Delco resident among winners of screenwriting competition
PHILADELPHIA » Collingdale resident Kiz Mentor was named a winner in the Greater Philadelphia Film Office’s “Set in Philadelphia” 2020 Screenwriting Competition. The annual contest is presented by the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, and is open to all screenwriters, worldwide, who submit a feature length screenplay or an original TV pilot length screenplay that can be shot in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. A panel of elite film industry judges review the entries to select the winners. Mentor is among a small group of other screenwriters who were also selected for the honor. The winners were announced this week.
“In these ‘Set in Philadelphia’ winners, I feel excited about the future of film in Philadelphia,” said Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office. “Their voices and their stories are sure to bolster our city’s reputation as a place that nurtures talent and targets the region as a prime location that filmmakers embrace when producing TV shows and films.”
Mentor wrote a screenplay entitled “Power of Balance” about a 16-year-old girl who gets infected by a mysterious liquid. She gives birth to a child who goes on to become an icon for the oppressed and a target of a government organization.
Mentor was chosen as the winner of The Nina Lo Presti Award, sponsored by Laurie Lo Presti and Ron Masciantonio. The $5,000 award was designated for the best feature or TV pilot written by a female screenwriter who has strong ties to the Greater Philadelphia area. This award was new for the 2020 competition.
Mentor is not only a screenwriter, but also an award-winning independent film producer. The local resident has invested in the study, development, and execution of her craft by working in an array of positions ranging from development, production, and marketing in Hollywood’s top tier studios, including Twentieth Century Fox, HBO and Universal.
According to the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, “With over 10 years of entertainment business experience, Kiz Mentor has a proven track record and knowledge of television, film, pop culture, and emerging trends.”
Mentor is currently the
program manager for the Online Movie Club at Lil Filmmakers Inc., where she trains young, underserved artists to learn storytelling and the arts as a tool to overcome societal and personal barriers and prepare them for career opportunities in the entertainment media industry.
“I am very honored and humbled to be the inaugural winner of this special award,” Mentor stated. “This generous award will help me complete the film.”
Mentor, a graduate of Franklin Learning Center High School in Philadelphia and Shippensburg University, is still looking for film investors in the project. She said that anyone interested in learning more can email her at pobinquiry@gmail. com.
Other winners of the 2020 “Set in Philadelphia” Screenwriting Competition include: “Wish” by Law Crimlis, $10,000 award for Best Screenplay grand prize, sponsored by Hallee and David Adelman in honor of producer Mike Jackson; “The Immune” by Philip Malaczewski, $5,000 award for Best Prime Time TV Pilot, sponsored by Comcast and NBC Universal; “The Line” by Craig Bolton, $2,500 for The Oscar Micheaux Award for Best Screenplay by a Philadelphia-area resident of the African Diaspora, sponsored by Progressive Change, CDC & West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution; “Prospects and Prophecies” by Wesleyan University senior Matthew Frishkoff, $500 for Best Student Script, sponsored by The Derek Freese Film Foundation.