Pride Films and Plays Kicks Off Second Great Gay Screenplay Contest

Pride Films and Plays is proud to announce the launch of the second annual Great Gay Screenplay Contest. This contest seeks new screenplays that not only speak to the LGBT community, but are essential viewing for our friends, family, and co-workers.

The entry fee if submitted between May 1 and May 31 is $30. The entry fee if submitted between June 1 and June 30 is $45. Final deadline is June 30, 2011. Our reading committee of theater and film professionals across the country will select 15 semi-finalists, to be announced on August 15.

The five finalists will be announced on September 15, and the five final scripts will be performed as staged readings at the Hoover-Leppen Theater at Center on Halsted in Chicago October 23 - 26.

There will be one 'Juried Winner' and one 'People's Choice Winner.' The five finalists will each receive $400. Complete contest rules and information are here.

This is an open contest for all persons 18 years or older as of the date of entry. International entries are encouraged.

Pride Films and Plays fosters excellent writing for the stage and screen that not only speaks to the LGBT community, but is essential viewing for our friends, family, and co-workers. Using stories with gay and lesbian characters or themes, Pride Films and Plays develops human stories of parenting, marriage, faith, and love that become a cultural bridge to understanding.

Pride Films and Plays, based in Chicago, links an international network of writers with professionals working in film and theater. Through readings, contests, classes, screenings and full Theater Productions, PFP engages artists and audiences in the full developmental process needed to make great artistic experiences.

A finalist from the first Great Gay Screenplay Contest, Gary Polston, said "I want to take a moment to thank you for the incredible experience that I had thanks to you and the very talented group at PFP. I could not have asked for a better time at the reading. The actors were wonderful and John Nasca is a fantastic director. It was a very professional production that you could not have paid me to miss. I am extremely grateful for what the opportunity of being a finalist in this contest means to me. I hope to be able to use it as a catalyst to move forward in my career so that I can also give back to the community the way you and PFP have done."

Finalist Louise Wadley said "It was a great weekend! The reading was very helpful and John Nasca and the actors did a great job, and the theatre space is really good, so well done, everyone."

We congratulate Tom Hietter, the winner of the first Great Gay Screenplay Contest, for his work Detasseling. In Detasseling, a gay teen's urgent desire to flee his small and stifling Midwestern town sets off a bittersweet and, at times, harrowing journey of self-discovery over the summer of 1985.

We also congratulate the other four finalists:

Bethlehem by Chris French, Astoria NY
With a baby on the way, gay thirty-somethings in New York City struggle to reconcile their definitions of "family" with their Christian upbringings and parents' expectations -- in a modern retelling of the Christmas story.

The Queen of Harts by Gary Polston, Aliso Viejo, CA
Suffering an identity crisis, a famous drag queen returns to his Southern roots seeking a more masculine way of life. He discovers the road to acceptance is full of bumps and leads to unexpected places.

Skirt by Chris Mason Johnson and Kate Stayman-London, San Francisco, CA
When idealistic campaign worker Allie agrees to pose as her female boss's girlfriend in order to help promote marriage equality, she soon finds herself in political and romantic hot water.

The Trouble With e by Louise Wadley, Sydney, NSW
Beautiful, sexy DJ e seems to have it all, but looks are deceiving. Stumbling on a stash of cash, e goes on the run. To stay alive, e has to find the courage to follow her dreams.

For more information on the contest, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com