The Legend of Yakatutch

When hunters are found in the Canadian wilderness with their hearts torn out, a young First Nations man learns he is descended from a legendary creature, and must embrace his mother’s heritage in order to stop it, before it finds civilisation.

  • Sean Francis Ellis
    Writer
    Claws
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Genres:
    Adventure, Drama, Horror
  • Number of Pages:
    109
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Beverly Hills Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    March 10, 2017
    Official Selection
  • ISA Emerging Screenwriters Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition, 2023

    July 1, 2023
    Semi-Finalist, 2023
  • ISA Fast Track Fellowship

    Second Round, 2022
  • ISA Emerging Screenwriters Suspense Screenplay Competition.

    Semi-Finalist, 2021
  • ISA Horror & Thriller + Genre Busting Screenplay Competition

    Semi-Finalist, 2021
  • INTERNATIONAL 3D STEREO MEDIA SUMMIT
    BELGIUM
    November 1, 2014
    Best Project & Pitch
Writer Biography - Sean Francis Ellis

Sean is a Screenwriter, Director, Editor and Producer. He has worked in film & television production in Australia and the US since 1994, while writing screenplays and directing short films.

Sean began making films while growing up in Sydney, and later Hong Kong. In 1991, Sean returned to Australia to attend the VCA School of Film and Television in Melbourne (formerly Swinburne). Trained in Screenwriting, Direction, Editing and Cinematography, he graduated with a Bachelor of Film and Television Production, in 1994.

In 2006, Sean interned with production companies in Los Angeles and worked as an Assistant at Larger Than Life Productions on the Universal Studios lot, learning the studio development process.

In 2010, Sean's feature screenplay, "Claws", was a finalist in the Beverly Hills Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. That year, Sean directed and produced a proof-of-concept short, based on the feature screenplay. Since 2011, Sean has developed several feature screenplays, and in 2014, "The Legend of Yakatutch" was awarded Best Project & Pitch by a panel of international judges, during the 3-D Stereo Media Summit in Liege, Belgium.

In 2016, Sean established CineBrand, utilising his screenwriting and directing experience to produce short videos for small businesses and individuals, which tell the story of their brand, and promote their services on social media and websites.

In 2023, Sean began teaching Screenwriting at the New York Film Academy Australia, on the Gold Coast.

Sean's recent projects include a 5-part documentary, filmed in Hong Kong in 2017, and two new screenplays - "Shadow Men", an Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller (co-written with Kent Hill), and a Crime/Thriller about sex-trafficking in the glamorous world of nightclubs. His feature screenplay, "The Legend of Yakatutch", is being adapted into a comic book by Los Angeles-based artist, Joe Suitor. The screenplay is currently under option with Producer Michael Burkenbine and is being developed for production in Canada, where the story is set.

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Writer Statement

"The Legend of Yakatutch" takes the popular ‘monster-on-the-loose’ concept of hit movies like "Predator", "Jurassic Park" and "King Kong", and mixes exciting new characters and settings that will attract the genre’s established audience, while adding a compelling new monster to the ranks of Hollywood’s most popular creatures.