Separated
Separated is a one-hour dramatic television pilot set in the final hours before a sudden global disappearance event.
Aaron Oswin, a tunnel welder and father of two, believes in God but struggles to connect with faith in a way that feels real. His wife, Leonora, quietly anchors their family in belief, while their daughters begin asking questions Aaron doesn’t know how to answer. As Aaron chooses work and routine over unresolved faith, he assumes there will always be more time.
Running parallel is Adder Wily, a newly promoted detective who believes order and control are the only things keeping the world from collapse. As subtle anomalies ripple through society, both men dismiss the signs and continue their day.
By nightfall, the world changes. Loved ones vanish. Homes are left untouched. Faith is no longer theoretical. The pilot ends with two men facing the irreversible cost of standing in the middle when belief demanded a choice.
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Sylvia ThomasWriter
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Project Type:Television Script
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Genres:Faith Drama, Drama
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Number of Pages:45
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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Christian Online Film FestivalOnline Film Festival
February 21, 2026
Best Short Screenplay
Sylvia Thomas is a writer and producer whose work explores faith, doubt, and the consequences of delayed belief through grounded, character-driven drama. Drawn to stories about ordinary lives interrupted by irreversible moments, she writes with an emphasis on emotional truth and moral tension rather than spectacle.
Separated was developed from an interest in how belief operates in everyday life—how it is postponed, avoided, or quietly lived—until it becomes unavoidable. Sylvia is passionate about long-form television as a medium for exploring faith with honesty, restraint, and respect for the audience’s intelligence.
Separated explores what happens when belief is postponed under the assumption that there will always be more time. I am drawn to stories about ordinary people facing irreversible moments, where faith and choice stop being abstract and become unavoidable. Rather than focusing on spectacle, this series centers on absence, consequence, and emotional realism. The disappearance at the heart of the story is never shown, because the impact of Separated lies in what remains after certainty is gone. My work prioritizes restraint, character, and the quiet cost of standing in the middle.
