When disgraced TV journalist Matthew Coleman is sent to South America for a "where-are-they-now" piece on thirty-three miners rescued from a cave-in a decade ago, he expects an easy fluff assignment. But what begins as a redemption story turns into a chilling investigation, as Matt uncovers a dark secret—the miners never actually returned. With a potent mix of eerie folklore, native mysticism, and psychological unraveling, The Pit blends investigative thriller with supernatural horror as Matt races to expose a truth no one wants revealed.

https://instagram.com/duncanputney

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Steve Rizzo
Gary: Geoff Mays
Matt: Shawn Devlin
Mary: Val Cole

Get to know writer Duncan Putney:

1. What is your screenplay about?

Redemption: For Matt Coleman, for Father Dominic, for Dr Fuentes and even the villagers of Los Santos.
Is a miracle always a miracle?

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Supernatural horror mystery

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

I (and my co-writer Greg) believe that the premise is not rehashed commercial plot lines and that the story works well across cultures. The screenplay sits in the sweet spot of being commercial and unique.

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

Disturbing and Unexpected

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

I watched "Drums Along the Mohawk" and "Northwest Passage" as a kid as I'm a bit of a 18th century American history nerd. So, those two films skew the average. I'm not a binge watcher. It's great treat to revisit a film that you haven't seen in a decade or so. You get a different experience that way.

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

I had the idea some years ago when actual mining rescue happened in Chile. I wanted to write a smart script with broad appeal. I made some notes and every so often would revisit the project. I finally sat down to write a first draft during Covid. I got to the point where had a pretty good script, but not a great one, so I brought in my friend Greg Chopoorian to get feedback and to brainstorm with. Working with Greg really helped move the script forward.

6. How many stories have you written?

I have written dozens of screenplays, both short and feature length. I'm always jumping from script to script. If I'm stuck on one project, I jump to another so that I'm making progress and not staring at an empty page.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

I thought of putting an unexpected twist on a real life event and couldn't get that out of my head until it was written as a screenplay.

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

I would get stuck assembling all the pieces of the puzzle. I wanted every piece of information to pay off and every sub plot to tie into the main plot. Nothing extra and nothing missing.

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

Most recently, I'm passionate bout my fiance, Chelsea, and her two amazing kids. I've have produced some award winning short films with my friend Andre Stark, and we've created some non-profit projects for the Rhode Island International Film Festival like the Flickers 7DayPSA filmmaker competition in Boston with WCVB-TV5 and the Children's Hospitals International Film Festival that started with Boston Children's Hospital that has grown to include more than a dozen children's hospitals in the US and Canada.

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

Feedback was critical. We were looking for festivals that had judges that really knew the genres and what horror audiences were critical about. We wanted to see if the story would resonate with judges. I actually made a few adjustments to the script based on the initial feedback