FEMALE 1st Scene Script Reading of WAVERLY RIDING, by Carla Miles

Genre: Drama, Crime

A single mother in a financial crisis engineers a robbery at the supermarket she works in.

CAST LIST:

April: Lara Amersey
Narrator: Hugh Ritchie
Kat: Georgia Grant
Waverly: Jane Smythe

Get to know the writer:

 1. What is your screenplay about?

‘Waverly Riding’ is about a woman who has tried hard to always do the right thing but she reaches her breaking point when she gets an eviction notice and her ex-husband says he’s going to try to get custody of their three kids. Waverly needs money now and devises a plan to rob the supermarket she works in. It’s a story about right and wrong, and how far a person will go for the people they love.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

This is a comedy script with many dramatic undertones. Or vice-versa.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this story – the financial hardships, single parenting, and a lousy job. And It’s ultimately a feel-good story.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Life’s hard.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Norma Rae.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

I first thought of the story 20 years ago when I worked in a supermarket while raising six kids. So…

7. How many stories have you written?

At least 15 screenplays and 20 short stories.

8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Changes by David Bowie.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Working overtime as a police dispatcher, putting kids through college, babysitting grandkids, laundry, cooking, housecleaning…

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Music and law enforcement.

11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?

I only recently discovered Film Freeway and my first submission was selected so I’m pretty psyched about it. I have had a couple of passes on other stories since but it helps me see which of my stories have potential, and the site is super easy to use and search for festivals.

12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I was drawn to this festival because of the word FEMALE. We really are underappreciated and underproduced in the film industry. There needs to be more great roles for women in film and more opportunities for female writers.
The feedback I received was phenomenal, very detailed and well thought out. I know my screenplay was read and carefully considered and this was all I wanted. I applied all of the suggestions to my script!

******

Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com

Director: Kierston Drier

Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne

Editor: Kimberly Villarruel

Camera Op: Mary Cox

By femalefilmfestival

The irony of this festival is that its goal is to not be around in 5 years time. To eventually not be relevant because there is zero need to have a festival geared for female talent and female stories because the stories presented in Hollywood and around the world are a balanced showcase of the human experience from both sexes. Our goal is to achieve a lot of success and then fold into oblivion simply because there is no need for this festival. This festival was created by the FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival as a simple reaction to a strong need to showcase female talent from around the world in a more profound way. When putting together the weekly festival, the administration noticed a lack of a female presence in the stories being shown at the festival. A classic example and analogy to the frustration is how the festival noticed that even the smaller roles in a screenplay were written for a man to play. There was zero reason for this in many stories. How a police officer, or a political campaign manager, for example with 3-4 lines in a screenplay was a "HE" character. Why? And these are the screenplays written by the winners! The talented one who have obtained agents and have began/beginning their careers as a writer.

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