EXCLUSIVE: Mammoth Pictures has announced that it’s bringing back its Mammoth Pictures Screenplay Competition, for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.
Mammoth looks with its competition to discover and support emerging writers, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. The competition is unique in that the Grand Prize-winning screenwriter will have their screenplay developed, financed and produced as a feature-length film by Mammoth Pictures, with the screenwriter receiving a standard pay scale. Mammoth Pictures has partnered with Coverfly for the first time this season to accept submissions for the competition on their platform, which can be entered now.
Mammoth’s new Head of Development Alexis Brontë is heading up this year’s competition, which is geared toward genre feature screenplays — particularly those under the speculative fiction umbrella in the categories of horror thriller, psychological thriller, mystery thriller, crime thriller, science fiction, dystopian and fantasy — though it remains open to scripts in all genres. The competition more specifically looks for screenplays that are contained in regards to locations and cast, with unique stories and well-developed characters, particularly those from a unique background. Additional awards for top screenplays will be awarded for the first time this year in all categories, and all winners will be considered to be optioned by Mammoth Pictures or one of the competition’s jury members.
“As a writer myself, it’s crucial for me to make certain we’re giving writers who dream of ‘getting in the door’ a chance to be noticed and get their script made and distributed. I especially hope to get more women submitting this year,” said Brontë. “So many people from across the globe have unique stories to tell, we want to bridge the gap for them by creating an open door to the industry.”
Mammoth Pictures is a production company led by filmmakers Kourosh Ahari, Alex Bretow and Brontë, which was established in 2015. The inaugural season of its Screenplay Competition discovered the Grand Prize-winning screenplay for The Night from Iranian screenwriter Milad Jarmooz, which Mammoth went on to produce, with that film making history as the first U.S.-produced title to have a formal wide theatrical release in Iran since the country’s revolution of 1979. The Night was directed by Mammoth Pictures’ Ahari and went on to star Cannes Best Actor Winner Shahab Hosseini (The Salesman). It was released domestically by IFC Midnight in theaters and on demand, and is currently available on digital and VOD platforms. The film is also streaming on Hulu in the U.S., HBO Max in Latin America and Shudder in the UK, and has been released in over 50 other countries theatrically or on demand. Following the success of The Night, Jarmooz went on to direct several episodes of the anthology horror series Them in Iran.
Mammoth Pictures’ Ahari is next set to direct a previously announced Parallel Forest remake, starring Aldis and Edwin Hodge. Submissions for the company’s 2022 Screenplay Competition can also be entered here.
