We are San Francisco. And we love film and we love writers. In fact, we care so deeply about developing the next generation of filmmakers from around the world that we founded what we hope will be one of the most prestigious screenwriting competitions in the world for serious writers and serious subject matter.
We are an independent screenwriting competition founded by artists, and while we are artists, a lot of artists come from backgrounds in journalism, publishing, and in some cases some very grisly real life experiences and we like serious subject matter. A lot of other festivals do as well, but that’s really all we are interested in. We are only really interested in finding the next Schindler’s List, Judgement at Nuremburg, Saving Private Ryan, Shawshank Redemption, Lincoln, Reservoir Dogs, 12 Years a Slave, the Godfather, Sling Blade, Frida, or even Shine.
We want to find scripts so good they not only get made, but that they find their way to Sundance, Venice, Cannes, Edinburgh, and San Sebastian. We not only want to recognize the best of the best. We want to find the best writers first.
We want to support serious writers who take on serious subject matter. That’s what we’re all about. We are located in the heart of California and are proud to be the only international screenwriting competition in the Bay Area. We are committed to fostering the careers of local talent as well as finding the next generation of talent from New York, Hollywood, Toronto, and around the world.
Hollywood is all about cinema and we want to find the next generation of talent capable of delivering great cinema for the next fifty years. We are dedicated to developing new artists with visual talent. That's why we connect our winners with the agents and managers that will ultimately put them in front of the producers who can get their films made.
Great films come in all shapes and sizes, from thrillers to dramas from blockbusters to indies, as such we love all kinds of scripts from big studio projects to arthouse indies. We believe everyone has a story to tell - no matter where you come from. So whether you’re new to writing, you’ve been doing it for years, or you’re just now thinking about starting, send us your script and if it’s good we’ll deliver to the people you need to read it. We accept scripts from all over the world and from writers with a wide variety of backgrounds and we never discriminate on any basis.
Men and women have been making great films for over a century now and we want to continue that tradition. We want to develop writers and filmmakers to work in every facet of production. We want to support writers at all levels to make great films. We love film and we love filmmakers. And we want to do everything we can to support and inspire the next generation of filmmakers to tell great stories that will be told for generations to come. The San Francisco Int'l Screenwriting Competition is a Cinema Public House production. We are a US based independent festival company that produces festivals all over the world.
Our grand prize winner receives a consultation package provided by RoadMap Writers that includes consultations with three separate top talent managers and or producers in New York or Los Angeles. 2021's grand prize winner received a consultation package with talent managers and executives at ROAR!, Guy Walks into a Bar, and Charles Osowik Management. Our top two finalists also received consultations with executives at Content House and Tradition Pictures. 2020's grand prize winner was introduced to talent managers at Fictional Entertainment, the Bohemia Group, and Kersey Management. They also received a one hour script consultation with a top producer/manager from Content House. 2019's winner also received consultations with three separate talent managers in addition to our grand prize winner receiving script notes and a personal consultation from none other than a top talent manager at Insignia Entertainment.
Please note that only the top three screenwriting finalists receive industry introductions and semi-finalists only receive laurels and online recognition like at most festivals. Prizes and recognition are not awarded to any other entrants.