DITCH EVERY OTHER SCREENPLAY CONTEST, NICHOLL & PAGE INCLUDED. THEY DON'T RESULT IN YOUR MOVIE BEING MADE! THIS VERY WELL MAY:

INTERDEPENDENT will host a signing ceremony on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at The Plots House in Bel Air, CA to turn screenplays into production companies for Studio 1.

At the signing ceremony there will also be a highly curated list of producers, directors, department heads, and talent looking to be matched to one or more productions. This event will not only be about celebrating our "winners" but used to immediately begin building teams around every screenplay we acquire to see those stories get told.

You can maximize your ability to network before, during, and post signing on Plots (https://plots.events) by downloading the app on iOS and adding Chris Amell @grandplotmaster. If you have submitted a screenplay on FilmFreeway we will add you back, and you can message us and others interested in joining your production there.

We highly encourage you to submit without charge ASAP. There is also a paid window that will guarantee you consideration for the current "Studio 1" production and release schedule, but we do not want to charge you to submit! It just so happened I discovered FilmFreeway late in the game for this round of submissions. if you can't make it in time, don't worry. "We'll be back!" (Terminator accent). And, you WILL be notified by March 21 (at the latest) if you submit now and we would like to acquire the rights to your screenplay.

NOW, ABOUT INTERDEPENDENT — A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STUDIO, FOR EVERYONE!

We're not here to make movies ourselves — we're here to join together everyone who does, and build the system around them they need: one that rewards passion, amplifies audience voices, and gives anyone, anywhere, the chance to shape the future of film.

INTERDEPENDENT Studios isn't a business venture. It’s a mission — sparked by a guy from rural PA who really, really loves movies and technology, has spent the spent the past 25 years in Hollywood and around the world understanding the business and developing a solution to his extreme dissatisfaction with how money gets allocated to make movies, and what ultimately gets seen by worldwide audiences. The goal? Bring more people into the process. Not just as spectators, but as participants. Collaborators. Champions of the stories they believe in.

At the center of it all is THE LOT — our fully digital studio space where screenplays are read, trailers are watched, and decisions are made based on something radical: what the audience actually cares about. To enter, audience members purchase a ticket, which they use to get a premiere pass for the movie they find inside they're most excited about. In this way, buying a ticket isn't about funding our operation—it's casting a vote. Saying, “This is the story I want to see on screen.”

We don’t need that money to make the movies—we use it as proof. Proof that people care enough to pay attention now, so we can predict who’ll show up later. Every project that shows signs of at least breaking even gets the green light to make a 3-minute theatrical trailer—Decided by looking at how many people that read a screenplay convert their ticket purchase to see that movie premiere, and a host of other audience behaviors. From there, directors can adopt scripts, assemble their teams, cast actors, schedule production, and lock budgets—all in full view of the public. Open to anyone who wants to throw their hat in the ring. 

FilmFreeway members may ENTER, as a special guest, from a desktop computer, between 10 - 11 am PST at

https://interdependent.studio/gate

We haven’t made a movie yet. But we’ve built something thousands of people are already a part of. And we're betting it’s only the beginning. We’re not that different from the old Hollywood studios, really. We just took their blueprint, stripped away the gatekeeping, and built something open, transparent, and powered by the people using the technology of today. A modern studio system for a global community with a mission to make great movies.

We're Not Handing Out Trophies — We’re Making Movies

From thousands of submissions, we will:‍

Select up to 296 screenplays‍
Produce up to 42 trailers‍
Release up to 13 feature films during Spring 2026

Projects selected on FilmFreeway by Casey and our internal champions will shopped to audiences and investors on THE LOT at INTERDEPENDENT. Your screenplay, upon selection, and with your signature, will become a production company at INTERDEPENDENT — This is what “winners” are awarded at our signing ceremony!

SIGNING CEREMONY Venue & Additional Details
The Plots House
The Plots House is home to Plots Inc. It is a startup company founded by Tristan Amell and Ryan Ogle, the founding CTO of Tinder. What's Plots? Plots mission is to build the world's in-person social network. They care deeply about getting people together IRL around meaningful experiences. This special signing ceremony for selected writers, their screenplays, and prospective production teams is one of those moments. We will use Plots newly developed social features to help "match" each selected screenplay with those in attendance, and drive projects forward. You can see what Plots is about and download the app to maximize your networking at the event at https://plots.events

The venue has a great history. You can see it in action going all the way back to JAY-Z - I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) seen here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nG8o_9RliwU

Transparency First. AI Second. Audience Always.

We're looking for great scripts to make great feature films. Nothing else! We encourage everyone to submit on FilmFreeway during the FREE submission window to avoid being charged. Anyone who does, or chooses to pay to submit, will be included in our current production timeline (available in the photos section).

UPON SUBMISSION:

- Your script is first read by Casey, our in-house AI.
- It must be then be championed by a human, and seconded by another.
- From there, once selected, it will be shown to as many real audience members as possible. Therefore, we don’t do NDAs. If you’re secretive or afraid of feedback, this isn’t for you.
- INTERDEPENDENT Ventures (IPVC) will provide preview funding for those production companies approved by our audiences  — that also attract a director, cast, and crew in the process.
- If your preview is approved by our audiences for feature production, instead of receiving an up-front payment for your work, you may become an equity holder and share in first-dollar gross revenue — in perpetuity.

This isn’t about winning. It’s about everyone getting an opportunity for their movie to be made — and seen.

Post Selection:
As a WGA covered writer you will be paid a 10% option fee at guild rates triggered upon trailer approval, and the purchase price upon feature approval of the trailer by audiences in theaters. If selected here, you will offered to sign a calendar season shopping agreement for the non-exclusive right to get trailer production set up. WGA members may also opt-in to a share of first-dollar gross (as an Executive Producer) — in perpetuity.

Non WGA covered writers are automatically opted-in to a share of first-dollar-dollar gross based on the WGA value for their screenplay. Non-covered writers may still opt-out of a share of revenue as compensation for their work, and require they receive an upfront payment by investors in order to green-light production.

We have an open ticket with Gina at the WGA Contracts Help desk [#2025041510002513].
If you have any questions contact contractshelpdesk@wga.org

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • michael losonczy

    I still don’t really understand what happened. Getting access to the Lot was incredibly frustrating from the start. I’m grateful and honestly honored to have been selected as an Award Winner, Honorable Mention, and nominee, but after that, there was nothing. No follow-up. No clear direction. I tried multiple times to get into the Lot and it went nowhere. Completely stalled.

    I’m not questioning their passion or intent to get films into production. I just can’t wrap my head around a process this unclear and disconnected, or how something like this is supposed to be productive for the people involved. I won't give it a true rating until i fully understand the process.

    January 2026
    Response from festival:

    I agree with this reviewer. (Thanks Michael). We are releasing our own web app to reduce the friction he mentions, and pave a clear yellow brick road for writers to go from submission to screen with us. Miro has been a real pain. If you’re reading this and would like early access email mailroom@interdependent.studio. Public access should be available SPRING 2026. Basic landing page coming soon. Oh, and thank you for reserving judgement. Appreciated. -Chris Amell

  • This was the most confusing screenwriting competition I have ever been a part of in my life! Lmao! The presented some online event that was as confusing to read in their email as it was attending the event. (I was never able to log on.) They broke things down into three categories, "Recommend," "Consider," and "Pass."The "RECOMMEND" list (over 150 screenplays) meant they wanted to sign your script right away! The "CONSIDER" list (over 1350 screenplays) meant they were still considering your screenplay and would encourage you to revise and resubmit to their next reading period. And well, I don’t have to explain what “PASS,” means. What’s very interesting is that no legit producer or production company is going to sign over 150 screenplays all at once nor are they going to “Consider,” over 1350 screenplays! I don't have if they had a trillion dollars! Not quite sure what these folks are doing, but at present, I wouldn’t waste my time. The model seems reckless and a red-flag for unsustainability. Full disclosure...five of my projects made their “Consider,” list. LOL! I’m not revising any of them though. They're great just the way they are. Lol!

    January 2026
    Response from festival:

    Hi Aaron. You may reach out to me directly if you wish to understand the status of your scripts and what happened here. I would also like to be certain you understand how we work. Your review mentions “an industry contact list”. We do not provide that service. We aim to acquire and produce those projects we discover and do not provide a typical “award” of any kind. Again, please reach out directly and we’ll get this sorted asap! Chris@interdependent.studio +1 814.596.3720 Best, Chris

  • Anna Geldermann

    An amazing contest! Thanks for the opportunity and the encouragement!

    September 2025
  • Salvador Ochoa

    Fue una gran experiencia obtener una mención honorifica.

    July 2025
  • Maria Panagiotidis

    Thank you so much for selecting two of my feature screenplays with honorable mentions. I am so grateful.

    July 2025