BC Film + Media and CBC Television, in association with the Alibi Unplugged Script Reading Series, are pleased to announce the winners of Signature Shorts, their second annual competition for emerging screenwriters.

Close to 300 writers submitted scripts inspired by this year's contest theme, "Fifty". And boy, did they ever show their creativity! After careful deliberation by jury members, the following three finalists made the final cut:

- "50/50" (Writer/Producer: Katherine Garlick; Director: Kevin Eastwood): A shoe salesman in the midst of a mid-life crisis has an anxiety attack while travelling to his high school reunion. Resigned not to go, he stops in at the Fifty-Fifty diner for what he thinks is a cup of coffee, but ends up coming out with more than he bargained for.
- "Casanova at Fifty" (Writer/Director: Bruce Marchfelder; Producer: Brie Hamilton): On the eve of his 50th birthday, Morris Casanova -a lonely tow truck operator- confronts a series of bizarre and seemingly unrelated events involving clowns, cream pies and a wayward set of jumper cables - that together help him to jump start his life and claim the woman of his dreams.
- "Fluffy" (Writer/Director: Brad Villaincourt; Producer: Michael George): Todd has 50 minutes to find the antidote to the venom of a particularly nasty spider. Racing against the clock and the rapid onset of paralysis, he implores the help of some not-so-neighbourly neighbours.

Prior to the selection of the three winning teams, ten short listed screenwriters had the opportunity to participate in an intensive two day pitching workshop moderated by Donald Martin from Los Angeles. Teams presented their final pitch to a jury of representatives from both BC Film + Media and CBC Television. The ten semi-finalists were:

- Katherine Garlick, "50/50";
- Sharon Heath, "Home Economics";
- Julia Kwan, "Belligerant";
- Bruce Marchfelder, "Casanova at Fifty";
- Ita Margalit, "50 Across";
- Ellen Raine Scott, "50 Missing";
- Kyla Sweet, "50 Days to Leave your Mother";
- Jacqueline Samuda, "50 Questions";
- Rick Tomaszewicz, "Fifty"; and
- Brad Vaillancourt, "Fluffy".

All three teams will receive $16,000 in cash and up to $30,000 in facilities and services. The final short films will be broadcast on CBC Television later this season. Finale Editworks has also come on board as a program sponsor and will be providing the winning projects with colour correction and closed captioning services. A public reading of the three scripts, organized by the Alibi Unplugged Script Reading Series, will be held at CBC Television's Vancouver studios on Friday August 9 at 6pm.


Contact:

Jill Webber Hrabinsky,
TV Program Marketing Coordinator
CBC Communications
Vancouver (604) 662-6680
jill_hrabinsky@cbc.ca