Awaken the Medium is a feature-length script that follows the story of Maggie Samson, whose latest near-death experience thrusts her into discovering her gifts and powers. Maggie is a librarian in her forties. Married to Chris, a professor, with whom she has a son, Justus Samson, now eleven years old. Maggie arrives at a crossroads, unaware of the challenges and mysteries that await her.

http://leebicematheson.ca/

Get to know the writers:

1. What is your screenplay about?

Grief, family, love, fear, supernatural events, spiritual awakening.
Stanley Kubrick once said - while filming Stephen King's The Shining - 'anything that says there's something after death is an optimistic story.'

Awaken the Medium is a feature-length script that follows the tale of Maggie Samson, whose latest near-death experience thrusts her into discovering her gifts and powers. Maggie is a librarian in her forties married to Chris, a professor, who is rooted in science-based belief, with whom they have a son, Justus Samson, eleven years old. Maggie arrives at a crossroads, unaware of the challenges and mysteries that await her.

In the aftermath of her parents' tragic death, Maggie decides to move her family into a beautiful house. However, soon after they move in, things begin to happen, strange things. Noises, shadows, unexplainable visions, mirages - every minutiae like this becomes so overwhelming that Maggie realizes she must stop the evil forces nested in the house before it's too late and she or her son and husband are harmed.

Maggie meets a medium, Roberta, who helps her acknowledge her gifts. She discovers that she is a medium, a psychic, and a believer, hence the mirages, the telepathic conversations with her son, and the ability to converse with her deceased parents. With this newly found knowledge, Maggie, joined by her skeptical husband, and loyal son, embark on a quest to close the portal to evil she opened, and shut the evil down, once and for all.

This script is loosely based on my near-death experience, and our family's transformation after my parents died.

Awaken the Medium has been described as 'an elevated supernatural thriller which includes multicultural and spiritual intersectionality: Indigenous wisdom, Catholic doctrine, and parapsychology converging to shape the thematic framework. The use of the "liminal veil" as a metaphysical threshold is a compelling symbolic anchor, deepening the narrative beyond a haunted house cliche. The inclusion of generational trauma, grief, and psychic-medium inheritance gives the story emotional weight and thematic resonance.' J.R. Elliott, Script Adviser

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Thriller/Suspense, Supernatural drama, Family values, Spirituality

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

Our protagonist, Maggie, and her POV has been described as a rare character with a tremendous arc. She is a passive protagonist in the beginning - starting with the hospital scene - to a fighter and saviour in the end at the last hospital scene when Maggie flees the hospital to get home in time to fight. Bookends! Chris and Justus and Maggie are likeable so the audience can connect to them. The family love and support is refreshing to see them pull together in one of the worst times people can experience in their lives, loss of family. There are key elements grounded in realism and at the same time supernatural elements that work in cohesion with one another. Together, they don't arouse suspension of either set of beliefs because they're completely believable. It's also been described as a rich world building that we have created. We set the stage for the supernatural elements to gel together without interrupting the flow and this adds more context. Script readers love the atmosphere and have stated, "There's something special about it. You have this minutiae and attention to detail that enriches the world of your story ... the world we're going to spend our time in for the next couple of hours. Your foundation you created is really beautiful! It's dramatic. It's unique and complex. The ending is perfect."

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

Grief, Transformation

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

Constantine starring the ever talented Canadian actor - Keanu Reeves, Bless the Child starring Kim Basinger, Stephen King's It, Carrie, The Shining, Matt Damon stars in Hereafter, Jurassic Park, Poltergeist, Amityville Horror, Hitchcock's The Birds, to name a few. We LOVE watching movies and learning from the talented screenwriters.