Missouri Film Office Opens Competition for Missouri Stories

The Missouri Film Office is looking for writers who have penned screenplays or TV pilot scripts set in the Show-Me State.

Now in its second year, the Missouri Stories Screenwriting Fellowship Program will accept script submissions from screenwriters through Nov. 30.

Sponsored by the Missouri Film Office and the Missouri Motion Media Association, the program seeks to encourage more Missouri Stories for film and television, and support writers who aspire to work in the film and TV industry.

All entrants will receive feedback on their scripts from the reading judges and up to three winners will be selected to attend the all-expenses-paid fellowship experience Feb. 7-10, 2016, in Missouri. Full program details, including important dates to remember, rules and the submissions form, are available at MoFilm.org/MoStories.

During the fellowship, writers will participate in writing workshops and have one-on-one time with industry mentors who are established in the film industry. Past mentors include Bob Gale, perhaps best known for co-writing films in the "Back to the Future" trilogy, and Philip LaZebnik, an accomplished writer who penned scripts for "Mulan" and "The Prince of Egypt". 2016 industry mentors will be announced in October.

"We want to inspire writers with Missouri locations, history and people. We can't wait to see the creative perspectives expressed in the submitted scripts," says Andrea Sporcic-Klund, film office specialist from the Missouri Film Office, a part of the Missouri Division of Tourism. "Missouri is known as home to great storytellers, including Mark Twain and Laura Ingalls Wilder, and it's been the setting for great stories, such as 'Meet Me in St. Louis'. The Missouri Stories program seeks to continue that tradition by finding visionary writers waiting to tell Missouri's next great story."

For more information, please contact Andrea Sporcic-Klund at Andrea(dot)Sporcic(at)ded(dot)mo(dot)gov or 573-526-3566.

About the Missouri Division of Tourism: The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) is the official tourism office for the state of Missouri dedicated to marketing Missouri as a premier travel destination. Established in 1967, the Missouri Division of Tourism has worked hard to develop the tourism industry in Missouri to what it is today, a $15.3 billion industry supporting more than 290,000 jobs. For more information on Missouri tourism, go to http://www.VisitMO.com.

About the Missouri Film Office
Since 1983, The Missouri Film Office has worked to recruit, develop, coordinate and market the film industry and film-related activities in Missouri. The Missouri Film Office serves as the official central point of contact for all state-wide inquiries: film, TV shows/segments, commercials, web content, and digital media. Resources available at MoFilm.org.