Sinema.SG Concludes Its Inaugural Year of The Inciting Incident Screenplay Challenge2 min read

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Earlier this year, Sinema Media, a consultancy and project management company focused on film and media initiatives, kickstarted The Inciting Incident, its inaugural screenplay challenge.

The screenplay challenge was held in partnership with casting agency Hello Group, acting school Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity, publishing house Epigram Books, online interactive and fundraising platform Premise, production company Catharsis, and sound designer Burtt See with Tempest as a prize partner of this first quarter.

The challenge aims to encourage screenwriters to shake off their hesitation, flesh out their stories and put them into the world. We believe that more screenplays will lead to more films being made, and that the screenplay challenge will push overall quality, thus growing the industry. At the same time, we want to showcase the emerging talents in this under-recognised and under-appreciated craft.

On 26 November, Sinema.SG concluded the challenge’s inaugural year with the awards ceremony of its fourth round. Open for entries from 2 October to 6 November, applicants were to submit an original screenplay for a 3 – 10 minute short film based on the final round’s genre Horror.

Writer Nathan Fleetwood beat out 33 other entries to win the round’s top prize with his screenplay My Shadow. The screenplay details the remarkable – and true – story of the mysterious, supernatural connection between twin sisters bound by a lifelong pact of silence.

He takes home $200 cash prize, a spot to attend a Fundamentals of Acting workshop by Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity (worth S$100), a one-week casting package from Hello Group to go towards the production of the winning entry as a short film (worth S$3000), a sound design package to go towards the production of the winning entry as a short film (worth $3000), and a 87-key mechanical keyboard.

The complete list of finalists and winners for this round are:

My Shadow by Nathan Fleetwood (First Place)
ONI by Young Chuan Hwa (Second Place)
Play Ball by Goh Ming Siu (Third Place)
A Garden of Unearthly Delights by Edgar A. Poh
Ghost Festival by Weiqi Chuah
I Can’t Hear You by Yuki Koh Suat Nee
Marbles (Couple Version) by Goh Ming Siu
Mommy Issues by Andrea See Zhuyue
Under Covers by Ava Tan Wan
X by Loh Wan Yu Yvonne

In total, The Inciting Incident received a total of 201 entries across 138 total participants, with a large percentage of participants aged between 18 – 24.

The winning entries from all four rounds of competition will be published in a print collection, with more details to come in the following months.