis: When a king hears assassins creeping into his bedchamber, he knows his past has caught up with him. He must escape and make his way through caves where a deadly horror lurks, an erotic brothel where love is laced with betrayal, savage battles and gruesome mass graves – all for one chance at redemption, and bloody revenge.

Bio: Christian Thomas teaches writing at UC Santa Barbara, and works as a narrative designer in the video game industry. He has an MFA from the Creative Writing Workshop at the University of New Orleans.

THIRD PLACE

Synopsis: When the daughter of wealthy power couple Luke and Janice Dodd receives a music box for her eighth birthday, strange things begin to happen and people around them start to die. Luke soon discovers that this seemingly innocent gift holds clues to a terrible family secret.

Bios: Julie L. Moran is a producer, writer and screenwriter whose works include a series (now an upcoming film), Miss Beverly Hills Ghost, co-written with Kemmy Moran, which has been selected for and won awards in numerous film festivals; her recent short story, “Lunch With Debbie” which earned a grand prize in the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition; and her most recent screenplay, “Devil to Play,” also co-written with Kemmy, which has placed in film festivals. Julie received her Master’s of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California and her law degree from Fordham University School of Law. Kemmy Moran is a screenwriter, director, and producer. She began her career in production at The Institute, co-owned by Michael Bay, and headed Sundance-winning director Matthew Harrison’s Film Crash screenplay competition. When Kemmy’s second screenplay placed in the Academy’s Nicholl screenplay competition, she decided to use her degree from Pepperdine Law School to co-found her own production company: MissDirection Entertainment, whose first production, award-winning series/film Miss Beverly Hills Ghost, is Kemmy’s directorial debut.

Two friends find a weird looking leaf blower and decide to show their friend Brian. The goal of this commercial was to think of a fun and clever way to cycle through all the stereotypes of what usually sells in a Doritos commercial (a baby, a puppy, a pretty woman).

Highly technical and great fun, shot in 3D using two Phantom High Speed Digital Cameras…here presented in 2D.

Alec Ferrell has over a quarter-century of experience in music performance, production, and composition. A veteran of New York City-based bands Skeleton Key, The Holy Ghost, and Steve Shiffman & The Land of No, Ferrell has worked in Durham, NC, since 2010, with such varied artists as The Big Picture, Hog, Hospital Smokers, Voidward, and Shirlette Ammons. Ferrell is the proprietor of Clearly Records and leader of meta-rock band The All Things. He has toured extensively, opened for everyone, played on a ton of records, and has a “solid write hook.” The Cabin is his first short film soundtrack. Alec would like to extend his deepest thanks to Andrea Izzy Anthony and Jean Goto for the opportunity to help tell this story of two souls on the edge of apocalypse. Lastly, he and John Williams have the same birthday, so there’s that.

Steven von Kampen is a composer working in Southern California. His influences range from Bernard Herrmann to Cliff Martinez. Steven describes his scores as a “lush minimalism that stays out of the way, yet still provides an unforced emotional impact.”