2023 SSUFF FILM SYNOPSIS
Action Figure Theater - A villain, a theft, and a superhero. An unexpected action-comedy.
A Dark Destiny - Despite facing debilitating traumatic events, a veteran police chief in a small West Texas town battles through the challenges of post-traumatic stress for the good of the community.
A Dreamer's Search - In 1918, Rockwell Kent leaves New York City with his eight-year-old son and travels to the rugged wilderness of Alaska in search of inspiration.
A Little Dead - Hailey and her brother Kevin visit their grandpa’s farm for the weekend. They discover that the caretaker has vanished, and Grandpa has a new nightly ritual of sharing
a drink with his deceased wife and another unseen entity.
Almost A Masterpiece - An older film maker swings for the fences with an over-the-top follow-up film.
Amelia's Prayer - Amelia’s Prayer tells the story of a nurse who is asked by her favorite patient to pray for the woman's grandson. Unfortunately, the grandson is an obnoxious tyrant who treats the nurse like dirt. How do you pray for someone you can’t stand? What happens when you do? Based on the novel by Debrah Gish, published by Christian Faith Publishing.
Annabelle's Aerodynamic Car - 11 year old Annabelle Sappor, was the finalist in the Young Pioneers BT Tech 4 Good Competition, in 2021, her entry was for a wind powered car aptly named, Huracan,Makina, named after the Mayan God of Wind, and Makina, meaning car in Albanian. Annabelle is a very gifted young adult who could have a bright future, if she is mentored and sponsored. Her interests are Physics and Aerodynamics, she wanted to combine both her interests to create a design, that would make an impact on the world in a positive way.
Apache Girl - A tribute to the valiant, indigenous Apache women enduring acts of barbarity and whose heritage and lives were stolen. Amid the atrocities of both military and civilian Americans against the native Indians, two brave Apache women rise above their People-- Lozen and Dahteste.
A Time For Love: Something Beautiful - After a desperate call from his daughter about her mom pushed to the limits of depression, a pastor rushes home to his wife's aid. He changes his podcast message to the subject of depression, balancing the topic of medicine and faith.
Bad Day - Alex is filled with regret as he realizes he failed to be there for Junior when he needed him the most.
Back to Bora-Bora - An older couple, who are totally sick of each other, fantasize about what it will be like when the other is gone.
Bleeding Heart Routine - A private investigator provides an introspective on love and loneliness while taking on both the Mob and his feelings.
Blood Is My Redemption - After years of being hunted by the law, an aged and weary Man in Black struggles to find meaning in his life. Yet hope remains in the company of good friend, who is determined to help the old cowboy regain his strength, pride, and humanity.
Cookie Cutters: A Sweet Tradition - More than just a way to shape delicious treats, cookies cutters tell a unique history. Over the decades, these kitchen tools have been sought after by collectors across the country, so much so that a national organization known as the Cookie Cutters Collectors Club was founded in the 1970s. After struggling for decades to find a suitable home for the club’s massive collection, they found a spot in Joplin, Missouri — creating the National Cookie Cutter Historical Museum. This documentary tells the history of cookie cutters and the fascinating story behind this unique Route 66 attraction, hosted by - Debbi Tucker
Esperanza - A Jewish family and the woman they're protecting face a life-changing decision when their suspicious neighbor pleads for help in a moment of crisis.
Fathers Weekend - When young slacker Ian Lindsey finds out he has a 7-year-old son, he travels to see him. While befriending the kid's parents and reflecting on his own father issues, Ian has to decide if he should play a role in his son's life.
Filmed in Oklahoma - A look at the film industry in Oklahoma, how it's expanded in recent years, and where it's heading.
Full Of Gas - A glimpse into the life of Charlie.Charlie is an old man who owns a small gas station in a small Texas town. He is more into making friends and helping people, than he is into making money.
Go Camp with Aurora LaRay (Mississippi) - Aurora LaRay and her furry-faced pride and joys; Paco and Atlas call a Coachmen Freelander home sweet on the road home. As they ramble through this beautiful world; join Aurora for stories from the road, tips, tricks and often a tale from beyond
Good Listener - A blind man has a conversation with a person reading the newspaper while sitting on a park bench. The blind man thinks he has found a “Good Listener.”
Gussy - Gussy does her best to explain to her next victim, the reasons he must die.
Heart Cycles - Two grown daughters seek out the first love of their depressed widowed mother.
Institution - This short thriller is about a man who wakes up in a padded room of a mental institution. He believes he runs the institution, but does he? How did he end up in the padded room? Will he find his way out?
Last Minute Gift - When the perfect gift hits the shelves, a forgetful husband must battle against all odds to get it, and race against the clock to make it home in time for dinner with his wife.
Malefactor - A sci-fi story about a young man who loses his family and struggles with his identity.
My Own - Music Video
Puppetitis - A boy's puppet arm creates problems with his siblings
Rage, Fear, Love - Art rep Walter Breen commissions a cruel portrait of his cheating wife Ester. In a rage, Ester fights Walter's efforts at divorce. As the couple battles, they drag portrait painter Bluster Dabro and Ester's boyfriend Peter Jepsen across the thin line separating fetish and paranoia. Ester becomes fearful someone is trying to kill her. Under deadline pressure to finish a review of the portrait, art critic Jonathan Heck encourages his readers to consider if the evidence regarding attempts to murder Ester is real
or from her imagination.
Remotely Silent - A dysfunctional college student suddenly finds himself trapped in a new reality of an old silent movie. In order to get back, he must do the bidding of a nefarious villain,
but at what cost?
Return To Remembrance - After the civil war, a soldier goes west in search of his family.
Robo Hills - Robo Hills is a Time Travel/Sci-Fi/Old West film which follows the adventures of 3 or 4 Time Traveling friends from the year 2030 and their search to rid the Earth of demons who are taking human form.
Safe Harbor - Monika meets her daughter Sara for the first time in almost twenty years.
Seeker - In search of their faction, a family are being hunted down by someone - or something. And one man will try to save his family while confronting his past.
Self Isolated - After awakening from a coma, a woman searches for clues into her missing husband's disappearance.
Showdown In Yesteryear - Daryl Dumwoody is a down on his luck wannabe cowboy. He stumbles upon a mysterious old door, once entering he unintentionally sends himself to the old west. Now Daryl finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime, where he finds love, fights outlaws, and learns where he truly belongs.
Silencing Fear - Inflation has reached the point where everyone is a threat to each other, desperately trying to obtain survival resources. Carl's stress to provide has turned him cold toward his family, and others, but is he the only one to blame? Is there another influencer of his actions and how can he do to get rid of fear?
The Doc - Doc Holliday runs a small dental practice in rural Georgia when he is visited by a young Wyatt Earp and offered a job hunting down the infamous Bridle Brothers.
The Fate of a Bird - A young hitchhiker gets a ride and her and the driver both get tested on fate.
The Grumbler - Do you ever wonder what everyday life is of a never ending cycle? You come home passed out drunk after being at the bar too late, wake up with a hangover, not even remembering what happened, running late for work,and get through a grueling 6 hour work day and sober up.. After feeling happy with feeling sober you then
make your way back to your favorite bar and do it all over again.
The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo (Standing Pine Women) - The inspiring story of Choctaw women from a very small reservation in Mississippi and their love for their ancient game of Choctaw stickball. Against all odds they compete in the World Series of Stickball in hopes of bringing their first title back to their community.
The Lesson - A struggling musician meets a mysterious mentor who changes his feelings about what it means to be an artist.
The Measured -
The Pace of Change - A documentary film exploring one mans addictive past and follows his transition to become a triathlete with hopes to compete amongst the greatest in the world.
The Wire - Music Video
Things Are Gonna Be Alright - Three separate stories of individuals experiencing and overcoming uncertainty and hardship with the help of those who love them.
Thrift Store Cowgirl - Music Video
Truck Stop Waltz - A waitress at an overnight diner has her shift disrupted with news that murder has been committed on the outskirts of town.
Vegan Apocalypse - The apocalypse has finally come - and it's made getting a good meal really, really hard.
You And What Army - Brother filmmakers borrow money from a loan shark to shoot their first film.
When Wire Was King: The Transformation of Telecommunications - When Wire Was King is a feature-length documentary that puts the telecommunications revolution into historical context. Commerce, technology, entertainment, travel, health, and all societal interaction are now so dependent on secure and reliable telecommunications that, if the plug were pulled,
our nation and world would likely collapse. As our digital world grows increasingly complex, it’s critically important for Americans to understand what drives, threatens, and governs
the technology on which we all depend.
2023 SSUFF SCREENPLAY FINALIST / MANUSCRIPT/ TV PILOT/ SYNOPSIS
SCREENPLAY FEATURES
4-19-95 - On April 19, 1995, the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed by a domestic terrorist. Victims like Luke Franey and Daina Bradley found themselves trapped in the wreckage. In the following seconds to hours, hundreds (including Fire Operations Chief Mike Shannon, Officer Alan Prokop, and Dr. Andy Sullivan) performed harrowing rescues on one of America's darkest days.
A Cowgirls Christmas - After the death of her mother, Sam's father decides to return to his mother's home in Oklahoma. It's a needed a change and he needs help in raising his two children.
Amy And Angel - Shy 16-year old Amy just wants to dance, but her deafness causes her dreams to be shattered when she is bullied out of dance class. Finding the most unbelievable new dance partner, her neighbors neglected dog, they perform a spectacular routine that lands them on a national TV talent show where they compete against her former dance crew.
Forget-Me-Nots - Aspiring writer and type A personality, Grace Morris puts her life on hold to take care of her father Henry who suffers from dementia. With the help of a quirky waitress named Agnes, she recreates memories from her childhood to help Henry hold on.She soon realizes that he is not the only one who needs a reminder of what's really important. Surprise visits from her high school crush Jack and her distant sister Margaret only complicate things. As Grace grapples with some hard truths about herself and her family, can she finally learn to let go and allow her own life to blossom?
Geronimo's Revenge - This story is a blood feud between Geronimo and an Arizona territory rancher named Quincy. Quincy lives outside Tombstone in the desert and killed Geronimo's son by mistake. This takes place in 1881 Just after Geronimo and a small band of Apache warriors have escaped from the San Carlos Reservation yet again after feeding off the free government handouts for the winter. They are now pillaging and killing across the Southwest while making their way back to the safety of old Mexico. Will Geronimo escape the US Army and slip into old Mexico unmolested, or will he seek out the man who killed his son, Runs Swiftly, and exact the ultimate revenge, "DEATH"?
Inviolable - Kate DeCampo is a university tour guide at Northern Michigan University.She routinely experiences flashbacks of her abusive past which she would rather forget. A past that has scarred her in ways she still cannot face. She is in love with Eric Foley, her ex, and who is currently dating another girl, Cindy Williams. Kate's best friend, On a night out at a local bar, Kate and Sara see a band performing. Kate catches the attention of David O'Donnell, the band's drummer. Uninterested at first, Kate brushes him off and continues to fall into Eric’s arms, even though she knows he isn’t in love with her anymore, and he is using her only for his own pleasure. Kate writes a letter to Eric explaining her situation and her past, hoping to explain why she is the way she is. But instead of accepting her, Eric embarrasses her in front of the entire school after she and Sara had him fired for trying to force himself on Kate one night. With the help of Cindy, Sara and David - Kate realizes that she is no longer going to be a victim, she is now inviolable.
Love At First Christmas - When a single, attractive preschool owner with a string of broken relationships goes on a self-imposed dating hiatus before the Christmas holidays, she faces a tough romantic dilemma when she falls in love at first sight with a little student's uncle.
Love Me X 3 - After Developing two alternate personalities who are in a relationship with each other, John has finally managed to establish a routine and hold down a steady job, until the alternate personalities break up and a hilarious chaos ensues.
No Address - A group of homeless people bond together as a family, struggling to survive the streets while fending off a harassing gang, an unforgiving community and the local authorities in hopes of finding their humanity again.
Red Bird Phoenix - Inspired by true events - Aaron and Betty Russell are pure evil with one goal in mind - to control, specifically their daughter Kitty. They break her spirit. They own her. Carnage is their game. Starvation and torture are their tools. Kitty is a marketable sex product. And blood flows in the Russell household. With nothing to lose, Kitty faces the monsters and risks all to escape captivity. With evidence of what is hidden beneath the earth, she stands against her parents, exploding triumphantly with vengeance and courage. It is enough to open the eyes and deaf ears of Madison County burnished by fire! Her parent's reality is a living hell.
Riley’s Gift - Dealing with tragedy takes a surprising twist when a Big yellow dog and an eccentric old lady, with a surprising past, get involved.
The TentVille Knights - An abused woman flees her small town with hopes of a fresh start, but instead ends up homeless in Oklahoma City while struggling with PTSD
SCREENPLAY SHORTS
Unattainable - A young woman's chance to have a relationship with her crush comes to a halt when she learns that he is leaving town soon.
No Running - After a strange sexual proposition, a lifeguard does anything to gain the attention of a local boy.
The Breakable Shoes - When a nine-year-old boy receives a disappointing present at his school's Christmas gift exchange, his mother shares the story of his grandmother's similar girlhood experience, challenging him to find thankfulness and joy in giving from the heart. Based on a true story that spans four generations and will speak to the child in all of us.
The Inheritance - A n'er-do-well nephew tries to collect on his inheritance early, with mixed results.
Tolerant Heart - A young couple faces the demons of drug addiction while trying to keep their relationship alive.
MANUSCRIPTS
Hawaiian Warrior and the Sea Dragon - A mortally wounded Marine, Cristian Chisum, was on the brink of death. The Lt. Colonel asked the Draco shapeshifter to assume his identity.
and live his Hawaiian life. This was Alejandro’s chance for redemption, but he couldn’t do it without the Fire Goddess, Lady Fiera
Rowdy: Dead or Alive - Injured, Rowdy escapes Dodge City with only one thing on his mind, GET HOME. Those plans are shot when he discovers an old friend in need, but will putting
his own troubles aside allow danger to catch up? With a price on his head, Rowdy finally heads west, but a new distraction gets in his way. The Circle R is waiting, but the road is long and treacherous, especially when you are wanted, DEAD OR ALIVE.
TV PILOTS
Atascosa - When the Cattle drives have ended a young cowboy sets out on a journey to find himself.
Terminal Call - Prior to the start of WWII, two Gestapo agents arrive in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York, to assume control of a secret German naval operation. They blend, virtually unnoticed, into the small village. The project lies hidden for decades, until the Terminal Call is made to enact the plan. The catastrophic consequences set in motion could be catastrophic. Only one man knows the answer.
The Favorite Daughter - A chilling story about mothers and daughters, and what goes on behind the closed doors of seemingly perfect lives.
6th
Annual Int'l
Copyright © 2023 Sunny Side Up Film Festival All Rights Reserved.
Cant attend? You can still Donate and help support the SSUFF
SPONSOR ONE OR MORE OF SSUFF AWARDS AT THE 2023 AWARD SHOW! Just let us know which award you, or your business name would like to sponsor, & we'll mention you or your business name prior to that specific award! It's that easy!! You can also be kept anonymous. If you have any questions, email us at [email protected]
A list of "Award Nominees or Award Nominations" such as "Best Actor", "Best Actress", "Best Feature Film", "Best Short Film", etc., will be announced in early March 2023
so there's time for Award Sponsors to choose who you'd like to sponsor. The deadline for becoming an "Award Sponsor" is March 12th 2023.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE A FILMMAKER, ACTOR, OR A PRODUCER ETC., YOU CANNOT SPONSOR YOURSELF OR YOUR OWN FILMS/PROJECTS.
GET YOUR COLLECTIBILE T-SHIRTS & MORE with the
2023 Film Selections & Finalist listed on the back!!
And a few with Karen Knotts appearance on the back!!
