The second annual Missouri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship is underway, and screenplays and original television pilot scripts set in Missouri are currently being accepted from writers throughout the U.S.
The deadline for submissions is Nov. 30.
Presented by the Missouri Film Office, part of the Missouri Division of Tourism, and the Missouri Motion Media Association, the three winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to convene with industry mentors at the Yates House in Rocheport.
Last year, more than half the 52 submitted scripts were from Missouri writers, including several from Mid-Missouri, according to Missouri Film Office specialist Andrea Sporcic-Klund.
Judges throughout Missouri were involved in the first round of the process in which each submission was read by two different judges who scored each script. From that, 11 finalists were selected and two additional judges were asked to read those scripts. Ultimately, three winners were announced.
The winning scripts were "City of the Blues" by Peter Mayer, "Cloister" by Peter Hanrahan and "Searching for Jesse" by Steven Clark.
During the fellowship, the winning writers worked closely with the mentors to fine-tune their scripts and develop ideas that could lead to television and/or big-screen productions.
Last year's mentors included Bob Gale, who was born in University City, a town in St. Louis county, and best known for co-writing films in the "Back to the Future" trilogy; Philip LaZebnik grew up in Columbia and has written screenplays, including those for the animated films "Prince of Egypt" and "Mulan;" and Kathleen McGhee Anderson, who has worked extensively with the University of Missouri-Kansas City theater program, and served as the executive producer on ABC Family's "Lincoln Heights."
"It was a really exciting, creative experience to give talented writers an opportunity to connect with such accomplished and respected industry professionals," Sporcic-Klund said.
Learn more about the next Missouri Stories Scriptwriting fellowship at MoFilm.org/MoStories.