Indiana-based film company Pigasus Pictures is accepting entries for short screenplays written by Indiana high school students.
For the fifth year in a row, the team of professional filmmakers at Pigasus will select a winning screenplay, then bring a film crew to the town of the high school student and fully produce his or her film. Students from area schools will be invited to work on the picture alongside professional filmmakers.
“We really want young people to know that if you’ve never written a screenplay before, that’s OK,” said Zachary Spicer, chief executive officer of Pigasus. “We want to tell real stories about the real experiences of young people growing up in Indiana. Keep it simple, look around you and just write what you know.”
John Armstrong, co-owner of Pigasus, said growing up in Indiana, it often feels like the film industry is so far away.
“But with Project Pigasus, we bring the film industry right to their doorstep,” he said.
Previous winners include Kira Daniels from Madison, Whitney Roberts and Cynthia Foulke from Fishers, Marjorie Abrell from Spencer and Sam Stanton of South Bend. Past winners have described this experience as “life-changing.”
The submission deadline is Feb. 5. For information and to submit for the competition, visit projectpigasus.org.
The film will be produced in the latter part of the school year. The finished film will be screened in Indiana theaters, submitted to film festivals across the country and subsequently made available for online streaming.
Since 2015, the producers at Pigasus have proven their dedication to growing the entertainment industry in Indiana, having produced a plethora of feature films and short films as well as starting their nonprofit company, Pigasus Institute, the producing entity for Project Pigasus, opening a production studio in Bloomington and starting the Bloomington Academy of Film and Theatre in 2019.
“There are a lot of really skilled and talented people in Indiana,” Armstrong said. “A large part of our work is simply connecting them and creating new opportunities. And we especially want to show young people that cool things are happening in Indiana and that their storied are worthy of being told.”
Pigasus Pictures has produced acclaimed Indiana feature films “The Good Catholic” (starring Danny Glover and John C. McGinley), “Ms. White Light” (starring Judith Light and John Ortiz) and “The Miseducation of Bindu” (starring David Arquette) and the films “The Duel,” “Runner” and “So Cold the River,” all set for 2023 release.
For information, visit pigasuspictures.com.