Congrats to Our 2023 Feature Contest Quarterfinalists!

We’re excited to announce our 2023 Feature Contest quarterfinalists! This year’s submissions displayed exceptional talent and creativity. It was a pleasure to read everyone’s work.

Many thanks to our dedicated judges, who spent hours reading and evaluating our submissions.

WHAT’S NEXT

Quarterfinalists will be offered any open spots to this year’s retreat after the semifinalists, finalists, and winners are invited to attend. Attendees receive three 90-minute one-on-one sessions with CineStory mentors. Attendees also participate in informal rooms run by mentors that cover topics ranging from pitching like a pro to the state of filmmaking in the digital age. Click here for more information about the feature retreat.

Congratulations to this year’s feature quarterfinalists, and please check back at the beginning of August, when we’ll announce our semifinalists!

THE 2023 FEATURE RETREAT & FELLOWSHIP QUARTERFINALISTS

(listed alphabetically by title)

12 HOURS OF CHRISTMAS by Kristin Kirby

AND HERE I GO by Emily Claire Utley

ANITA TACO by Jon O’Neal & Cher Ferreyra

ANNE BONNY: A PIRATE’S STORY by Nicholas Leitzke

ARMSTRONG IN HANOI by Bryerly Long

ARTEMIS ONE by Nic Cohen

AS AN ACTRESS by Maria Hinterkoerner

ASIA by Marie-Emmanuelle Hartness

BAD AT SEX by Honora Talbott

BAHAR by Jibran Ahmed

BAIT BOT by Rebecca Johns & Jessica Chiarella

BALLS by Adam McCulloch

BATH, MI by Travis Opgenorth

BECCA GOES BACK by Julie Kraut

BEHAVE by Bodine Boling

BELONGING by Liz Fields

A BETTER TOMORROW by Mark Evans

BIRD UNDER FOOT by Clare Sladden

BREW by Kimberly Dilts

BUILT BY HART by Alison Bonn

THE BUTCHER: ELLWOOD by Sean Whitney

CAPABLE PEOPLE by Matthew Stewart

THE CHILDREN EATERS by Robert Wooldridge

CICADA by Jade Edwards

COLOR & LIGHT by Louis McWilliams

CONSPIRITUAL by Bradley Van Rooi

COYOTE WINDS by Helen Sedwick

THE DANCE OF THE BULL by Alex Vance

A DEBT UNPAID by Luke Guidici

DEEP BLUE II: KASPAROV’S REVENGE by Ben Gottlieb

DESERT BELLES by Candace Egan

DRUNK SHUI by Dave Forest

ECHO LAKE by Lindsey Ruggles

ENTANGLEMENT by Carlos Dorsey

FERMATA by Jade Edwards

FESTER by Robbie Lemieux

FINAL DRESS by Greg Beam & Kim McKean

FLAKE by Craig Hanna

THE FLIGHT OF QUIET BIRDS by Brian Gerber

FLYOVER by Sara Eklund & Maria Prieto

THE FOUNTAIN by Link York

FREAKY FURDAY by Lisa Kors

FROM THE ASHES by Rogan Christopher

GAYMERS by Celina Dobson

THE GHOST WEDDING by Sining Xiang & Patrick Boyd

THE GIRL ON THE BEACH by Timothy Lundgren

GOOD GRIEF by Gail Barrick

HAVE NO FEAR by Jacob Marx Rice

HER COUNTRY TOO by Claire Apps & Saskia Vogel

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS by Michael Kimber

HUMAN BOYHOOD by Duane Smith

HUMAN STALK by Nil Unerdem

HUNTER, FATHER by Elijah Williams

I CARRY YOUR HEART by Nicholas Perlman

IN BONES AND SOUL by James LeJeune

AN INCREASINGLY IMPROBABLY DÉTENTE (ON THE 2:15 TO PARIS) by Louisa Makaron

JEDER MANN by Diana Caldwell

KILLING CINDERELLA by Leigh Himel

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS by Mitch Fields

KISS ME LIKE THAT by J. Florence Jones

THE KNOCKING AT THE MARSH by Gina De Angelis

THE LANGUAGE OF WOLVES by Nan Schmid

THE LAZARUS SYNDROME by Yvonne Paulin

THE LEGEND OF NORA BREE by Hannah Globus

LIES WE TELL by Heather Ragsdale

LIFE by Hank Hughes

LIL by Virginia Abramovich & Katherine Andrews

LITTLE BLESSING by Alex Chew

LIVING YOUR BEST WIFE by Teri Elam

THE LOVELY MISS MERCER by Heidi Lauren Duke

M.A.S.H. by Christa Butler

MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT by Mary Robbins & Shannon Dobson Fopeano

THE MAN DANCE by Jerry Perez

MAX AND VIVIAN GET MITZVAH’D by Jacob Combs & Alex Ivker

MAXIMIM by Micah Joyce Walsh

MIMI by Caroline Ryder

MISADVENTURES IN GONDAL by Josh Arnon

THE MISTAKE by Rachel Hroncich

MOKSHA by Saurin Lakhia

MOMENTARY MADNESS by Kevin Jokipii

MOONFLOWER LAKE by Erin Kathleen

A MORE PERFECT UNION by Kimon Koufogiannis

MR & MR by Isabelle Farrell & by Annie Farrell

MT. ASHA by Alex Vance

MZ. MOVIES by Lu Lenoxx

NEUTRALS by Julia Bergeron

NOCTURN by Aaron Thurman

OFFSIDE by Natalie Cutler

THE OLD MAN AND THE SKY by Kevin Sterling

ONLY APPARENTLY REAL by Michael Richter

ORDINARY LIFE by Charlotte Alexander

OUR BODIES & OTHER SHAMES by Malka Wallick

OUT OF WATER by Madi Stine

OVER THE HILL by Laura Kemp

PIPER by Katy Dore

PLEASING VERA by Terry Heyman

THE REFRAIN by Jarrett Bens

REMEDIATION by Conner Allen

THE RIP by Matija Šraj

ROMANZA by Helen Doremus

ROSEBUD by Kayla Hardy

RUN THE STORM by Jeremy Craig

SAME BUT DIFFERENT by Dami Akinmeji

SEARCHING FOR MARCEAU by Daniel Abramovici

SECURITY THEATER by Daniel Sole

SERPENT’S TONGUE by Cameron Walker

THE SHADOW OF DHARMA by Mark Perlick

SHE’S HAVING MY BABY by Archana Shinde

THE SILENT ROOM by David Schlow

THE SINS OF OUR MOTHERS by Francesca Nider

THE SLEEPING HOUSE by Suzanne Griffin

SLUGGER by J. Miller

SONORAN by Jack Aupperle

STATE OF NATURE by Aaron Greyson

STORY OF MY LIFE by Rebecca Brewer

THE STORYTELLER by Christopher Hebert

THE STRUGGLE IS REEL by Jennifer Tomlin

SUPERLAME by Darren Moran

SURFMEN OF THE PACIFIC by Derek Quick

TEACHER OF THE YEAR by Ray Gettman Bush

THE TENDER SHEPHERD by Annie Lin

A TENT ON JUPITER by Derek Nicoletto

THEORY OF COLORS by Shehrezad Maher

THIS END UP by Mike Ackerman

THIS IS MY BODY by Roses Urquhart

THOSE WHO DON’T BELONG by Liz Edwards

THE TIME IT TAKES TO FALL by Margaret Dean

TYPHOID MARY by Rachel Ward

UNDERTAKINGS by Maximillian Stenstrom

THE UNSEEN by Shiva Ramanathan

VIKTOR – 119104 by James Dillon

THE WAYWARD SON by Keith Hayasaka

WEIGHT OF ANOTHER by Frank Donnangelo

WHEN TWO ENDS MEET by Tom Tanno

WHIRLWIND by Monika Moreno-Lapp

WILD HEARTS by Jessica Rowlands

WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM by Amir Sadeghy

THE YEAR THE WORLD WAS GOING TO END by Jacqueline Xerri