Montclair, NJ— Montclair Film announced the winners Saturday of the inaugural Emerging Screenwriter Competition (ESC), a screenwriting competition open to students from around the world working on screenplays in the Drama, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Action/Adventure categories. ESC celebrates the work of screenwriters who are in the 8th through 12th grades and writers submitted their screenplays online, and finalists were invited to attend a red-carpet award ceremony at Montclair Film’s Cinema505, where awards were given by a jury of industry professionals. The event also featured a live reading of Resurrection, the Grand Prize-winning script written by Sam Zaslow-Braverman, which was performed by a professional cast.
“The range and depth of the work of these young writers is so incredibly inspiring,” said Montclair Film Education Director Sue Hollenberg. “We are proud to be able to celebrate the excellence of our award-winning writers, and so grateful to all of the students who submitted work to our inaugural program.”
The winners of the 2022 Emerging Filmmakers Competition are:
Grand Prize Winner
Sam Zaslow-Braverman, Golda Och Academy
Resurrection
Drama
WINNER:
Gwendolyn Baily, Fusion Academy
Stella and Jack
FINALISTS:
Amelia Knapp, Montclair High School
When the Stars Align
Santiago Tapia Torres, Cooper City High School
Mel’s First Date
Comedy
WINNER:
Sam Zaslow-Braverman, Golda Och Academy
Resurrection
FINALISTS:
Jose Santos, Donald M. Payne Tech
The Breakup
Michael Liotta, Glen Ridge High School
Rokie
Horror
WINNER:
Ross Perlman, Columbia High School
The Swell of Waves
FINALISTS:
Emily Kalosieh, Waldwick High School
Dead by Ten
Willow Killebrew, Montclair Kimberly Academy
Red: Maturation Cut
Sci-fi/Fantasy
WINNER:
Sahana Mishra, Northern Valley Demarest High School
Redemption
FINALISTS:
Jason Lewis, Montclair High School
The Artist and His Pen
Luis Zonenberg, Klein High School
Kingdom, Chapter 3: Ghosts of the Forgotten
Action/Adventure
WINNER:
Dylan Gill, Columbia High School
Natives
FINALISTS:
Jacques Ciambra, Montclair High School
Changing Frames
Jacob Rincon, Cathedral High School
Foolproof
In order to encourage and support young filmmakers, Montclair Film + Education continues to offer filmmaking classes, programs, and workshops throughout the year, including Filmmaking, Screenwriting, Improv, Editing with Adobe Premier Pro, Acting for Film and TV, and more. Registration is open for the 2022 Summer Academy and students can learn more at montclairfilm.org/education
