Well, this has been a wonderful 2009. With getting out of the hospital, finding a wonderful place to live in San Pedro, the personal and professional relationship with my new friend, Jose Rafael Fayette, I have to also share with all of you that my screenplay, “London Time” was accepted, and selected as a finalist in the Beverly Hills Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition!
That’s right folks, we are making our industry debut this week, from April 1-5, 2009 as the festival will then announce at the Awards Gala on Sunday night, April 5, who the winner of the Beverly Hills Film Festival’s Golden Palm Award for Best Screenplay! There is only one and then two runner ups. So cross your fingers everyone as this is the opportunity to introduce to the industry what I have
been working so hard on for the past 14 years!
This is so much more than just my creative skills being exhibited and competing for such a prestigious recognition and award, it is the industry launching for the “turning point” in American cinema for those with a disAbility to have an authentic voice, vision, and representation on both sides of the camera – from here on out!
I am so excited and hope for the best but regardless of the outcome, I will make sure and Jose will make sure that as many as possible within the industry will know we have arrived to provide a permanent solution to the stereotypes and discrimination of those like ourselves with a disAbility in Hollywood! I will keep you all informed and make the announcement of the outcome next week! Meanwhile if you wish to check it out and follow along, go to http://beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com click on the link for the 2009 Official Selections, then on the link for Screenplays and you will see “London Time”, one of the finalist out of 1,021 screenplay submissions to this years competition, right there on the top!
Hopefully on Sunday night that is where we will be to accept the Golden Palm Award! Meanwhile take care everyone!
Abilities United 
Hey Larry, Regarding the BHFF Screenplay competition, is there a difference between being “accepted” and being a “finalist”? I’m wondering because I just received a “Congratulations”/accepted notice for this years competition but wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. Thanks so much for your time.
First of all – Congrats! That is very cool. To answer your question, there is no difference. If you have been selected for the Golden Palm Screenplay competition – then you are also a finalist. Last year I think there was a total of 182 screenplays “accepted” into the competition! And there were a few screenwriters who had multiple screenplays listed among the 182 accepted. But with only one Golden Palm Award for best screenplay and 2 runner-ups, it meant all 182 were competing for 3 spots! I was told that there were just over 500 or 550 screenplays that were submitted (although at the awards ceremony they said over a 1,000!) so that means it was still very good to be “selected” or “accepted” into the competition, but still didn’t have the same meaning of being nominated as say the top 5 for a Oscar, Golden Globe or even for best film or other categories at the BHFF. But over the past 20 years I have read a lot of screenplays and that ratio is about right when it comes to good and bad screenplays! I am so amazed at how bad so many of the screenplays were. Whether it is with simple formating, spelling & grammar, or basic storytelling, character development, sticking with the overall story, what is or isn’t entertaining or even interesting! So if you have been selected as a finalist or rather entered into the competition – it means you at least have a good screenplay – even if there are another 180+ also considered “finalist” for the competition! One final comment – remember that other works of art – screenwriting is subjective – it depends on who is reading it – and to one person it may be interesting and to another it make not. Even though the screenplay has all the correct elements. I do not know who the screenplay jury or judges are for the BHFF – although I tried to find out – and my basic question was how can anyone of those judges or even a committee of judges read all 182 finalists’ screenplays? Even if there were say 10 judges – each would have to read 18 screenplays and then come to give their “opinions” of which ones they thought were good enough to be considered for the Golden Palm. That means the other 9 judges never even read the first page of the other 162 “finalists”! Who knows how they select the the Golden Palm or runner-ups but that just is the nature of film festival competition. Screenplay competition! Once a it becomes a film and is seen by many during a festival – there are more opinions but that is for another time! Still congrats again, good luck, and regardless of the outcome – know you do have a good screenplay that made it into the competition!