2022 HYBRID GENRE RED LIST JUDGES REMARKS

Remarks by Screenplay Judge Jonathan Zsofi

I always relish the chance to sit down with a bunch of shiny new screenplays and sink my teeth into them (literally). 🧛‍♀️🧛‍♂️ 🧛

This season at THE RED LIST we had a small range of fantastic feature screenplays.

I had the privilege of traversing comedic sci-fi’s to modern Toronto morality tales all the way to a sky high battle in WW2 above the South China Sea. What I enjoyed most about this season was the fantastic creation of genre creation within worlds both probable and improbable.

All round this season’s level of writing was quick, pithy with a definite edge of a lesson to learn for not just the protagonists, but us readers too.

Dans un souffle; était chouette - a real quick fire, action packed script, full of tension, while pregnant with meaning. A film perfect for the big screen. Prenez vos places!

Where the former was hard and fast, Dust and Fog was reflective and stirring. With easily the best running narration alongside story beats I’ve seen in years, it had an almost ‘aetherial glow’ in its protagonist’s yearning and self-reflection, nice work Daniel Corey!

I couldn’t finish this write up without raving about One For Sorrow and all its melancholy drama, a fresh approach to a dark and troubled drama, characters wrestling with their identities and figuring out the mysteries of the universe alongside nippy sarcasm.

Thank you to all who submitted your beautiful little darlings to the RED LIST, this was an absolute treat and man the wealth of stories and level of screenplay writing is immense so this was hard but incredibly enjoyable.

Keep writing and well done on making, THE RED LIST.

— Jonathan Zsofi, Screenplay Judge, HYBRID GENRE RED LIST 2022