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Calf Rope (feature screenplay)

When in 1966 a nine-year-old boy from suburban Pennsylvania asks his grandad from Oklahoma if he was ever “a real cowboy,” the retired cattle auctioneer is forced to take stock of his blessings and confront his unrealized dreams.

  • Jake Stetler
    Writer
    Calf Rope (short), Restitution: The Legend of Cordell Pierce
  • Bradley Hawkins
    Writer
    Calf Rope (short), Filling In, Roller Coaster
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Genres:
    Coming-of-age, Family Drama, 1960s, Modern Western
  • Number of Pages:
    93
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Sunny Side Up Film Festival
    Miami, OK
    March 24, 2024
    WINNER: Best Modern Western Feature Screenplay
  • Maverick Movie Awards
    London, England
    January 31, 2024
    WINNER: Most Authentic Script
  • Festival for Drama Film & Writing Festival
    Toronto, Ontario
    August 22, 2023
    WINNER: Best Feature Screenplay
  • International Christian Film & Music Festival
    Orlando, FL
    May 6, 2023
    NOMINEE: Best Script
  • Salty Earth Film Festival (Christian)
    Fort Atkinson, WI
    November 13, 2022
    Honorable Mention: Best Screenplay
  • The Wild Bunch Film Festival
    Tucson, AZ
    October 23, 2022
    WINNER: Best Modern Day Family Western Screenplay
  • Content 2022 Film Festival and Media Conference
    Poolville, TX
    September 15, 2022
    NOMINEE: Best Family Feature Film Screenplay
  • Cowpokes International Film Festival
    Electra Texas
    June 12, 2022
    WINNER: Best Modern Western Family Screenplay
Writer Biography - Jake Stetler, Bradley Hawkins

Jake Stetler was born on February 19, 1972, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an award-winning writer best known for Calf Rope (short film, 2020), and the features, Restitution: The Legend of Cordell Pierce, and No Sanctuary (2013).

Bradley Hawkins is best known as the award-winning director and co-writer of the short films NIGHT VOICES (2023), and CALF ROPE (2020). Hawkins is also the co-founder of the family-friendly film production company, Dadley Productions, and the co-writer of the award-winning faith-based western feature screenplay, Wrangled.

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Writer Statement

Inspired by the award-winning coming-of-age short film, CALF ROPE (2020), the expanded feature-length screenplay is also set in 1966 and is loosely based on my childhood memories of the tight bond that I had with my "Grandad Mac" back then. It truly feels like my entire life has led to this moment in time for the purpose of telling this feature-length story due to the legacy that Mac unknowingly left behind as a playful, connected, and active grandpa that I now strive to be for my own two young granddaughters today. CALF ROPE illustrates the importance of leaving a long-lasting legacy for the generations beyond us and we look forward to telling it through the wonder and magic of cinema in a feature-length film.
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Bradley Hawkins
Director/Co-Writer, Calf Rope (both the short, and the soon-to-be feature-length film).