Held each year to engage filmmakers and screenwriters alike, the conference will educate new and experienced screenwriters on the state of the art today.
NOTE: In 2021, due to COVID-19, we held a FULL DAY ONLINE symposium. This year, if COVID allows, we're planning a hybrid, LIVE/online conference. In the wake of the pandemic, many conferences have been canceled. We KNOW this is concerning for writers but we have COMMITTED to bring you the best conference available that you can attend from anywhere in the world!
Much more than JUST a writers' Conference:
With our SPECIAL WRITER'S PASS (Just $75) you get a day-long writing summit, learning to screenwrite in an intimate setting from top pros, PLUS A LAVISH AWARDS CEREMONY and, should you desire, an ENTIRE 8-DAY FILM FEST! YES, that's right, this conference is part of a larger film festival that you are GREENLIT to attend (The Sacramento International Film Festival).
The Awards:
Think you are ready for recognition for your work? Get recognized in front of a jury including the Godfather of American Screenwriting, Lew Hunter. Lew leads a group to analyze screenplays in 3 categories:
1) FEATURE SCREENPLAY (DRAMATIC)
This category recognizes full-length screenplays (70-150 pages) that are NOT comedies. Almost any genre can fit in this category: Science Fiction, Thrillers, Horror, etc.
2) FEATURE SCREENPLAY (COMEDY)
This category recognizes full-length screenplays (70-150 pages) that are specifically comedies.
3) SHORT SCREENPLAY (COMEDY or DRAMATIC)
This category is for screenplays that are FEWER than 30 pages. Any genre is welcome!
THE LEW HUNTER AWARD FOR SCREENWRITING EXCELLENCE:
In addition to individual category awards, we also recognize one screenwriter each year for being the outstanding Screenplay of the entire year. This is a jury award given regardless of which of the categories writers enter. The award is named for our patriarch, Dr Lew Hunter, Dean Emeritus of the UCLA screenwriting program and author of THE BOOK, Screenwriting 434. Lew has trained more Academy Award-winning writers than anyone on the planet.