Sister Jimena
Screenplay

Jimena had accepted the fact she was going to be single forever. Her perspective of seeing men as friends unexpectedly sparked a relationship with an online backgammon opponent that turned into something more than what she was game for. 

Written by: Margarita Valle Santikos 

As a screenwriter, I draw inspiration from life events, particularly midlife crises that are awkward yet comedic. My artistic purpose is to motivate audiences to live and love by their own rules, disregarding social constructs. I’m a member of Women and Film and Television – WIFT Austin and a volunteer documentary film screener for the Austin Film Festival.

Henrietta Vs The VOID
Fiction Podcast

Twenty years ago, in the places we view as strange, VOIDs mysteriously opened, warping the towns around them, and causing weird phenomenon to plague the lives of their citizens. Now, a young occultist sets out on a cross-country journey to close these inter-dimensional portals while hunting for clues connected to the disappearance of her mother. 

Written by: Celia Tise 

Celia Tise is an Influencer Manager by day and writer, improv-er, and comedy performer by night. After a long stint of only writing fan-fiction, she’s decided to return to her passion of writing (and hopefully one day finishing) scripts. 

Mother’s Day
Short Film

The search for the perfect nanny sends a new mother into a world of robots that challenge her notions of racial progress and women’s liberation. 

Written by: Lisa B. Thompson 

Lisa B. Thompson’s satirical comedies, poignant dramas and Afro-futurist theatre shatter stereotypes about Black life in the US, particularly the experiences of the Black middle class. The writer, director is also professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin and co-host of Black Austin Matters, a podcast and radio segment on KUT that explores Black life, culture, and politics in Central Texas. 

Bananaversary
Screenplay

Their wedding night nearly shattered by an uncomfortable revelation, a newly married couple try to make the best of the morning after. 5 years later, they return to the same hotel to re-kindle their spark but discover the hotel has been keeping a secret that threatens much more than their marriage. 

Written by: Bryan Poyser 

A two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee, Bryan Poyser has directed 3 features, numerous shorts and made projects for Comedy Central, HBO and the USA Network. His work has screened at major film festivals like Sundance and SXSW and his most recent short film won the Texas Short Filmmaker Award at the 2022 Austin Film Festival. 

The Eagle in Spring 
Screenplay

Her father’s untimely death thrusts a naive teenage girl into the cut-throat world of Medieval politics where she becomes a player in a deadly game. She struggles against princes and the pope to regain her freedom, her land, and her crown. 

Written by: Leo Sopicki 

Leo Sopicki has been writing all his life and started to work on screenplays about 10 years ago. He has written and produced several short films, one of which won an award at the 2022 Worldfest Houston. 

Everything Changes
Screenplay

Tech sales star, Emily Letourneau, settles for her average life. A cancer diagnosis changes everything: forcing her to face the past, embrace the present and reimagine her future. 

Written by: Victoria Brooks 

Victoria Brooks is a poster child for bad choices, luckily escaping relatively unscathed, except for that one time. You’ll have to meet her to hear *that* story. She shares her legacy of bad decisions for entertainment and life lessons, hoping that women will relate. She hopes they’ll find strength in the tears and laughter of her characters’ journeys, remembering to get back up again and find a way when life hits hard. She’s won some writing awards and placed in several competitions, which is likely the least exciting thing about her. Since sharing her writer’s cred is customary, some of them include Stage 32 Screenwriting Fellowship (Semi-Finalist), Page Turner – First 15 (Quarter Finalist), ISA – 2018 Austin Writer, and several not highly recognized but still great ego boost competitions. You can find her at events in and around Austin, such as SXSW and Austin Film Festival. 

Old School
Screenplay

A free-spirited grandmother gets kicked out of her retirement community for partying, causing her to move into her uptight perfectionist granddaughter’s dorm room.

Written by: Ally Cohen 

Ally Cohen is an Austin, Texas based screenwriter and comedian.