Frank J. Avella is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright and the recipient of a 2019 International Writers Retreat Residency at Arte Studio Ginestrelle (Assisi, Italy), a 2018 Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship, a 2016 Helene Wurlitzer Residency Grant, the 2016 Chesley/Bumbalo Playwright Award and a 2015 NJ State Arts Council Fellowship Award.
Frank’s screenplays have received 21 major awards at Film Festivals throughout the world (16 countries) and have been selected/winners/finalists in over 130 Fests/Comps to date.
He recently wrote and directed his first short film, FIG JAM, which is an Official Selection for the 2021 International Shorts Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia and had its World Premiere at the 2021 Lonely Wolf: London International Film Festival where it was nominated for 7 Awards including Best Picture, Best Film (Medium Length), Outstanding Directorial Debut, Best Original Screenplay, Best Comedy or Musical, Best Pandemic Film and Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design as well as being a finalist for Best Romantic Drama.
VATICAN FALLS, his play about the Catholic sex abuse scandal, is a 2021 semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.
LURED, a play about the Russia persecution of gays, was a 2018 O’Neill semifinalist and had its world premiere at Theater for the New City in 2018. The play was featured in the OnStage! American Theater Festival in Rome, Italy in 2019 and selected for the 2021 Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival. Frank was awarded a 2018 Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Grant for LURED. Luredtheplay.com.
Frank’s play, CONSENT was a 2019 O’Neill semifinalist.
Produced work includes CATAMITUS (2019 Best Play, Five & Dime Drama Collective) THE DEAD BOY, GREENER, THE BUBBLE, IRIS, LEXY, MICHAEL’S #1 FAN, 3 CAINS, UNHINGING and GODFORSAKEN. Other plays: ORVILLE STATION, FOR MAMMA, NEMESIS, MAD, LESS THAN 2 DEGREES.
The CONSENT screenplay won the Best Screenplay at the 2021 Madrid Arts Film Festival, the Best Feature Screenplay at the 2021 Oz Indie Film Festival (Australia), the Best Screenplay Award at the 2020 Austria International Film Festival, the Best LGBT Screenplay Award at the 2020 New Renaissance Film Festival (Amsterdam) and the Best Drama Screenplay Award at the Los Angeles Motion Picture Festival, the Best Narrative at the 2021 San Francisco Film Festival, the Best Narrative Screenplay at the 2021 ReelHeART Film Festival and has, to date, been a Finalist or Selected for 49 Festivals/Contests, in 13 different countries.
The LURED screen adaptation is a winner, finalist or has been selected for 29 separate Festivals/Awards in nine countries. SCREW THE COW is a winner/finalist in 15 different Festivals/Competitions. The FIG JAM screenplay is a winner/finalist for 27 awards/festivals. MULTITASKING and FIG DUDE are also winners/finalists for Festivals.
Frank is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.
https://newplayexchange.org/users/5582/frank-j-avella
https://filmfreeway.com/FrankAvella