Ron Basso (Virginia Beach) FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY

SYNPOPSIS:

During the Civil War, former slaves were trained in the North as spies and returned to the South as servants and laborers to seek out Confederate military secrets. Their bravery and courage in the face of danger and death preserved this nation.

BIO:

Ron Basso is a Virginian through and through, born and raised in Richmond.  After an army stint, he received his degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University, and his youngest daughter graduated from the University of Virginia. He and his wife now reside in Virginia Beach where they enjoy collecting seashells, having their feet in the sand and weathering the occasional Nor-Easter.

Eric Carlson (Virginia Beach) REACH FOR THE SKY

SYNOPSIS:

In 1964, a young high school industrial arts teacher in rural Missouri inspires his academically challenged students to build a fully functional airplane. Based on a true story.

BIO:

Eric Carlson is a Williamsburg, Virginia based screenwriter with a passion for creating captivating stories. His screenplays have won or finished in the top tier in numerous prestigious competitions, and he’s a previous winner of the Virginia Screenwriting Competition.  He also serves as the director of the Virginia Screenwriter’s Forum, a Richmond-based group of screenwriters who meet monthly to critique member scripts, discuss the film industry, and share their love and knowledge of screenwriting.

Jesse Robinson (Alexandria) WHERE TEARDROPS FALL

SYNOPSIS:

In this darkly comedic film noir set in Northern Virginia, Dominic works as a government hitman to pay off his student loans until the weariness of the work forces him to reconsider his method of repayment.

BIO:

Jesse Robinson is a writer, director and editor from Alexandria, Virginia with an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His first feature film, Young & Innocent, was shot exclusively in Virginia and is currently in post-production.  His favorite Bob Dylan album is Love & Theft.

FINALISTS

Finalists in the competition were: Todd Densmore (Richmond), Neil Harvey (Roanoke), Alec Richards (Charlottesville), Alexander Mesmer (Alexandria), Terry Gau (Richmond), Eric Hurt (Charlottesville), Douglas Bari (Stanardsville), Maja Olsson (West Point), and Johnny Saint Ours (Charlottesville).

Todd Densmore

DEVIL’S OWN LUCK

Bankrupt and about to lose his land, a small town farmer decides to knock off a local drug house, but things don’t go as planned.

Neil Harvey

GOAT RODEO

A wise-cracking accountant finds both cash and chaos when he starts working for a colorful Southern criminal.

Alec Richards

COLD WAS THE GROUND

A small town fixer arranges the contract killing of a local man for a wealthy client; the client’s son-in-law. What seems a personal vendetta turns into a veritable nightmare, with repercussions for the client, the fixer, and the entire town.

Alexander Mesmer

SPACE PEOPLE

A suburban couple and a recently-arrived immigrant develop friendship and learn life lessons from each other after the latter is hired as a landscaper by the well-to-do family.

Terry Gau

PINES OF ROME

A world-famous conductor finds himself exiled to a small town, where he butts heads with the female conductor of a local volunteer symphony.  He gains humility, perspective, and friendship as he re-discovers his passion for music and rights a wrong from his past.

Eric Hurt

CHESAPEAKE

On a secluded island in the Chesapeake Bay, an aging waterman lives an isolated life. When he rescues a boy and a woman from the banks of the bay, his solitary life becomes their shelter.

Douglas Bari

YES VIRGINIA

The life story of Santa Claus as told by Mrs. Claus.  Think enchantment.

Maja Olsson

SMOKE

A teenage girl runs away to Richmond where she is taken under the wing of a college dropout who is struggling with the death of her sister.

Johnny Saint Ours

SHOT AT WAR

A vigilante fighting for what’s been done to her and a photographer on a self-destructive quest for redemption meet in the midst of a war-ravaged landscape