2024 Shorts Competition Semifinalists

There's nothing better than a great short. Why? Because writers need multiple paths to break in and shorts are a time-tested way to do that. Shorts are a challenging but satisfying art form when done well. So many legendary filmmakers broke in and made a splash via shorts it would be impossible to name them all here!

The Roadmap Writers Shorts Competition is another avenue for you to get industry professionals to experience your work!

This year, the winning Short Script will have a virtual table read organized by Roadmap Writers & the winning Short Film will be screened at BraveMaker Film Festival!

We will name a winner in each category!

And now we’re pleased to announce the...

The 2024 Semifinalists Are:

SEMIFINALISTS SHORT SCRIPT

CREATOR(S)	TITLE	LOGLINE
Scott Baker	BABY TEETH	A twisted reimagining of the Tooth Fairy - an addict who claims baby teeth to get a fix. But when a young boy uses this for financial gain, it's an opportunity the Tooth Fairy cannot pass.
Mya Baker	FINALS	On the last day of finals at a high school, a bullied teen leaves them something to remember.
Victor Ridaura	IDENTIDAD RAZA	A queer, Latina couple driving through a deserted highway in the middle of the night stop on the side of the road and quickly discover the desert isn't as devoid of life as they thought.
Ellen Ancui	LEFT	When May, a young Chinese woman, drives to her big birthday bash in Joshua Tree thrown by her friends, she encounters an abandoned old man along the side of the highway.
Annabel Maclean	MR BIG HANDS	A four-year-old girl is haunted by a malevolent supernatural entity emerging ominously from toilets, turning her innocent encounters with bathrooms into terrifying ordeals.
Greg Harvey	NIGHT OF THE LIVING VEG	When backyard cabbages roar to life and attack, a nature-loving trans-tween must battle to save her kid brother and survive the night.
Nick Hurwitch	SHORT.	A hopeless phone addict's night out turns existential when he becomes aware of the edits of this very short.
Stephen Nolly	TALK TO ME	Retirement-village resident Malcolm is not the man he used to be. When his chess partner, Rufus, is in danger of being moved to a different facility, Malcolm tries to save the only person who remembers him for the man he was. The only problem is: Rufus has Alzheimer’s.
Justin Trumbull	THE DINNER GUEST	Erin gets more than she bargained for when she prays to God for help fixing her relationship.
Ren Olivieri	THE TRADE	Fantasy sports junkie, Ray, thought it would be funny to include a trade clause in his marriage contract. However, when his wife, Karen, is able to successfully pull off a trade, he’s not laughing anymore.
Liam Walsh	VENUS IN FURS	A Wall Street wannabe is swept into the underbelly of New York after meeting a seductive drifter.
Cyn Nooney & Victoria Clayton	WHERE TO?	While driving to the hospital to honor her mother’s dying wish, a woman’s plans are upended by a desperate junkie and infant, thrusting her into an unforeseen and challenging situation.
Joshua Heaton	YOU'RE ON MUTE	An ambitious young professional's life spirals out of control as she fights for her career and sanity over a video conference call.

SEMIFINALISTS SHORT FILM

CREATOR(S)	TITLE	LOGLINE
Alex Dvorak	BAD SURVIVOR	After being "broken up with" by her oncologists, a sarcastic young cancer patient — or should I say, survivor — rejects being an inspiration to her multicultural family during her first day in remission.
Zack Morrison	CANUSA STREET	In a small town absurdly divided by the US/Canada Border, a jaded US Border Patrol agent solves local cases while engaging in a fierce rivalry with her counterpart in the Canadian Mounties: her twin sister.
Kameishia Wooten	CHOICES	Three very different friends find renewed connection as they await pregnancy results at their Los Angeles High School.
Steven Lundgren	FOG OF WAR	A young soldier in World War I falls deeper and deeper into delusion. After his entire family succumbs to the Spanish Flu and his brother is killed on the battlefield, he starts having visions of a horrifying creature roaming the battlefield at night, devouring the souls of dead soldiers.
Jack Hutsey	IMAGINARY FRIENDS	After the untimely demise of their coworker, a self-indulgent imaginary friend and his Type A rival must prevent their humans from falling in love with each other so they can remain relevant and save their humans, careers, and existence from fading away.
Eve Austin	LOLA DOES MANHATTAN	A sassy empty-nester Baby Boomer navigates a new life in Manhattan. In doing so, she unwittingly begins the most important journey of her life: finding, listening, and loving herself through meeting her inner voice in physical human form.
Aimee Dansereau & Sarah Cooke	MY HUMAN EXPERIENCE: EPISODE #1	When a socially awkward alien explorer & her teammate are sent to Earth to study humans, they must overcome cultural and social mishaps in order to receive their people's highest honor, the Galactic Hero Achievement Award.
Samantha Clay	PRIVATE DICKS	DJ and BJ Balding- the best bald identical twin brother and sister duo in the biz- solve bizarre cases while living with their crusty mother, grieving their father's gruesome death, and walking a fine line of how close a brother and sister should be.
Diana Savone	PROPHET	Diagnosed with breast cancer but unable to afford her treatments, a young woman resorts to questionable alternative therapies. After they nearly kill her, she peddles the same harmful quackery in order to fund her legitimate cancer treatments.
Merlin Goldman	TARN	In an authoritarian world where fresh air is deadly, a frustrated artist is determined to escape despite the risks.
Denise Meyers	THE DARK OF NIGHT	A mysterious woman with a terrible secret takes shelter in an isolated diner one dark and stormy night, encountering a grifter, a waitress and a dirty cop with secrets of their own.
Jeff Locker	THE FORGOTTEN PLACE	An earnest but deeply lonely man places an ad to find his first best friend. And when one promising candidate answers, the two suddenly find themselves flash-forwarding through a lifetime of friendship, pain, loss, and hope.
Heather Hillstrom	THE KING IN THE RING	Through a documentary lens, this drama follows an underground boxing ring where participants fight a man who looks like Jesus Christ.

SEMIFINALISTS SHORT SCRIPT

BABY TEETH

Scott Baker