Award-winning Winter Bird seeks Movie Producer

First Big Award

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Winter Bird wins big at Silver Scream Film Fest, Famous Monsters of Filmland Convention

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FOREST ACKERMAN

Ackerman Imagi-Movies Screenplay Award 2017


As featured in Famous Monsters of Filmland # 289, p. 197:


"WINTER BIRD began as a stage play drafted for the Edward Albee Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska.  I hesitate to argue with my wife, who claims she commanded me to write a play about a vampire, deriving from all those long winter nights our family of four was experiencing in Anchorage.  The play is 100% recognizable to anyone who ever lived in Alaska -- Anchorage library, fur-trapper's cabin, sled dogs, northern lights, an Eskimo legend..."

 

Holly Interlandi, Executive Editor, Famous Monsters of Filmland:

"Appreciate it!  Winter Bird is fantastic"

Most Recent Big Award

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Congratulations on winning Best Horror Screenplay.

 Our jury loved your work on Winter Bird.

 It is highly engaging and we hope you take pride in it!

 Great writing. 

Thank you for being a part of LAFA18! ❤Best Regards, 
Nami, Roy and the LAFA team

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concept image

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Now Seeking Producers

contact us

Help fledge this Alaskan Gothic Thriller!

Logline:  A former physician, remorseful over his wife's assisted suicide, meets a paranormal owl-woman whose sudden disappearance inspires a science student to help him track her down and, hopefully, to survive the encounter. 

Full Script now @ The Black List and InkTip

101 South Palmer Drive, Port Townsend, WA 98368

SHORT SYNOPSIS

 Winter Bird hinges on a subconscious connection between a rare book librarian/former physician who helped his beloved wife commit suicide a few years ago, and a subarctic entity who was brutally murdered while pregnant 100 years before.  The librarian becomes intrigued by the amber-eyed woman who is hell-bent on obtaining a rare set of herb books to help her foundling infant.  Based on an indigenous legend of avian transmutation, this shape-shifter still haunts the desolate Alaskan woods, sometimes as a snowy owl, in an effort to share the full horror of her tragic story.  Seemingly interested in the librarian, she vanishes abruptly.


A wacky science student, encourages his increasingly delusional mentor to track down the mysterious Woman in White.  The disparate grotesque tragedies of both librarian and suspected vampire irretrievably entwine with Gothic and humorous twists, leading to an extremely risky attempt at mutual redemption.


About Us

The Movie

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  • We are already on the lookout for a primary Producer and Director.
  • We envision this Alaskan Gothic thriller as a major studio blockbuster or a daring independent film.
  • The story contrasts the sense of loss in "Voice From The Stone" (Eric D. Howell) with the comic adventure of "The Fearless Vampire Killers" (Roman Polanski).
  • We anticipate some filming in Washington State or Alaska under a SAG-AFTRA contract.
  • We are now seeking a major investment (>$1 million) in this exciting film.
  • Any subsequent opportunities for smaller investors/non-profit donors will be posted here. 
  • "Acclaimed gothic thriller WINTER BIRD seeks producers" (Northwest Screenwriters Guild, 2018 Member news)
  • "Wishing you nothing but the best with your project. jd"   (J.D. Barker)

The Stage Play

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  • The stage play "Winter Bird, A Gothic Fantasy in Three Acts" (copyright 1995 by Stephen Delos Treacy) was drafted during 20 years that Steve lived in Alaska, researching marine mammals & seabirds by day and doing theatre (Actors' Equity & Dramatists Guild) by night.
  • Developed @ Edward Albee Theatre Conference, an early draft won Honorable Mention at Virtual Theatre Project's "The Pen Is A Mighty Sword" international playwriting competition 2008-2009.
  • The play premiered October 2015 at Eclectic Theater, Seattle, directed by Tony Doupe and Klae Bainter, under Actors' Equity Association Members' Project Code. 
  • The show placed in the top 10 grossing productions at Eclectic Theater.

The Screenplay

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Stephen Delos Treacy, Irish-American, (NW Screenwriters Guild & SAG-AFTRA) adapted the screenplay from his stage play at The Film School, Seattle (class by Brian McDonald).

  •         2017 
  • WINNER:  "Ackerman Imagi-Movies Screenplay Award", Silver Scream Film Festival/Famous Monsters of Filmland (TX);
  • semifinalist: Poe Films Burning Love Screenplay Contest (VA);
  • semifinalist: Austin Revolution  Writing Competition (TX).                        
  •        2018
  • WINNER: "Best Horror Screenplay", Los Angeles Film Awards (CA);
  • Award-Winning Official Finalist: Hollywood Screenplay Contest (CA);
  • Finalist: 13Horror.com (CA); 
  • Finalist: Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (SC);
  • semifinalist: Toronto International Screenwriting Competition (CAN).

  • Script registered @ Writers Guild of America-West (#1872030).
  • Spec scripts obtainable @ "Contact Us" (above), The Black List & InkTip.

IMAGE CONCEPTS

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THIERA (1)

"Oh, Peter, Peter, Peter! Look! Look at this sky! These colors. Vivid far from the city. Come. Watch the green ribbons move, dance, expand. Inhale them. Breathe the green. The ribbons display themselves for us to see, to smell, to taste!"  

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THIERA (2)

"Shhhhh!  Your body is tensing now.  Like a caged bird."

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THIERA (3)

 "Almost like it never died."

Reader Comments

Development Executive, Tailored Films - Dublin 2018

"I particularly enjoyed the Beckettesque dialogue.  The surrealist nature of the characters conversations were very sharp and engaging." 


Academy Nichols Feedback 2018

"Fantasy imagery in this script is strongly cinematic. On page 44, especially, when a fog pours into a library and transforms into a woman with wings, imagery is especially powerful. I believe fantasy imagery is one of this script's strongest elements."  


Slamdance Screenplay Competition 2017, Short Feedback

 "This is an intriguing and compelling adaptation of the play by the same name... as the author sets up the world, characters and the events that unfold, it becomes clear that things are not what they seem in this quaint Alaskan town. What is additionally refreshing is the subtle weaving of moments of magical realism that pushes the narrative further into what is fantasy, dreams and legends. Overall this is a unique refashioning of typical vampiric lore while remaining contained and grounded in the rules and mythos

 originally established in the first several pages."


Seattle International Film Festival Feedback 2017

"The writer succeeds at creating a clear sense of setting and time.  Descriptions and details of the physical world (i.e. exemplifying the tundra of Alaska through different animals) were cinematic and instilled a very intense image of Alaska's natural beauty.  The story was propelled, almost exclusively by dialogue without being overly expository -- this was a major strength of the script.  The dialogue was original and engaging.  The characters, and their interpersonal relationships, felt realistic and impactful; their relationships with one another were genuine.  Each character had their own distinct voice.  Also, the use of a diverse set of characters is refreshing and automatically makes the story-world more intriguing."


Message from UK Film Festival - London 2018

"...the committee enjoyed reading Winter Bird and it made it past the final cut... This is no mean feat and we want you to know that we appreciate your creativity and professionalism."


Message from Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards 2018

"Our industry professional judges have carefully read and considered over 2500 submissions... you should feel proud of the fact that your script--after being closely reviewed by multiple judges--was ranked as among the Top 15% of all entries received."


Judge's Feedback, 13Horror.com 2018

"You write to an extremely impressive standard and Winter Bird represents a very original idea delivered in glorious Gothic style, even boasting its very own Woman in White. There’s a nice blend of tension and humor throughout and they are well balanced against each other. Alfred stood out for me – very amusing and likeable."


Holly Interlandi, Executive Editor, Famous Monsters of Filmland 2017

"Appreciate it!  Winter Bird is fantastic, by the by.  Amazing Dialogue."