TheFilmSchool is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

film program located in Seattle, Washington, that focuses on intensive training in

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, de ...

and directing. TheFilmSchool's mission statement 'to elevate the art of cinematic storytelling' guides the

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

to heavily emphasize

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

, structure, and understanding the principles of storytelling. The program was founded in 2003 by Stewart Stern, John Jacobsen, Rick Stevenson, Warren Etheredge, and

Tom Skerritt Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in ''M*A*S*H'', ''Alien'', '' The Dead Zone'', '' Top Gun'', '' A ...

Contests

TheFilmSchool launched the Great American Short Screenplay Contest in 2008, in partnership with the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

Christopher McQuarrie Christopher McQuarrie is an American filmmaker. He received the BAFTA Award, Independent Spirit Award, and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the neo-noir mystery film ''The Usual Suspects'' (1995). He made his directorial debut wit ...

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning screenwriter of ''

The Usual Suspects ''The Usual Suspects'' is a 1995 neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwait ...

'', called TheFilmSchool "probably the best place in the world to study story."

Staff

Actor Robert Redford joined TheFilmSchool Advisory Board in 2008. All the founders still teach in the 3 Week Intensive. Various other producers, writers, and directors teach at the establishment. These include: John Jacobsen, Rick Stevenson, Warren Etheredge, Brian McDonald, Stacy Adams, and Stewart Stern, screenwriter of ''

Rebel Without A Cause ''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format and directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social com ...

''.

Notable alumni

Award winning alumni

Bert and Bertie, the writing and directing duo, are

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

winners. Kristi L. Simkins won Best Narrative Short at the Rainier Independent Film Festival and a special Jury Selection award at the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival. LaDora Mishan Sella and L. Gabriel Gonda won awards at HollyShorts and the Tacoma Film Festival, among others, for their film ''Brightwood''. Winda Benedetti won Washington State Screenwriting competition in 2006 and was a finalist in 2007. Andrea Seybold and Kate Wharton's ''Drill Queen'' was selected as a semifinalist in Script Pipeline's 2008 TV Writing Competition. Jessika Satori won multiple awards at the

Action On Film International Film Festival The Action On Film International Film Festival, also known as the Action On Film Festival, was founded in 2004. It was held in California until 2017 when it moved to the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As a hub for many returning filmmaker ...

for her film ''So You Shall Reap'' in 2012. Andres Iseminger's ''Little Pricks'' was accepted as a finalist at the

Beverly Hills Film Festival The Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) is a film festival in the United States founded in 2001 by independent filmmaker Nino Simone. The festival is an international competition dedicated to showcasing the art and talent of emerging filmmakers a ...

Alumni festival showings

Steven Schardt produced two films that were shown at the Sundance Film Festival, ''

Humpday ''Humpday'' is a 2009 American mumblecore comedy-drama film directed, produced, and written by Lynn Shelton and starring Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, and Alycia Delmore. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. International distributi ...

'' in 2009, and ''

Your Sister's Sister ''Your Sister's Sister'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lynn Shelton and starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass. The film premiered on September 11, 2011, at the Toronto International Film Festiva ...

'' in 2012, which starred Golden Globe winner

Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Leah Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is a British actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awar ...

. His own film, ''Treatment,'' which he wrote and directed was selected to play at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

and the

. Kristi L. Simkins had her short, ''Something Special,'' admitted to the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

, the

. Caleb Slain's documentary short ''It Ain’t Over'' played in the 2012 South by Southwest Film Festival. Bert and Bertie's short film ''The Taxidermist'' played at the 2012

. L. Gabriel Gonda directed two short films that premiered at the

. ''Love and War'' played at SIFF in 2011 and went on to play several other film festivals. ''Brightwood'' played at SIFF in 2012 and the Tacoma Film Festival. Sam Graydon worked on two short films that screened in the

in 2012. He was the director of photography on ''Bunker'' and wrote and directed Pretty Face.

Gary Busey Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...

starred in his 2011 short film ''Jenny,'' which he wrote and directed. Winda Benedetti's short films have been in many festivals, including as 1 Reel Film Festival at Bumbershoot and the California Independent Film Festival. Sue Corcoran's film '' Ira Finkelstein's Christmas'' (later released as ''Switchmas''), which she co-wrote and directed, was accepted into the

in 2012. Its cast included Elliott Gould,

David DeLuise David Dominick DeLuise (born November 11, 1971) is an American actor and television director. He has appeared on numerous television shows as well as films. He is known for Coop in the animated show ''Megas XLR'' and Jerry Russo in ''Wizards of W ...

, Elijah Nelson, and

Cynthia Geary Cynthia Geary (born March 21, 1965) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shelly Tambo on the television series ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Early life Encoura ...

. In 2005 her short film ''Circus of Infinity'' screened at the Science Fiction Fantasy Short Film Festival, the

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in i ...

, and the

. Sue also worked as associate producer on

and has written, directed and produced multiple other films.

Additional alumni works

Bert and Bertie's first feature length film, ''Lucidity,'' is set to shoot in 2013. Eric Morgret founded the Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival, and where he now serves as a Programming Director.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Filmschool Education in Seattle Film schools in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Seattle Screenwriting organizations