- Are you a screenwriter?
- Are tired of waiting on Hollywood to produce your screenplays?
- Have you already started to make your own micro-budget films, and you’re looking for a film festival to submit them…for free?
- Are you a screenwriter-filmmaker who uses AI to produce your films, and you’re looking for a film festival that also allows films made with AI?
- Or, are you a screenwriter you always dreamed of producing your own films from your own screenplays, but you don’t know where to begin…and you don’t think you have enough money to do it?
- Or, have you always dreamed of producing your own films from your own screenplays, but you don’t know how…and don’t think you have enough money?
If so, then you’ve come to the right place!
Welcome to the Revenge of the Screenwriter, where you can learn how to produce your own micro-budget movies using all sorts of methods. Some methods use AI, some methods don’t. And best of all, I teach it to you for FREE!
Then, after you’re done making your first film (no matter how bad it is!) you can submit it to the Revenge of the Screenwriter online film festival.
Your film can be made using live action (real actors), animation, AI, or even a hybrid AI method. (Heck, you can even make it with clay-mation, if you want to.)
There are only a few conditions:
- You must have written the screenplay without AI. (Writing with other screenwriters is fine, though.)
- Films cannot be “in really bad taste” or pornographic (x-rated)
FAQs
Who is this film festival for? Can you submit from anywhere in the world?
The Revenge of The Screenwriter Film Festival was specifically created for screenwriters who have decided to stop waiting on Hollywood to make their movies, and to start making their own.
You can be a screenwriter from any country in the world. You can even be a scientist in Antarctica, or an astronaut on the moon. However, if your movie is not in English, it must include English subtitles.
How do I learn how to make my movie on a teeny tiny microbudget?
Check out my micro-production blog page. Every week, I’ll be posting a new method of micro-budget production, plus examples.
I’ve already uploaded the first article to the blog on how to animate a short screenplay using my microbudget hybrid AI animation method, and I’ll be posting a new article every week. If you’d like to receive those articles via e-mail, just subscribe to the blog below.
But you can learn other micro-budget methods of film making from other people! There are TONS of filmmakers out there on the internet willing to teach people how to make low-budget films.
Can I use AI to write my own screenplays, too?
No.
Sorry, since this film festival is especially for screenwriters who make their own movies, you must have written the screenplay that your movie is based on yourself, without AI.
You can use AI to make it, but you cannot use AI to write it.
Now, obviously, as you are making it, you’re going to end up deleting scenes, adding scenes, and changing dialogue, special effects, etc… That’s normal in the filmmaking/animation process. Lots of things will change. But you must have written the original screenplay yourself, first.
What kind of festival is this? Is it online or in-person?
For the first year (this year…2026), the Revenge of the Screenwriter Film Festival is going to start off as an “online film festival” And it will be right here on this website.
Hopefully, in 2027, it will become an annual, in-person event. (Fingers crossed!)
How does it work?
First, you write a short screenplay. Or if you already have one (or twenty!) written and stuffed in a drawer somewhere, perfect! Use one of those!) Then, you make your movie based on your screenplay. You can use any method you choose – animation, live action, AI, hybrid-AI, even stop-motion or claymation. It doesn’t matter. (As long as it makes sense and it’s a complete story.)
After you are done making your movie/video/film – post your movie on your YouTube or Vimeo channel.
Then go to the submissions page here on this website, and submit your film to the Revenge of the Screenwriter Online Film Festival, using your YouTube or Vimeo link. (Unfortunately, my website hosting plan only allows YouTube and Vimeo links…sorry.)
The only thing I ask is that if you do change platforms from YouTube to Vimeo (or vice versa), please send me a new link as soon as possible so I can add the new link.
Who are the judges?
You! You and your fellow screenwriter-filmmakers will be the judges. Pretty cool, eh?
Every screenwriter-filmmaker who submits at least one submission to the festival gets to vote. You get to vote for one movie in each genre (there are 13 genres), and you get to vote for your “festival favorite.”
So, since there are 13 genres, each screenwriter-filmmaker will get 14 votes.
What genres are allowed?
Right now, there are 13 genres you can submit your film to. Each genre has a separate page. “Shorts” are considered anything under 10 minutes.
- Shorts (10 minutes or under – all genres)
- Comedy
- Romantic comedy
- Drama
- Fantasy
- Science-fiction / science-fantasy
- Thriller / psychological thriller
- Action, martial arts, or any sports-related movies. (Or futuristic sports!)
- Adventure / action-adventure
- Horror
- Documentary
- Musical
- Movies for kids/families
Note: Animated and AI movies are allowed (and so are hybrid AI movies), but there is not a separate “animation” or “AI” or “hybrid” category, because it just gets too confusing to try to differentiate between the different methods. So if you are submitting a film that is animated, or made by AI, or made with a hybrid AI method, just submit it under the genre that fits it best.
What if I made a film that is really short, but not under 10 minutes long?
Go ahead and submit it – it doesn’t matter how long it is – 12, 15, 20, 30 minutes long – that’s fine! Anything over 10 minutes will be put in under its genre.
Anything under 10 minutes will go into the shorts category.
What is the submission criteria?
As long as you identify as a “screenwriter,” (you do not have to be produced or optioned…you just have to know how to write a screenplay!), and as long as you wrote your movie yourself without the help of AI, and as long as you made your movie (or had a big part in making your movie, (with or without the help of AI…it doesn’t matter)… it will pretty much be allowed into the festival.
There are only four exceptions –
- If it’s in really, really poor taste (for example, if it’s just a person encouraging hate crimes or violence), it will not be allowed.
- If it’s pornography ( x-rated), then, in that case, it will not be allowed.
- Films/movies that are based on screenplays or stories that were written by AI.
- Films with AI voices or AI images that are made to look or sound like “real actors” (or cloned voices that sound just like real actors) and are used without their written permission are not allowed.
The decision of what is in extremely poor taste and what is pornography will be at the sole discretion of the selection committee, which at this time, is me, the Founder of the Revenge of the Screenwriter Film Festival.
Also, only complete movies/films will be allowed to be submitted.
You can produce your movie using any method you like: live action (real actors), animation, AI, hybrid AI-human….any method is fine.
Also, please include the credits at the end, and please make sure you have all the rights to any music or voice actors.
What happens after I submit it?
As soon as you submit your link, I’ll watch your movie to make sure it fits the criteria, and if it does, I’ll paste your movie link to the correct genre page. If I have questions….for example, if there’s a character that looks and sounds like Meryl Streep, I’ll contact you via e-mail to make sure you have her written permission and I’ll ask for a release signed by her. Keep in mind, forgery is illegal!
This is why it’s very important to submit your movie using your real e-mail. If I cannot contact you to verify questionable content, your movie will not be allowed in the festival.
The movies will be listed in order they were received, and they will remain up on the Revenge of the 2026 Screenwriter Film Festival website (www.revengeofthescreenwriter.com), or until you ask me to remove them.
Once 2027 comes along, the 2026 movies will be in a separate menu on the website.
When do submissions open?
The festival is open for submissions beginning 8/17/26
When is the submission deadline?
The final submission deadline is November 30, 2026.
What is the submission fee?
Submissions are FREE this year!
Yes, that’s right…it doesn’t cost anything at all to submit your movie link to the 2026 Revenge of the Screenwriters Online Film Festival.
However, once The Revenge of the Screenwriter Film Festival becomes a live event….(hopefully in 2027…fingers crossed) I will be charging entry fees to cover the cost of renting out a venue, etc…
How does voting work?
The voting will begin on December 1st, and will go to December 30th.
The votes will be done via e-mail. (I’ll send out a voting form on December 1st via e-mail (so be sure to include your a real e-mail that works or you will not be able to vote), and you’ll have to e-mail them back to me by December 30th.
All votes must be submitted by midnight on December 30th.
Again, every screenwriter who submits a movie gets to vote for ONE movie in each genre, and they also get to vote for ONE “festival favorite.” So each screenwriter who submits a movie will get to vote 14 times.
When and how will the winners be announced?
The winners will be announced on December 31st, 2026. They will be announced via this website blog, and also by e-mail. The names of the winners will also be listed on a “winners page.”
What are the prizes?
Since this is a brand new contest, the prize this year will be a very cool t-shirt. (Hey…I’m broke here, people. lol.) And did I mention you’ll also get your name listed on the winners page and announced via my blog.
Once the festival becomes a live event (hopefully next year in 2027), we’ll have better prizes. (Although then again, it might just be another t-shirt. I’m not making any promises at this point.)
Who else gets to view our submissions?
Anybody who visits www.revengeofthescreenwriter.com can view your submissions. Anybody. As soon as you submit them, and as soon as I finish watching them to make sure they fit all the criteria, I’ll post the link to the correct genre pages.
Think of it as a free streaming platform for people who want to watch indie movies written and made by screenwriters.
When will my movie be removed from your website?
Your movie never has to come down from this website, if you don’t want it to. As long as you continue to keep your movie on your platform of your choice (i.e. YouTube, Vimeo, etc..) your movies will stay up on my website.
Starting January 15, 2027, I’ll start a new 2027 Revenge of the Screenwriter’s Film Festival, and then I’ll put the 2026 into a special “Last year’s contest” section.
Now, if you ever do want me to take them down off the website, that’s no problem. Just send me an e-mail, and I’ll be happy to take them down. (But just know, if you ask me to take them down before voting begins and before the contest winner is announced, your movie will not be eligible for festival voting.)
Where will the real live film festival be held in 2027?
I’m not sure yet! To be determined!
Why was the “Revenge of the Screenwriters Film Festival” created?
Well, partly, because there aren’t many festivals that allow AI-created movies right now.
And partly, because I was frustrated with producers telling me I had to write my comedy a different way to suit the studios, depending on whatever type of comedy was “popular” at the time.
Partly, because I had so much fun seeing my screenplay finally come to life (on a teeny, tiny microbudget), and I wanted to give other screenwriters a place to make their screenplays come to life on a teeny-tiny microbudget. Trust me, even if you suck at it the very first time, it will be one of the most exhilarating and rewarding things you’ve ever done. (Of course, it might also be one of the most frustrating things you’ve ever done, but then again, so was writing your first screenplay, right? lol.)
Another reason I started it was because it’s a great way to meet new friends with similar interests.
And also, because screenplays were not meant to sit in a drawer for the rest of our lives. They were meant to be produced! So I figure, let’s produce them!
But most of all, I started the “Revenge of the Screenwriter” Film Festival because screenwriters are constantly being told by producers and development executives (and even our own screenwriter friends the writing table) that our ideas aren’t “marketable enough” or “good enough” or “not what the studios want.”
And then if we ever do manage to get our screenplays optioned, half the time, by the time the screenplays are changed and re-written, they don’t resemble what we originally had in mind at all when we wrote our screenplays. So screw the studios…create your own studio.
Plus, think about it: there are a lot fewer “Hollywood studios” than there used to be. Luckily, AI is making it much easier for us to produce our own movies that look like what we had in our minds when we wrote them. So I say, start your own studio and be your own producer! Make your own movies, and make them the way you saw them in your head as you were writing them!
Who benefits from this festival?
My hope is that the Revenge of the Screenwriter Film Festival becomes a win-win situation for anyone.
- You, the screenwriter: It will be a win for you, the screenwriter-producer, because you are only submitting a link to your movie. This way, you can still earn ad revenue on YouTube or whatever platform you have. (Also, hopefully you’ll get more clicks on your movie by having it on my website.) Also, you will always retain the rights to your own films/movies/animations.
- The general public: I think I can safely say that the majority of the movie-going public is tired of seeing comic book hero movies, and we’re ready for something new. But it seems like the studios are still stuck in “comic book hero mode,” or stuck in “remake mode” -because they don’t want to gamble on something different. So, by making our own movies, it’s also a win for the public, because they will finally get to see all the amazing screenplays that have been hiding in your drawers for years! Screenplays were not meant to be hidden in drawers for years! They were meant to be produced! With AI, it’s now more affordable than ever to be your own producer!
- How I (the founder of the festival and the festival director) will benefit: I’ll be honest…I’ll be putting my own screenplays up on here, too, so I can hopefully get more clicks on my YouTube channel. (I’m just like you…a screenwriter hoping to get more clicks.) But don’t worry, I don’t expect to win. (Basically, my films are there for comic relief. lol. Trust me, you’ll see.) But also, hopefully, I’ll earn a little ad revenue on Google Ad Sense by having so many people will be clicking on it this website and watching movies from screenwriter-producers from all over the world. And, of course, I’ll benefit by getting the chance to see some amazing movies made by screenwriters all over the world, and learn from you all.
How many movies can I submit?
You may submit as many links for as many films as you like, just as long as you wrote them yourself, and as long as you also made them yourself (or played a large part in making them.)
And again, your submissions must be completed movie…a real story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Want to be in a panel discussion?
If you use a unique method production method (AI, or non-AI, or Hybrid AI) to create your films, and you’d you like to share that method with your fellow screenwriters in a panel discussion at the 2027 festival, let me know when you submit your form!
I can’t pay you for your time, but it would be a great way to meet new friends and encourage other screenwriter-filmmakers.
How do I submit my movie?
Just to the submission page and submit your movie via the form on the submissions page. Just follow the directions!
Questions?
Feel free to contact me on the about/contact page!