Screenplay Competition

In association with ScriptUp

Submissions for the 2024 edition are now closed!

After a successful 2024 edition, Manchester Film Festival is excited to join forces once again with ScriptUp for its 2025 Screenplay Competition.

Now in its eleventh year, the Manchester Film Festival is proud to champion independent work and provide screenwriters with a chance to see their scripts read and appraised by industry experts. This year's competition has partnered with Arc Studio to provide industry-leading screenwriting software to the writers who deserve it most.

ScriptUp is a script consultancy that works to bring out the best in your screenplay. Their script services give you industry-informed insights and unbiased feedback on your work, helping you take it to the next level.

 Screenplay Finalists 2024

In association with ScriptUp

Congratulations to the 5 screenplay finalists for the Manchester Film Festival Screenplay Competition in association with ScriptUp Studios 2024.

Rare Fiddle (TV) by Jade Maitre

When feisty rebel Kathleen is desperate to escape her privileged life in far-flung New Zealand for the Bohemian life in London, she does not know that she is destined to change the landscape of literature forever. But it will come at the cost of her freedom, her health, and ultimately, her life. Rare Fiddle is the true story of writer Katherine Mansfield, Edwardian firebrand and Bloomsbury bisexual, who changed the world forever with her groundbreaking short stories and died at 34.

Lark (Feature) by Matilda Corley Schulman

Lark, a young horse trader, enters the world of a secluded West Texas Cattle Ranch in hopes of getting hired, but when a certain something catches her eye on the ranch, her own secret desires take over. But along the way, she may forget herself and be dragged down by this corner of the universe and its inhabitants — both animal and human.

To Be A Bird (Short) by Gavin O’Herlihy

11-year-old Seamus takes drastic measures to prevent his family from starving during the Great Famine.

The Nightshift (TV) by Shiv B

A hapless emergency doctor is tasked with protecting a mysterious patient during a chaotic nightshift. This culminates in a terrifying game of cat and mouse between staff and sadistic assassins.

Tryouts (Feature) by Johnny Rae-Evans

Teenager Maggie Henderson, whose family is about to lose everything, lands a prestigious internship at a mysterious company. The only catch: they’re a covert agency of assassins.