Diverse Story Showcase
The Diverse Story Showcase recognizes scripts, books, short stories, & stage plays in any genre that feature a story with diverse elements (such as a lead character from, or story about, an under-represented community).
2024 WINNER
IN DEFENSE OF THE REPUBLIC
written by Carter Williams
African-American Thomas Morris Chester serves as a war correspondent for the Philadelphia Press, and reports the firsthand accounts of Black fighting-men in the Civil War.
2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
A BRAND NEW DAY by Lissette Mehl. A young woman who suffers a stroke and receives spiritual aid to recover, carries an important message of life forward to others. | X: @thekspirit
ALIEN EXODUS by Paul Murdock. A native Hawaiian female astronomer, a disabled former Green Beret, a Tibetan boy, a Chinese police officer, and two members of a slave race must stop hostile aliens who intend to steal Earth.
BETTER ATE THAN NEVER by Jason Summerfield & Angel Garcia. A lovelorn business executive falls in love with an investor’s granddaughter and decides to marry her, even though her family are cannibals that eat their husbands.
COLLISION OF DUTY by J. Jermaine Jones. When a veteran female combat pilot is sent to shoot down a hijacked passenger plane flying in restricted airspace, she discovers one last minute problem...her family is on board. | Instagram: @jjjermaine1
FOOLS GOLD by T.J. Morehouse. Would be thieves are foiled by a Cherokee curse.
MY FAVORITE NARCISSIST (Pilot "Zip-Lock Gold") by Diane Thomassin & Michael Miceli. An astute, quick-witted Latina psychology student accepts a job working for a politician who stops at nothing to make himself look good.
NOWHERE TO BE by Deirdre O'Connor. Too old to be young and too young to be old, three middle-agers struggle to decide what and when their next chapter in life will be. | LittleRedPurseProductions.com
OMAKASE by Alena Alova. A budding psychologist desperate to mend their dysfunctional family turns their 18th birthday celebration into a no-holds-barred family therapy session, unearthing deep-buried secrets, unraveling relationships and unmasking identities. | IMDb
POCKETFUL OF MONDAYS by Lindsey Morrison Grant. A highly sensitive woman living above her adopted parent's appliance store has her life turned upside down when she learns the two children she was told were stillborn may still be alive (now teenagers) and that her recurring childhood nightmare of aliens landing in her backyard and abducting her parents may have some truth to it.
SAFE PASSAGE GUARANTEED by Pete Torrey. A high school basketball team of all black players from the inner city play a series of secret summer games with a rural all white team. (Based on true events.) | Amazon
STRAYS by Carlos Perez. A teenager on the run from her abusive stepfather finds refuge with an aging prostitute. | IMDb
THE CAREGIVER'S PLAYBOOK (Pilot) by Dylan Wood. An eccentric and down-on-his-luck caregiver meets the patient from hell. | DylanMWood.com | Instagram: @dylan_wood4 | IMDb
THE DATING TRAP by Quinn Paul Dewsbury. A young man and a transgender woman meet and all in love.
THE GIRL FROM KRAKOW by Staton Rabin. While on the run from the Nazis, a beautiful young Jewish housewife on a desperate search for her kidnapped child finds herself falling passionately in love for the first time-- with a woman from the Polish resistance. (Feature script based on the book by Alex Rosenberg, inspired by true events.) | StatonRabin.com | ScreenplayMuse.com | X: @StatonRabin | Stage 32: stage32.com/profile/718635
THE SHAFT by Dennis J. Manning. In 1953 New York City, a man will do almost anything to move up the corporate and social ladder. | DanForthMusic.org
THE SHROUD TRINITY by Frank McEvoy. A trio of unlikely heroes - a cop from a weird metro beat, a young nun, and a New York City street thug/alcoholic seminarian - attempt to retrieve The Shroud of Turin (Christ’s burial cloth), after it is stolen from its exhibit at Washington’s National Gallery of Art.
THE TRIALS OF THOMAS(INE) HALL by Vaughn Roste. In 1629 Jamestown, Virginia, Thomas(ine) Hall becomes the first recorded case of a queer person in America. (Based on a true story.) | X: @Vaughn09187022
UNDERNEATH THE ROCK (Ni Abeokuta) by Bolaji Tijani-Qudus. Two sisters reunite in the village of their youth and expose generational trauma long covered up by family matriarchs. | bolajitijaniqudus.com
WHY DADDY PLAYS THE BLUES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Jean W. Yeager. Daddy, a middle-aged white guy taking fingerstyle blues guitar lessons, learns that he has major life lessons to learn from his teacher, a 30-something, wheelchair-bound African-American man named Howard. | The-Three.com
2024 SUBMISSIONS STATISTICS
Genre
Comedy: 22%
Drama: 21%
Science Fiction/Fantasy: 19%
War/Military: 12%
Action/Adventure: 9%
Horror: 7%
Crime/Mystery/Thriller: 4%
Sports: 4%
Musical: 2%
Submission Location
United States: 84%
Europe: 9%
Canada: 5%
Africa: 2%
Format
Feature Screenplay, Television Script or Short Script: 82%
Stage Play: 12%
Book, Manuscript or Short Story: 6%
2023 WINNER
AL-IDRISI
written by Emma Whitcombe
In the 12th Century, a young Muslim travels throughout Northern Africa and Europe finally settling in Palermo, Sicily - where he uses his knowledge to create the most accurate map of the world, the Tabula Rogeriana.
2023 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
ASH by Dave Stockwell (based on the nonfiction book "Route 9 Problem: The Battle for Lang Vei" by Dave Stockwell)
BILLY AND GEORGE by Ken Jones and Darryl L. Harris
BUTTERFLIES & BUBBLEGUM by French L. Fraker, Jr.
DUKES by Tim Tuchrello (story by Mohamed Mirghahari & Scott Shepard)
FAMILY EMBERS (Le Brace di Famiglia) by Carlo Celestino Colecchia
FEED THE BRUTE by Corsica Wilson
GOING OM by Lissa Coffey & Shawn Parikh
HOW NOT TO WRITE A ROMANCE NOVEL by Suzy Stein and Fernando Perez
IN HYDING by Carlos Perez (based on the book "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson)
MAKING WAVES by Drew Larimore
MIRACLE CHIPS by Nikhail Asnani
MOKSHA by Saurin Lakhia
NONE by Bryan J. Ferguson (based on the novel "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie)
PISTOL CITY by Lee John
SANA by Michael Orton & Robert Aguilar
THE HEALER by Lonas Taylor
THE PRAYER WARRIOR by D. Tina Batten and Traci Wooden-Carlisle
THE UNTOUCHABLE STUDENT by James M. Freeman
WHAT DO WE DO NOW? by Kevo Aregbe
WHITE-WASHED by Navdeep Bains
ZOOM HIT (First Episode of SILVIA MORETTI, ATTORNEY AT LAW) by Laura P. Valtorta
2022 WINNER
TALIAFERRO
written by David J. Ibrahim
Booker T. Washington serves as president of Tuskegee Institute and founds the National Negro Business League.
2022 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
A FREE MAN by John H. Richo
A SCENT OF LILAC by Frances G. McCoy
AMERICA THE LAND OF THE FREE? by Kandis Heckler
ASH by Dave Stockwell (based on the nonfiction book "Route 9 Problem: The Battle for Lang Vei" by Dave Stockwell)
AT THE MERCY OF FAITH (Horror Version) by Samuel Lee Taylor
B IS FOR BISEXUAL (Diverse Love) by Laura P. Valtorta
BERMUDA by Jasmine Ogunjimi
BLACK JOCKEY: TALES OF A LEGEND by D'Jae Johnson
CHECK OUT DINER by Eamonn Eeles
DOCTOR DOSE by Erik Long
EPHEMERAL CHAOS by Kyle McCoy
FULL CONTACT by Dave Kraft
GIN AND ORANGE BLOSSOM by David Kaneen
ICE CREAM FOR SALLY by Clive Morris
I'M ASIAN TOO! by Jason Ng
LOVE BITES by Kevin M. Glover
PACT ARCANUM by Arshad Ahsanuddin & Toby Osborne (based on the book series by Arshad Ahsanuddin)
THE FACELESS by Adlinna Liang
THE FORGOTTEN BOROUGH by Jeff Ingber (inspired by the book "When the Forgotten Borough Reigned: The 1964 Little League World Champions" by Jeff Ingber)
THE GREAT PANDEMIC: A MYSTERY, COMEDY, LOVE STORY by Craig Von Eister
THE HARVARD FIVE by Stampp Corbin
THE ROAD TO BURGUNDY by Michael Le Blanc (based on the novel ""The Road to Burgundy" by Ray Walker)
THE TRUE STORIES OF ATLANTIS AND BEYOND by Mya C. Taylor
2021 WINNERS
CITY OF ANGELS
Written by Ernesto Jimenez
After getting fired from his dead beat job, low-life Miguel Solano struggles to prove his worth to himself while attempting to move in with his cousins and grandparents in one of the inner cities of South LA.
THE BLUEPRINT PROJECT
Written, Directed & Produced by Deo Mwano
A collection of stories inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “What is Your Life Blueprint?”
THE LONG NIGHT
Written by Terry Aderholt
Unable to sleep, a young girl spends the night at her dad's house and keeps him awake all night.
THE REVOLUTION GENERATION
Written, Directed & Produced by Josh Tickell & Rebecca Tickell
A manifesto for today's youth on the societal forces that have shaped and held back their generation, and how they can deploy their unique strengths to revolutionize the political system.
2021 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
ACTING WHILE BLACK written & directed by Rokhaya Diallo, produced by Valerie Tubiana & Loic Bouchet
CELIBATE written by Sara Grace & Trevor O. Munson
DIVERSE CODE written by Erica Jacobs-Ware
ETHICAL NON-MONOGAMY written by Lulenoxx & Sara Kerr
FLIGHT OF THE SPARROW directed by Jeanette Miura & James Miura, written & produced by Jeanette Miura, James Miura & Anitra Smith
LUCHA & THE EKEKO: AN ADOPTION STORY written by Roger L. Edwards, Jr.
MARBACHUMENTARY directed & produced by Arturo Javier Mireles & Matthew Skinner
MARIA written & directed by Robert Burns, Produced by Robert Burns & Neil Anderson
NAVY MED written by Sharon C. Enujioke
NORTH BEYOND EAST written by Alex Farhandi
OUR WAY written by Joe Nieves
OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE written by Ivy Vale & Rick Reil
RETURN POLICY written by Joshua W. Dowdy
SASS AND TRAZ SAVE THE LIBRARY written by Michelle Worthington
T.W.I.N. written by Malaika Langa
TAKEN FROM WITHIN written by Michael Casey
TAL JONES: A BLACK OIL LEGACY written by Pamela J. Richardson (with story by Bernard Moore)
THE FACELESS written by Adlinna Liang
THE MAGICAL POWERS OF PROF written by Michael Wayne Wojcik
THE NEAR DISTANCE written by R.J. Matthew
THE PERFECT SEASON written by Cindy Hooper
THE STRESS HAT written by Rubina Mian & Omar Mian
TO BELONG directed by Nacho Trujillo, Sofia Nicolini Llosa & Julieta Maccarino, written & produced by Nacho Trujillo
TREASURE written by Kenneth Irby & Stephanie Santos
WEATHERED written by Tatsuya Suzuki
2020 WINNERS
BADAASS YELLAHBOY
written by Dylan Braud
An old, washed-up cowboy serving a life sentence competes in the prison rodeo to earn money to save his estranged lover’s life.
DEAD NAME (Second Chances)
written by Audrey Webb
A transgender detective and her partner work to solve homicides.
DRIVING ME DESI
written by Sai Saripella
After eloping with Padma, a woman raised in a traditional Indian family, Cody must endure karma as her traditional parents visit America for the first time, causing Cody and Padma's two kids to be torn between two very different cultures.
PACHUCOS
written by Robert M. Cuen
In 1979, Michael Garcia was out of the gang life, but like the low-rider oldies music that resonates in his life, he can't escape the violence in East Los Angeles.
PRESSURE POINT
written by Mia Thompson & Richard Blomberg
When an airliner full of diplomats is hijacked, a task force team has 48 hours to locate the missing women and children aboard before lives are lost and countries go to war.
SKULDIG
written by Andrew Matthew-Goth
A damaged woman and her cohorts take a family hostage and subject them to trial by social media, encouraging everyone to become judge, jury and executioner.
2020 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
AMERICAN HATE directed by Daniel Brea, written by Alexander Dean Williams, Shawn Parikh & Nellie Christine
AT THE MERCY OF FAITH written by Samuel Lee Taylor
BERMUDA written by Laura Puccia Valtorta
BLIND JUSTICE written by Ramona L. Taylor
BRUEHM'S CLOSET written, produced & directed by Ramona L. Taylor
DISCLOSURE written and directed by Chris English, produced by Chris English & Elena Altman
HEAVY (Pilot Episode) written by Collette Legault
INDIAN SUMMER written by Madhu Powar Garg
KARACHI DREAMS written by Alex Devereaux
KIDS STILL written by Robert C. Bonfiglio
LA LENGUAR written by Rob Fatal
LOTUS written by Saffy Laurio
METACOM (The Last King of America) written by Richard Guimond
MOLEHILL INTO MOUNTAIN written by Jaclyn Natoli
NO OTHER WAY (Chapter One: Public Diplomacy) written by James Dinkins
PHANTOM HEART written by Elijah Sarinana
PROJECT OMEGA (Pilot: Nina Blacke) written by P James Norris
RHYTHM & BREW (Bump in the Road) written by Nicole Chrysostom-Murray
STEERS AND AMIR written by Sai Saripella
STYLIST TO THE STARS written by Melissa Darch
TAMALE written by Leo Maselli
THE AMERICAN DREAM directed by Baldev Sandhu, written by Fernando A. Funes, produced by Valerie Vasilas
THE ART OF WORSHIP written, directed & produced by Ahmed Khairat
THE BIG IDEA written by DJ Schroeder
THE BROTHERS BOUDINOT (Annabel Lee and the Confederate Gold) written by Philip Lombardi
THE DIALOGUE directed by Cathrine Hatcher, written by Colin Ross
THE FORGE written by Howard W. Robertson
THE MOOR written by Andrew Matthew-Goth
THE OPEN WINDOW written by Marcia L. McNair
THE ROACH RISES written by Rhett C. Bruno & Christopher J. Valin
THREE SQUARED written by Frank Wood
2019 WINNERS
ARISTOCRAT MANOR
written by Robert L. Hopkins and Rob LaLoggia
After the investigation of his best friend's murder goes cold, quick witted juvenile delinquent Stephen "Live" Mitchell teaches himself to be a detective in order to bring a dangerous killer to street justice.
BATTLE CRIES
written by Karen M. Walker
An injured military veteran uses her love of the game to rise above tragedy and lead Marines on the battlefront once again.
2019 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
AKATEWA written by Jean-Marie Mazaleyrat, Edith Woi and Robin F. Gainey
AT THE MERCY OF FAITH written by Samuel Taylor
BEST INTEREST written by James Montague Freeman
BUDHI DIWALI directed and produced by Mela Ram Sharma, written by Rajendra Rajan
COYOTE directed by Marbet Marin, written by Marbet Marin, Nora Curran and Caitlin Sheridan, produced by Nora Curran and Alyssa Campbell
DEATH AT SEA written by Samuel Heath-Dray
ERASED written by Ambrealys Petonnet-Vincent, Camille Huot and Tasha Lann
FLYING BIRD'S DIARY written by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel
I HAD A GREAT DAY written by Melissa Darch
JERUSALEM: A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE directed by Awad Joumaa
LIFE IN TECHNICOLOR written by Lisa Wood
POWER COUPLE written by DJ Johnson
PUSHOUT: THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK GIRLS IN SCHOOLS directed by Jacoba Atlas, written by Monique Morris and Jacoba Atlas, produced by Denise Pines and Jacoba Atlas
SHE TOUCHED ME written by Timothy Wayne Folsome
SO FOREIGN directed by Trisha LaFache, written and produced by Mariana Brassaroto and Albina Katsman
THE BET written by Jorge Gonzalez
THE FORTUNATE written by Alyce Tzue
THE OPERATOR written by Huey Q. Pham and Jessica Petrucci
THE WAY HOME directed by Yiran Zhou, written by Yiran Zhou and Zheng Nie, produced by Summer Xinlei Yang
WHEREVER YOU ARE written by Marina Pereiro Davis
2018 WINNER
EXECUTION DAY
by Mike Reid
When the red phone rings during a death row convict’s last words, the voice on the other end is not the governor’s, but that of a kidnapper demanding the governor pardon the death row convict by midnight or the warden’s wife will be killed.
2018 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
AT THE MERCY OF FAITH by Samuel Taylor
BLACK JACK by Stephen Curran
BREAKING FAITH by Jocelyn Watkins
BURDEN OF COURAGE by Daron Ross
CATFISH AND THE CRABS by Sojean Peou
DESPOSYNI by Jean Galliano
GANG RUN by Dan Martinez
HUNTING MY EVIL TWIN BROTHER by Sojean Peou
MACAU OMEN by Tony Shyu
ORUPTION by Nehemiah Russell
PUPPET GIRL by Terry Southern, Taylor Negron and Abina Anthony-Davis
REVERSE DISCRIMINATION by Raynard Goodman
STUCK! by J.R. Diaz-Rios
THE ODDS: BODY REPLACEMENT GAME by Kyla Harris and Shannon Getty
2017 WINNERS
HALFWAY HOME
by David J Schroeder
A young man’s Ivy League scholarship is interrupted by a paralyzing accident and community service as a live-in supervisor in a halfway house for the mentally disabled.
MIXED
by Chris Moore
A mixed-race family navigates identity issue and stigmas living in a San Diego suburb.
VARIABLE
written & directed by Chris Valenziano
produced by Maurice Whitfield, Ryann Graye and Veronica Pettiford
A scientist working to discover the secrets of time travel gets a visit from a familiar face — himself, one day in the future. Now, he must follow his mysterious alter ego on a mission to correct the timeline he has created, forcing him to decide between himself, his family and the future.
2017 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
4 LAYERS OF LIFE by Kershawnna Tylor
A NEW IDEA ABOUT AN OLD IDEA by Valerie Rose
ALL-AMERICAN by Samuel J. Narayan
AT THE MERCY OF FAITH by Samuel Lee Taylor
BACK STABBER by Ryan Zamo and Jordan Fraser
CAN I SELL YOU A DREAM? by Tyrin Darius
DOWNTOWN BROWNS by Tonia Beglari, Jazmin Garcia, Emilia Yang, Michelle Jackson and Allison Comrie
HOPE SESSIONS by Valerie Rose
INTENSIVE SUPERVISION by Elwood Scales
MIMICS by Marc Harris
PAPER GAME by Raymond McCann
SHINE YOUR EYES by Clint Pearson
SHUT UP & TWIRL by Draven Gonzalez
STELLAR DRIFT by Anthony Moore
THE EXPERIMENT by Jeffrey Allen Russel and Lynda Lemberg
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR by Ira Farmer, Alex Tello & Sam Tello
THE PINK VISITOR by Valerie Rose, Samantha Elayne and Amanda Yates
THE TRIANGLEHEADS by Valerie Rose
THICKER THAN WATER by Nickigh Jackson
WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN by Alvin Taylor
YOU GOTTA DANCE by Bryant Daluz
