The Crime List
The Crime List recognizes scripts, books, short stories & stage plays in any genre that feature a crime story.
2024 WINNER
A QUESTION OF GUILT
written by Amanda Scott O'Brien
In 1925 Massachusetts, a defense attorney enlists a down-and-out P.I. to help overturn the death row murder conviction of his client, after another man confesses to the crime. (Inspired by "The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti" by Louis Bernheimer, and "Tragedy in Denham" by Francis Russell.)
2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
A BLIND EYE (Episode 101: Blood on the Floor) by Allison Kitaguchi
A NATIVE LAND by Caitlin McCarthy
BALTIMORE GRAY by David Frame
CHEREMERE by Paolo Taddei
ELEMENTARY DEAR WATSON, HE'S A VAMPIRE! by Kevin M. Glover (based on the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker)
FLORIDA DREAMS by John Lorenz
PLAYING WITH DOLLS by Kevin Brunner
SMOKE by Carlos Perez
SPARE PARTS by Kelli Lightfoot
STREET KNOWLEDGE by Greg Sawicki & Brian Miller
THE BOOKSELLER'S DAUGHTER by Carol Robinson
THE FOURTH NIGHT by Mike Briock
THE GETAWAY by Brad James Spencer
THE GRIND by Terence Nigel Fisher (adapted from the book "The Grind: Tales from the Turf" by Armand Sands)
THE HEARING by James M. Freeman
THE OUTSKIRTS OF PARADISE by Montgomery Burt
THE SHAFT by Dennis J. Manning
THE VIPER LOUNGE (Episode 1: Electric Ladyland) by J.B. MacCallum
WAX PLAY by Timothy Kissell
2023 WINNER
ABSTRACT
written by Joseph Basso
A diligent detective and a former famous artist clash with one another as they hunt an art forger whose latest fake artwork, a Jackson Pollock painting, netted him more than $30 million.
2023 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
ASSASSIN'S CHOICE by James M. Freeman
BLOOD, SCUM & NEON LIGHTS by Brett Howard Nelson (adapted from the award-winning short screenplay)
CANVAS 31 (Pilot) by Jared Doles.
DEAD HORSE LAKE (A North Woods Noir) by Michael Graf
GEMINI (Episode 1: Happy Ever After) by Alex Vickery-Howe
KITTY DOOLITTLE: STAY AT HOME PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR by Jennifer Milne
LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER by John Anthony Ellis
MAIL ORDER GODMOTHER by Ron Chepesiuk.
MERE MORTALS by Russ Lindway
NO ADDRESS by James J. Papa and Julia Verdin
ONE WAY DOWN A DEAD END STREET by Lanny Grant
PARTNERS by Jerry Ferrell and Nicholas Ryon Joseph
PRIVILEGED DECEIT (Pilot: It Starts and Ends with Murder) by Annette C. Hull & Warren R. Hull
RETURN TO SPALDING DRIVE by Kevin Brunner
RIGHTEOUS SIDE OF HELL by Lee Lucero
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE SUSSEX SKULL by Staton Rabin (inspired by the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
SORRY CITY by Louise Schwarz
THE CCO by Loyall Wilson
THE GAMBLER by John J. Lynch
THE NORTHUMBERLAND RAMPAGE by Michael Yorke
THE PRINCE OF THE BLACK HAND (Pilot) by Danny Range
THE PROVIDENCE by David Garegnani (concept by David Garegnani and Christopher Guy Thorn)
THE SECOND by Mark Anthony Wallinger
THEY SHALL NOT MIX by Mark R. Coast
2022 WINNER
FALL RIVER
by Darren Oyenuga
A retelling of the tale of Lizzie Borden and the aftermath of the infamous murders.
2022 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
A NEW YORK FAIRY TALE by Bill Lahey
AT THE MERCY OF FAITH by Samuel Lee Taylor
BRINGING DOWN THE CARTEL by Chris Feistl
ELLA by Michael Dean
FINAL BLOW by Simon Iliopoulos
FUEL by Brian J. De Palma
HOPE IS NOT A BLACK & WHITE RAINBOW by Harold L. Brown
I WAS A BEATNIK VAMPIRE by Dusan Zaritch
KILLING THE PAST by Alan R. Smith
LITTLE HAVANA by David Kaneen
MANO NERA (BLACK HAND) by Samantha Caprio-Negret & Richard Price Sorin (story by Philip J. Caprio)
NOISE ELECTRON ATTACK by Fujio Torikai
SONORAN SUNRISE by Larry A. Henrikson
SUGAR COATED COCAINE by Rafael Francis
THE AUDITION by Eric W. Carlson
THE CALF AND THE LADLE by Andrew Stone
THE ORIENTATION OF DYLAN WOODGER: A CENTRAL NEW YORK CRIME STORY by Chiuba Obele
THREE DAYS by Emilio Santin
TIDES OF CHANGE by Seth Newton
UNIT FOUR by Lawrence Whitener
WITHOUT INCIDENT by Aaron Michael Waisome
2021 WINNERS
KUDZU
Written by Marisa Forrest
A recovering addict must rescue her estranged son from an “orphanage,” which is actually a front for a sinister cult that turns children into murderous criminals.
ROSE COLORED SHADES
Directed & Produced by Randy Sparks
Written by Rod Long & Randy Sparks
A self-destructive hit man must choose between love and the lure of a mysterious stranger.
2021 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
ANY AND ALL written by Wayne Geschwindt
BLACK HEART, RED HANDS written & directed by Russell Southam, produced by Russell Southam, Adam Spinks & Owen Elliott
CHARLOTTE TANNER written by Beth Armogida
GODFATHER CONNECTION written by a.j. Lombardi
HEADHUNTER written by Kent Sutton
NORTH BEACH NOIR written by Kip Pearson
OCEAN DRIFTERS written by T.J. Barkwill
REVENGE, INC directed & produced by Stephanie West, written by Dianna Craig
REVIEW written by Jonathan Zarantonello
ROGUES GALLERY written by Keith R. Higgons
SCAPEGOAT written by Richard Geiwitz
SCREE written by Paul Gordon
SERIAL written by Robert Benjamin
SNOWY STRANGEWAYS written by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel
STILL'S LIFE written by Duncan B. Putney
THE DIRTY CHILDREN written by John Celona
THE IMPOSTURES written by Roi J. Tamkin
THE LAST GOODBYE written by Alex Surowitz
THE MOB ANGEL written by Mike C. McCarthy
THE SORROW VEIL written by Russ Lindway
WELL DRESSED LIE written, directed & produced by Raymond Williams
WISPER directed by Russ Emanuel, written by Howard Nash & Rod Cavin, produced by Howard Nash & Timothy Lee Conley
2020 WINNERS
CAVIAR
Directed by Joseph Mensch
Written by Joseph Mensch & Metin Aksoy
Produced by Adam Folk
Based on the memoir "Career Criminal: My Life in the Russian Mob" by Gary Govich
A young stockbroker at a shady Wall Street firm gets betrayed and sent to prison for six years. When he gets out, his quest for revenge makes him a target of New York's Russian mafia.
CELTIC KNOT (A Clara Swift Tale)
Written by Ann Shortell
During the time of the Canadian Confederation, a 15 year-old Irish immigrant housemaid believes the authorities have convicted the wrong man in the assassination of her boss, a staunch supporter of nationhood, Thomas D'Arcy McGee.
REDHEADED VENOM
Written by Dusan Zaritch
Charlie Nihill, a private detective with a heart-wound bigger than the Atlantic, is hired to find a missing jazz drummer. So far so good. Missing husbands are a dime and a dozen in this town. The trouble is, also missing is the jazz club owner's wife. Charlie has to find his way through the hazy maze of mad preachers, strung out trumpet players, sleazy club owners, and double-crossing spouses to get to the crux... which is incidentally a path through his own private hell.
THE PEOPLE VS. FRANKENSTEIN
Written by Kevin Glover & Nicola Cuti
Based on the book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
A tenacious lab assistant and a wily Southern lawyer join forces to defend a legendary monster charged with the murder of his creator, Dr. Victor Frankenstein.
THE UNJUST
Written by Scott Cahill
In the endless war against ruthless drug cartels, sometimes the greatest danger lies from within. A rogue DEA agent wages a personal battle for revenge and redemption on the streets of Los Angeles and Guadalajara.
YOU'VE GOT TEXT
Directed by Matthew Moore
Written by Diana Lee Woody
Produced by Diana Lee Woody and Janeva Zentz
A protective daughter becomes suspicious when the family dinner is interrupted by text messages for her new stepmother.
2019 WINNER
PROSPECT TO RUIN
screenplay by Scott Pittock
based on the true story by Perry Freeman
When an undercover detective suffers a personal tragedy, he must choose between facing the pain of his past or falling deeper into the outlaw motorcycle gang he’s infiltrated.
2019 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
45 WILLOW DRIVE screenplay by Eric Ruiz and Brandon F. Johnson, directed by Carlos E. Macher, produced by Eric Ruiz, Carlos E. Macher, J.J. Blake and Collin Webster
A DOG ACT written and directed by Anna Henderson, produced by Rebecca Richardson
BRICKS & BONES screenplay by Mark Donnell
CLAUSTROPHOBIA screenplay by Jeff Woodard
DEADLY INVISIBLE ENEMIES: Evil in the Air (Book 1) manuscript by Harold Lea Brown
DUAL THERAPY manuscript and screenplay by Elvis Bray
INDEMNITY screenplay by Joshua Yuchasz
MURDERVILLE screenplay by Chelsey Ng and Ginger Kearns
PLATONIC written and directed by David Leidy, produced by Ben Marques & Dasha Ledidy
STAGING ACCIDENTS screenplay by Chuck Parello
2018 WINNER
BUREAU 121
by Helene Taylor
A North Korean hacker must decide between defection and love or family, and life as a cyber warfare terrorist.
2016 WINNER
THE HITCHCOCK MURDERS
by Andy Maycock
In 1953 Los Angeles, a reluctant private eye stumbles into a multiple-murder case with suspicious connections to the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock.
2016 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
BLOOD TRIGGER by Ron Podell
BEFORE WE DIE by Randall Caruso
CHARON’S PASSAGE by Ken Thomas
FATHER FIGURE by Nathan Collier
HELL ON NEPTUNE by Robert J. Rogers
QUEEN OF ISIS by Michael Rights
RUB THE SPEED by Amy Maki
SPY HIGH by Jeffrey Woodard
THE FOURTH NIGHT by Mike Briock