Winter Bird is seeking a Movie Producer

Major Recognition

Winter Bird wins big at Silver Scream Film Festival @ Famous Monsters of Filmland Convention

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


SCREENPLAY WINNER


Forry Ackerman Imagi-Movie Award 


"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"

Now Seeking Producers

contact us

Help fledge this Alaskan Gothic Thriller!

Logline: A former physician, remorseful over his wife's assisted suicide, buries himself in library work where he meets a vanishing Woman in White. An ingenious teen helps him to find her and, hopefully, to survive the encounter.

Full Script now @ The Black List and InkTip

About Us

The Movie

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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).
  • This Gothic script soon won the 2017 Ackerman Imagi-Movies Screenplay Award at the Silver Scream Film Festival (TX), as featured in Famous Monsters of Filmland #289.
  • Also in 2017, Winter Bird was a semifinalist @ Poe Films Burning Love Screenplay Contest (VA) & @ Austin Revolution Writing Competition (TX).
  • In 2018, it was a finalist @ Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival (SC) and a semifinalist @ Toronto International Screenwriting Competition.
  • The script is registered @ Writers Guild of America-West (#1872030).
  • Spec scripts are obtainable @ "Contact Us" (above), The Black List & InkTip.

SHORT SYNOPSIS

 

Winter Bird is a Gothic thriller about a former physician who is remorseful over his beloved wife’s assisted suicide.  Rather than accept his grievous loss, Peter Seacliff buries himself in work as a Rare Book Room Librarian in Anchorage, Alaska.


Peter becomes intrigued by Thiera, an amber-eyed woman who is searching for a rare set of herbals.  An antihero based on Alaskan Native legend, she has reason enough to haunt the desolate woods, sometimes as a snowy owl, these past 100 years.  Thiera vanishes abruptly.


Sean Boyle, an ingenious teen, encourages Peter to pursue this mysterious Woman in White.  The disparate grotesque tragedies of Peter and Thiera slowly but irretrievably entwine with Gothic and humorous twists, leading to a dangerous attempt at mutual redemption.

IMAGE CONCEPTS

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!"  

THIERA (2)

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

THIERA (3)

 "Almost like it never died."

Reader Comments

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

"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

"...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

"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. Your script missed the Quarterfinals by a very narrow margin"


Holly Interlandi, Executive Editor, Famous Monsters of Filmland:

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