Thanks Bob and SW for the heads up:

Over The Moon – July 30, 2020 draft script by Audrey Wells – hosted by: Deadline Hollywood – in pdf format

Fueled with determination and a passion for science, a bright young girl builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary Moon Goddess. There she ends up on an unexpected quest, and discovers a whimsical land of fantastical creatures.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Over on the Unproduced scripts page are fourteen original scripts for your reading pleasure. Read ’em and talk about ’em on the Discussion Board.

– Don

Thanks Bob, SW and Barksid for the heads up on this scripts up for award consideration.

Minari – Undated, unspecified draft script by Lee Isaac Chung – hosted by: Deadline Hollywood – in pdf format

Yearning to own a small patch of land and be more than a chicken sexer, the ambitious paterfamilias, Jacob Yi, relocates his Korean-American family, sceptical wife, Monica, and their children, David and Anne, from California to 1980s rural Arkansas, to start afresh and capture the elusive American Dream. However, new beginnings are always challenging, and to find out what is best for the family, let alone start a 50-acre farm to grow and sell Korean fruits and vegetables, is easier said than done. But, amid sincere promises, cultural unease, fleeting hopes, and the ever-present threat of financial disaster, Jacob is convinced that he has found their own slice of Eden in the rich, dark soil of Arkansas. Can grandma Soon-ja’s humble but resilient minari help the Yi family figure out their place in the world?

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Thanks Richie for the heads up on this script up for award consideration.

The United States vs Billie Holiday – Undated, final picture draft script by Suzan-Lori Parks (Based on the Book, “Chasing the Scream” by Johann Hari) – hosted by: Deadline Hollywood – in pdf format

Follows Holiday during her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Our own Steven Clark sat down with Saint Frances scribe, Kelly O’Sullivan to talk about her work.

For Saint Frances scribe, it’s about acceptance

With a lifetime of acting experience to draw from, Kelly O’Sullivan knew the winds of change were blowing. She wanted to write a screenplay. Spurred on by creative forces such as Greta Gerwig and Olivia Wilde, Kelly strongly felt it was her turn to say something important. That this was her time.

However, a problem existed.

“I didn’t know how to do it,” she admits. “I’d never taken a writing class, and I literally didn’t know how to write in screenplay format. I didn’t even know what on spec meant. I guess it means writing it for free, not knowing if it’ll ever get made?”

Saint Frances (now streaming on Amazon) picks up the trail of Bridget (O’Sullivan — she stars in the movie, too), a 34 year-old waitress, trudging through a middling existence, until she takes a job as a nanny for Frances, an energetic six-year-old. Throughout, Bridget navigates a younger lover, an abortion, menstruation, post-partum depression, and Frances’ mixed race lesbian parents.

Seems like some weighty issues for a first-time writer to tackle.

“I always knew I was going to write about those topics realistically and unapologetically. A huge intention of the film was to normalize experiences that might have been othered previously. Before I got my abortion, I didn’t know a medication abortion was possible or even legal. It made me angry that most of the TV and film I’d seen that depicted abortion made it seem scary and mysterious. So, starting from that place of lived experience, I knew I was going to show what that experience was like for me.”

To say Saint Frances removes the societal stigma/confusion associated with these topics is an understatement. O’Sullivan’s casual presentation makes them feel more akin to a fresh Spring breeze as opposed to ripping off a Band-Aid.

“There’s a cool sort of magic trick the movie plays where, if an audience member is saying ‘why’s there so much blood?’ or ‘why are the parents gay?’ it says far more about that audience member’s point of view about what should be onscreen.”

Still, the success and beauty of the film is it doesn’t emphasize these issues at all. Saint Frances relies more upon a theme of acceptance and, ultimately, perseverance. It’s Bridget’s journey from 34-year-old underachiever to, well, 34-year-old underachiever, albeit with a more enlightened perspective than she had going in. It’s something that resonates with its writer/star.

“Self-acceptance is something I’m constantly working on, in the context of be your best self and hurry culture. If we’re truly trying, I think we all need to cut ourselves some slack.”

An actor since the age of six, Kelly’s first role was one of the Hummel children in a production of Little Women at the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theater. From there, it was game on.

“I loved the drama of it. Hanging out in the greenroom with a bunch of kids and adults who loved the same nerdy things I did. Dreams!”

Her parents, though supportive, were understandably skeptical. “My parents were incredibly supportive of acting being my favorite hobby, although they worried when I chose acting as a career. Which I totally get. But they never tried to totally dissuade me. They still travel to see every play I’m in, and they’ve been so supportive of the movie. I’m incredibly lucky to have them.”

That’s not to say everything has been colored bubbles.

“Through rejection and lack of agency, I’ve had my heart broken about a million times. I’ve spent tons of time “in between” projects (unemployed) as an actor, but I never truly wanted to leave it. I just wanted more of a voice and control. Writing this screenplay was my first big departure from acting. I realize the irony in that since I wrote myself a starring part in the film, but writing was a way to expand on what I love while bypassing what I didn’t like about acting.”

Having received a fair amount of Oscar buzz, as well as being named an IndieWire Critics Pick and garnering O’Sullivan a Gotham nod, Saint Frances remains a work that “felt true to me,” she states, while fully aware of what it took to make it happen.

“I had an acting manager a few years ago who told me this: You’ve got a few more years left where this is either going to happen or it’s not. And I just thought – how can anybody in this industry or culture feel good about themselves if they’re staring down that very limiting and pressurized mindset?

“So, I left that manager and wrote something that felt true to me, not having any idea if audiences would respond to it. I think that is a kind of self-acceptance. To walk away from others’ expectations and follow your gut, letting that be enough.”

They have, and it is.

About The Interviewer: Based in upstate, NY, Steven Clark is the writer of over 30 short scripts, several of which are under option, in pre-production, or have already been made into films. On A Clear Night, a family Christmas feature aimed at a Hallmark Channel-type audience, is currently in the works. Steven can be reached at Steamroller138 (a) gmail. You can tweet @SACScreenwriter and check out his work on his website.

Thanks Bob and SW for this.

Cherry – Undated, unspecified draft script by Angela Russo-Otstot and Jessica Goldberg (Based on the novel CHERRY by Nico Walker) – hosted by: Deadline – in pdf format

An Army medic suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder becomes a serial bank robber after an addiction to drugs puts him in debt.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Thanks Barksid for the heads up on this script studios are posting for award consideration

The Half Of It – April 8, 2019 shooting draft script by Alice Wu – hosted by: Netflix – in pdf format

Bookish introvert Ellie Chu is perfectly content with her life: watching old movies with her widowed father and ghostwriting papers for her high school classmates to help pay the bills. But her side gig turns personal when lovelorn jock Paul Munsky hires her to craft love notes to Aster Flores — a smart, popular girl out of both their leagues… and Ellie’s own secret crush.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Thanks to: Barksid and Bob for the heads up on this script up for award consideration.

Land – Undated, unspecified draft script by Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam – hosted by: Focus Features – in pdf format

Edee, following a life-changing event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again while building an unexpected friendship along the way.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page are fifteen original scripts for your reading pleasure.

And, the February, 2021 One Week Challenge just started!