A film student makes a call, the answer changes his life.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Val Cole
Nathan: Steve Rizzo
Police Officer: Sean Ballantyne
Grandma: Hannah Ehman

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

This one page script The Answer is about the moment I received the phone call that my father had died while I was at film school in New York. I wasn't told at the moment he had committed suicide, but that was the moment I knew that the only real parent I had passed away.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Drama, tragedy.

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

I'm not sure that this screenplay, as a one page experiment, should be made into a movie. It could be, and perhaps it would work because of the voice over, but it certainly lends itself to more. The whole story itself, because of the nature of suicide and what it could tell about the film school experience definitely has some merit, but it is a story I've struggled to adapt for over 20 years.

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

Tragically poignant

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

Full Metal Jacket. A friend was going to basic training and when we were teenagers and watched it everyday over a period of several months. I had seen it before and since, I was about 14 at the time. A tie might be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for when I was a kid I received the first TMNT movie starring Corey Feldman for Christmas and watched it a few times a night for a while. Last I remember the count was 47.

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

I wrote it the day I sent it in, this one page iteration of the story put into one moment... But this true story occurred in June 2003.

7. How many stories have you written?

A lot.

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

I really don't know. That is a tough one for me. I will say that when I write most times, I play one song on repeat over and over, or an album that sets the tone for a story. I was listening to Beethoven's symphonies during the writing of The Answer.

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

Just getting that moment whittled down to one page so it made sense and had a beginning middle and end.

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

Acting and directing/producing films. History and the study of historical figures, or just true life stories.

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

The platform is fine. The spam emails from festivals is not so great.

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

I really loved the challenge to write a one page screenplay and the enticement of having actors read it afterwards was very motivating. It was a very fun exercise.