The grandson of a golf course owner loses his job and has to return to the course, where his grandfather and two surprising new employees inspire him to try and help save it from bankruptcy.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Val Cole
Barbara: Kyana Teresa
Nate: Geoff Mays
Lazenby: Sean Ballantyne

Get to know the screenwriter:

1. What is your screenplay about?

'Down At The Val' is about a down on his luck young man who left his family's golf course business and tried striking out on his own only to have it all go bad when his fiancée dumps him and his bank fires him. He returns to the course to find he's been replaced by a sixteen year old girl with an incredible talent for the game and he soon realizes his dreams of making millions may not be as important as his new respect for family and friends. But the course is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, so he has to find a way to save ir or he will not only lose his newfound friends but he will destroy his family's legacy.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

It's definitely a comedy, but with enough drama to be considered a dramedy by some.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

The story's theme of found family and restoring familial relationships could resonate with a wide audience. There's also something to be said about a story focusing on love and forgiveness in our current climate of division and hate The world could really use 'Down At The Val' right now.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Hilariously heartbreaking.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

'Arthur' (1981)

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

For a little over two years.

7. How many stories have you written?

Dozens of screenplays, a couple novels, and a memoir.

8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

'Come And Get Your Love' by Redbone.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

I hadn't written anything in almost 15 years. I had a bad experience with Hollywood in the late 2000's and walked away from it all. One rainy day in 2021, my wife made me watch 'The Bad News Bears' from 1976 and then she simply said, "It's time for you to go write your own Bad News Bears." The easy part was coming up with the basic storyline. The biggest obstacle was finding a way to work in some kind of high stakes golf match. Because 'Down At The Val' is set at a golf course, there had to be a high stakes match but it took me a long time to come up with one that was satisfying and didn't feel thrown in.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I like spending time with people of all ages and backgrounds. Everyone has a story to tell and, more often than not, it's a pretty good one.

11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?

Filmfreeway has made life much easier for me to find contests. I use another site that is very similar. It's so easy to submit a script and track it, I don't know what we used to do in the old days. The experience has been great.

12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I entered the festival because I think I can write funny stuff but I wanted to see if others felt the same way. In the past couple years, I've received a wide variety of feedback from all kinds of places, reputable and... sometimes not so much. The feedback I received from the LA Comedy Film & Screenplay Festival was specific and useful. The reader had clearly read every word and I can't tell you how often I've spent money on a reader that had obviously skimmed through the script. The LA Comedy Film & Screenplay Festival was specific right down to page numbers which was extremely helpful (and, as it turns out, rare). So I deeply appreciate the time the reader took to help me make the script better. I began the re-write the same night.