Announcing the 2026 ITWIFF Screenwriting Competition Selections
- ITWIFF
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
We're thrilled to announce the projects selected for the Imagine This Women's International Film Festival 2026 Screenwriting Competition. The festival takes place September 25–27 at Regal Union Square.
This year's selections span genres and continents, from haunted New Orleans B&Bs to post-pandemic sci-fi, from Revolutionary-era family drama to intimate portraits of grief and healing. Congratulations to all the writers below.
Selected Projects
Battle Buddies — Myrta Vida (Brooklyn, NY) — Short Script Two soldiers, bound by war and sisterhood, confront past trauma and the cost of survival, testing their decades-long friendship.
Coney Island's Daughter — Martine Emile — Screenplay, Short Script
Bombay Duck — Sharbari Ahmed — Television Script
Daughter, Sister, Aunt — Kristen Lauth Shaeffer (Pittsburgh, PA) — Screenplay, Short Script A comedic drama about two sisters caring for their aging parents while managing their own lives — a tender, funny look at the "sandwich generation."
WorthIt — Annika Connor (Brooklyn, NY) — Screenplay A darkly comedic sci-fi feature: a scientist searching for a cure to mortality collides with a vigilante serial killer targeting the nation's brightest minds.
PENDEJA — Caro Guzmán (Los Angeles, CA) — Short Script Sick of playing it safe, an introverted writer embodies a fearless alter-ego at a Brooklyn bar.
The Night Shift — Jacintha Charles (San Francisco, CA) — Screenplay After leaving an abusive relationship, a woman falls on a foggy night and wakes to a tender, uncertain reunion with her estranged father.
Ms. Geraldine — Anne-Marie Agbodji (Astoria, NY) — Screenplay An undocumented nanny with dementia is placed in the care of her estranged family, where buried memories resurface as she fights for dignity.
Blur — Oneika Mays (Jersey City, NJ) — Television Script Set in 1980s central New Jersey, two offbeat Black teens survive high school one mixtape at a time.
MOONWATER — Danetta Barney — Short Script Set in 1919 Louisiana, a resilient woman tending her ancestral land finds an unexpected connection with a weary war veteran, and confronts the ghosts of her past.
Southern Christmas Spirits — Jeanee Ledoux (New York, NY) — Screenplay A sentimental psychic teams up with a cutthroat developer to save her haunted New Orleans B&B — before Christmas.
Landfall — Amy Fruchtman — Screenplay A Florida hairdresser runs a secret operation out of her salon to help women escape domestic violence, all while hiding it from her police officer sister.
Founding Mothers — Karrie Russell — Television Script A Revolutionary War family drama about a heartbroken daughter who betrays her loyalist family to covertly join the patriot effort.
Outgrown — Beatrix Leidecker (Heusenstamm, Hessen) — Screenplay A troubled couple confronts a parasitic force copying and replacing people in their suburban neighborhood, as love and identity erode.
I Want My Present Back — Haley Mancini — Screenplay After a wedding scam, an optimist and a wealthy misanthrope team up to reclaim their gifts and take down the con artists.
And Then They Were Dumb... — Allie Sharma Nelson — Screenplay A true crime podcaster and a group of influencers are trapped in an isolated mansion where guests start dying one by one.
Australian Wrestling Story - No Contact — Taleena Anderson (Shailer Park, QLD) — Television Script A university student's search for her murdered brother pulls her into a secretive cult built around a banned underground wrestling scene.
Rain Will Fall — Cassidy McCarthy — Screenplay, Short Script Two students at an elite, art-obsessed school form a dangerous bond during a high-stakes game of strategy and desire.
Who Takes The W(R)ap — Carla B Boone (Tyrone, GA) — Television Script An indie rap group's dreams of stardom turn into a nightmare when their song is stolen by international superstars, sparking a lawsuit and a murder investigation.
HEADFIRST — Michelle Andia — Television Script A coming-of-age dramedy about a teen navigating her immigration status, DACA, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
321 — Erica Hart (New York, NY) — Short Script Set over a single day in 1974 Washington, D.C., the film follows Officer Gail Cobb, the first female police officer in the U.S. killed in the line of duty.
The Kitchen — Earl Crittenden (New York, NY) — Screenplay A fair housing advocate secretly renovates her grandmother's rent-controlled apartment — and triggers the exact eviction she's spent her career fighting.
The Wenge — Danelle-Jeanné Ligon (Sacramento, CA) — Television Script When an ex-con tells his pre-teen son he was in superhero school, not jail, he has to find a way to prove it.
Viande Fraîche (Pilot: "Pretend We're Dead") — S. K. Purvis — Television Script A 1994 New Orleans reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, set amid two rival haunted houses and an old family blood feud.
Themselves — Penelope Pena (San Antonio, TX) — Screenplay After a catastrophic event leaves Earth overrun, a teenage girl navigates a broken world, hardened by loss and driven by guilt, in search of purpose.
Congratulations to all our selected screenwriters! We look forward to celebrating your work at ITWIFF 2026, September 25–27 at Regal Union Square, NYC.
Follow along for more announcements:
Instagram: instagram.com/imaginethiswomensfilmfestival
Twitter/X: twitter.com/ImagineThisWFF
