Hiding in the Spotlight

A teenage piano prodigy escapes the killing fields of 1942 Nazi occupied USSR and uses her musical talents to survive.
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Inspired by true life story of Russian-Jewish pianist Zhanna Arshanskaya-Dawson, "Hiding in the Spotlight" follows an extraordinary path of survival in World War II.

NOTE: all story rights secured for adaptation;

  • B. R. Tatalovic
    Writer
  • Candy C. Dawson
    Writer
  • Robert Graziosi
    Writer
  • Brian E. White
    Writer
  • Greg Dawson
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Number of Pages:
    119
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • PAGE International Screenwriting Awards (2017)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Best Feature Drama: Quarter-finalist
  • Northern Virginia IMFF / NOVA (2018)
    Fairfax, VA
    Best Feature Screenplay (1st place)
  • The Indie Gathering IFF (2017)
    Cleveland, OH
    Best Feature Drama (2nd place)
  • Beverly Hills FF (2018)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Best Feature Screenplay (Quarter-finalist)
Writer Biography - B. R. Tatalovic, Candy C. Dawson, Robert Graziosi, Brian E. White, Greg Dawson

Written by a team of writers, headed by B. R. Tatalovic (chief writer).

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B. R. Tatalovic:
Serb-American motion picture artist and media educator. Immigrated to the United States from Yugoslavia in 1988 (as 22-year old). In his 20s and 30s worked as: union steelworker (USWA), milling machinist, VHS rental clerk, and home repairs "handy man". Known today as: multimedia artist, screenwriter, and film producer/director/actor.

Robert Graziosi:
Bob worked as an award winning adman into his 50s before turning to his true passion, writing. In 2012, Bob co-wrote and co-produced the indie-underground feature film "Dying 2 Meet U", with his friend and mentor, B. R. Tatalovic. He has slowly tested the waters on the other side of the camera doing production management and acting.

Candy Caldwell Dawson:
Candy’s career as a literacy specialist in the public schools of Orlando and Indianapolis earned her a Disney Teacheriffic Award for innovation. She has also received numerous citations for her dedication to district-wide literacy programs in both states. Candy served as a resource teacher mentoring other educators and developed successful parental and community involvement programs.

Brian E. White:
Brian is an artist by nature, with a long creative resume that includes songwriting, recording, video editing, website designing, writing editorials, critical and product reviews, and most importantly, screenplays. His film reviewing website WhySoBlu has become one of the Top 10 Blu-ray review sites on the Internet and set industry trends with the unconventional risks he took in diversifying the material.

Greg Dawson:
Greg is the author of his original book "Hiding in the Spotlight". He's a Pulitzer nominated journalist who discovered an amazing story of survival - right in his own family. The story about his mother Zhanna and her life experiences during WWII - is the subject of "Hiding in the Spotlight".

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Writer Statement

The script is an adaptation of the book "Hiding in the Spotlight" (book written by Greg Dawson). The rights for this adaptation were secured in 2014, and the team of writers created a feature script that covers an unbelievable journey through World War II; a personal story of survival. Based on REAL people and their memories, the story shows our harsh history and the strength of human's desire to live. It paints a picture of an ordinary girl in 1930s Soviet Union who gets caught in an extraordinary chain of events that would change her life forever.