A highly sensitive, two-spirit person living above their adopted parent's appliance store has their life turned upside down when they learn their two "stillborn" babies may still be alive (now teens) and that their recurring childhood nightmare of the alien abduction of their birth parents may have truth to it.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Shawn Devlin
Phoebe: Hannah Ehman
Aurora: Elizabeth Rose Morriss

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

After learning there may be something behind the recurring childhood nightmare of her parents' alien abduction, and that two (supposedly) stillborn IVF babies born to them may be alive (and now teens!); a two-spirit person sets out on a quest for the truth and to reunite.

It's about the importance of truth-telling and creating a family of choice. It's about the folly of “Otherism” and that “difference” is not bad; but represents strength.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Its four quadrant appeal is based in genre-bending and that it defies the gravity of heavy-handed tropes. It's SciFi, but also Family and Road picture combined. It contains conspiratorial elements, so Intrigue and Action-Adventure are apropos genre, as well.

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

It introduces contemporary elements that have not been seen in this way. It employs cinematically commonplace genre, character, and story elements while introducing contemporary themes in a way that make them more palatable for general audiences, wider audiences.

More than ever before, Otherism has become the weapon of the wealthy; tearing families, communities and cultures apart. The story emphasizes the importance of embracing those who are labeled, “Alien” as our neighbors, not enemies; Potential allies, not monsters.

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

Classic and Contemporary

4. What movies have you seen the most times in your life?

a. “Wizard of Oz”, naturally, would be #1. (It was broadcast annually from 1959-1991, pre-VCR days)

b. Hitchcock's “Psycho” from 1960 (I watched it about 16 times in 1972, in high school)

c. Hammer Films' 1958 “Horror of Dracula” w/Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (same as above)

d. Franco Zeffirelli's 1972 “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” (about 12 times in theater during a period of religious zeal)

e. “Sorority Girls from Hell”(3:00) segment from 1985 “Television Parts” NBC summer replacement/pilot. 100s of times. It's an homage to 1950's horror and college-life. Hysterical.

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

The initial concept was developed in 2006 with my late writing partner. When he succumbed to a lifelong battle with depression in 2021, I chose to pull it out and rework it in a way I felt would honor both our journeys.

6. How many stories have you written?

I've been writing stories since I was ten. In March I turned 70. That's high math. Beyond me. My left-brain is atrophied from years of neglect. Let it suffice to say, “A LOT”

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

A lot of personal experience. Creative expression is very much a part of my wellness and healing regimen. I did want to honor my late writing partner. His on-going battle with mental illness was exacerbated by a need to meet socio-cultural expectations. However, he was a very sensitive, loving, and creative person who deserved to be remembered for his progressive passion, not simply the way he left this world.

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

I felt an organic synergy in working this; the experiences of the past dancing a tarantella of urgency with present day issues. I really don't believe in magic. I believe in work. But I do know there is something mystical about the creative process. My only obstacle was getting my butt in the chair. Once I sit with it, it's like a flood of energy exudes from all synapses.

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

Digital Photography. Mixed media (mostly found objects, because I'm a firm believer in second chances), Music, Indigenous art, public service, community building... but more than anything, like this story's protagonist, I'm passionate about truth-telling, my mindfulness practice, gun-control, and celebrating my “Family of Choice.”

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

Last year I accepted a commission from my state's governor to serve on an advisory board on issues that impact the LGBTQ2S+ senior community. The protagonist in my script is two-spirit (as am I). I felt that, not only could I speak with authority, but presenting such a character in a normal cinematic environ would humanize them and wake viewers up to the folly and danger of “Othering”. This festival, I felt, could provide readers who understood that message in a profound way. Feedback received served to validate those feelings, as it was supportive, thoughtful and well-considered.