Writers Nobody Knew are Getting Deals Nobody Expected

David Stem

Apr 6 • General discussion

Good morning, Forge. Here's some great stories about writers breaking through in the last week or so:

Stephanie Ahn Spent 8 Years on Her First Feature. Sony Pictures Classics Just Bought It. — Stephanie Ahn wrote and directed Bedford Park, a story about a Korean American woman caught between family obligation and identity. It premiered at Sundance, won the Special Jury Award for Debut Feature, and Sony Pictures Classics picked it up. Their words: "the confidence of a master." She found her lead actress in Korea six years ago and rehearsed over Zoom for months before they ever shot a frame. Eight years from blank page to Sundance stage. That's not a slow career. That's a writer who refused to let go of the story she needed to tell.

Adrian Chiarella: From Editing Room to Neon's Seven-Figure Deal — Chiarella spent years as a film editor, working under Baz Luhrmann. Then he started directing shorts. His first, Touch, came in 2014. His second, Black Lips, in 2018. His third, Dwarf Planet, in 2021. Each one a little bigger, a little bolder. Then he wrote Leviticus, a queer social horror, developed through VicScreen's Originate initiative. It premiered in Sundance's Midnight section. Neon bought it for seven figures. A decade of shorts. Then the feature lands. That's how this works for most people. You keep making things until the right thing finds the right moment.

Ramzi Bashour Grew Up in Beirut. His Debut Feature Just Got Acquired at Sundance. — Bashour is Syrian-American, raised in Lebanon, moved to Indiana after 2006. He wrote Hot Water about an American kid and his Lebanese mom on a road trip west after the kid gets expelled. It's personal. He was a Sundance Fellow three years running (2022, 2023, 2024) developing this script. Named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces." The film debuted in U.S. Dramatic Competition and Rich Spirit acquired it. Three years of development. One story he couldn't not write.

Nora Garrett Went From Personal Assistant to Guadagnino's Screenwriter With Her First Script — Garrett worked as a personal trainer, a PA to celebrities, and did a stint at Meta. She wrote her first screenplay in 2022. Sold it to Imagine Entertainment in January 2023. Three months later, Luca Guadagnino signed on to direct. Julia Roberts starred. The film is After the Hunt. First script. You don't need ten screenplays on a shelf. You need one that's undeniable.

At SXSW, Six First-Time Writer-Directors Talked About Making the Leap — Script Magazine sat down with six writer-filmmakers who debuted narrative features at SXSW this year. Among them: Emily Robinson, who spent twenty years in the industry before making her feature Ugly Cry. Will Ropp, an actor who wrote and directed Brian. Chelsea Devantez, who made Basic. These aren't overnight success stories. They're people who were doing other things in this business, kept writing, and finally got to say "action" on something they wrote themselves.

Discussion question: Stephanie Ahn worked on Bedford Park for eight years. Adrian Chiarella made shorts for a decade before his feature. What's the project you've been sitting on the longest, and what would it take for you to finally finish it?

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