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From the darkness of war comes the need for one man’s salvation. Civilian stationmaster Kurt Hellmann can’t reconcile the atrocities of war. He blames himself for the death of 123 Jews due to a prank telephone call and, later on, envisions himself as the last Nazi mass murderer. The last straw is when the Nazis shoot the woman he loved, a Jew he had been hiding in his quarters until he could smuggle her out of the country. Too cowardly to stop Rachel’s execution lest he sign his own death warrant, he carves a swastika into his chest as a reminder that he couldn’t save her, then flees the war to seek salvation for all the wrong reasons. In the jungles of Brazil, blinded by the deep void in the center of what he thought were his values, he longs for punishment but does nothing when an opportunity presents itself – until the Nazi hunter of his nightmares shows up with his name on her list, the irony of which is that they become friends. Hellmann’s salvation finally comes from an unexpected source that reunites him with Rachel forever.
A sniper who hunts an Air Force colonel for humiliating her on a botched cover up discovers he’s masterminding one himself when a man hunt for two gunman leads to the capture of an extraterrestrial pilot being held prisoner.
My goal for the next draft is to do a cross between Bonny and Clyde and Avatar. A colonel searching for the cure of a virus that transforms humans into their alien counterparts hunts a pair of gunmen who hold a teenage alien hostage. An alien whose mind might be the key to saving humanity.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The themes conveyed within the story are relevant and shouldn’t be ignored. People need to be reminded of the past. I believe in the phrase “History repeats itself” and no matter how much we avoid it, history always catches up. It’s like a broken record.
3. This story has a lot going for it. How would you describe this script in two words?
Almost there.
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
My favorite movie is Schindler’s List. I think it really set the tone for a lot of filmmakers over the past twenty years.
5. This is a very tight, emotionally engaging and fun screenplay. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Since 2013 or 2014. I don’t remember!
6. How many stories have you written?
I’m working on my 11th draft.
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
The current state of our world and politics. I do base my stories on news headlines and feel some social issues that are still prevalent today have been put on the shelf to be disputed later.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
I’m not accustomed to writing contained stories in which the protagonist overcomes all odds to defeat (or kill) the antagonist, so it was difficult to decide which characters would triumph. Also, I still need to work on my writing style because I think I confused some readers.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Photography, health and exercise, graphic design, traveling.
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
The festival was affordable and the feedback I got was tremendously helpful. I’ll use the feedback to refine my writing style in the next draft.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Mercy is a story that looks into the past and the future through the experiences of a man who wants to end racism and in doing so he becomes instrumental in electing the first African American President of the United States.
A film is about a lethal obsession and how it can alter a persons perception of their world. As well as a very uncovered subject matter(in film)–aero-technology.
First Scene Screenplay Festival 