Please note: MY TOWN is both a one-act, stage drama and a short (31 page) screenplay.
MY TOWN is based upon an actual murder that occurred in my town, Chico, California. On the night of Saturday, January 13, 1979, Jimmy Campbell, a black, deaf youth was killed by three white youths who, unable to find "critturs" (deer) in the nearby foothills, returned to Chico seeking "dark meat.”
https://www.newsreview.com/chico/content/another-senseless-murder/4325303/
When writing MY TOWN, I remember being intrigued by Gabriel Marcel’s distinction between a “problem,” and a “mystery.” For the courts, the killing was something “out there.” It was a "problem" to be studied from all angles (ending with “diminished capacity” in this case), and a legal decision could be passed.
However, George, the central character, could not simply treat the killing this way. As he explored deeper and deeper, the killing became a “mystery.”
Such acts move with us, never allowing us to evaluate it from “outside.”
So it is with racism, the “why” of this young boy’s death.
MY TOWN is based on a true event, an actual racial murder, that occurred in my town, Chico, California.
LOGLINE: A local newsman reports the who, what, where, when and how of a racial murder, but what about the why? Is he prepared for the consequences of trying to answer the why?
https://www.newsreview.com/chico/content/another-senseless-murder/4325303/
https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/3d/117/894.html
https://www.chicoer.com/2012/01/15/victim-of-1979-racial-murder-remembered-in-chico/
https://www.newsreview.com/chico/content/growing-up-black-in-chico/1441442/
Workshopped at California State University, Chico.
Winner of the George R. Kernodle Playwriting Competition.
Winner of the San Francisco Playwrights’ Unlimited Award.
MY TOWN (screenplay)
--SEMI-FINALIST, Filmmatic Short Screenplay Awards 2021.
--OFFICIAL SELECTION. Toronto Indie Short, 2021
--OFFICIAL SELECTION. New York Istanbul short Film Festival, 2021.
--HONORABLE MENTION. Redwood Shorts and Scripts, 2021
--SEMI-FINALIST, London Indie Short Festival, 11/25/21
--AWARD WINNER, Phoenix Shorts Festival, 11/26/21
--AWARD WINNER, Gold Star Movie Awards, 11/30/21
--AWARD WINNER, Monza Film Festival, 12/1/21
--SEMI-FINALIST. Berlin Shorts, 12/3/ 2021
--AWARD WINNER. Only the Best, 12/3/ 2021
--Currently SEMI-FINALIST. Florida Shorts, 12/14/ 2021
--Currently SEMI-FINALIST. Kansas Arthouse, 12/20/ 2021
--Currently SEMI-FINALIST. Sydney Indie Short Festival, 12/20/ 2021
--FINALIST. Paris International Short Festival, 12/30/ 2021
--SEMI-FINALIST. Arthouse Festival of Beverly Hills, 1/1/22
--SEMI-FINALIST. San Francisco Indie Short Festival, 1/2/2022
--QUARTER-FINALIST. Vancouver Indie Short Festival, 1/4/2022
--AWARD WINNER. Kansas Arthouse Festival, 1/6/2022
--OFFICIAL SELECTION, Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards, 1/26/22
--SEMI-FINALIST. Toronto Independent Film Festival of Clift, 2/2/22
--FINALIST, Philadelphia World Film Festival, 2/21/22
--SEMI-FINALIST, Palm Springs Movie Awards, 3/2/22
--AWARD WINNER, Best Short Film Awards (London) 3/3/22
--SEMI-FINALIST, Roma shorts, 3/13,22
--FINALIST, Philadelphia World Film Festival, 3/17/22
--SEMI-FINALIST, Dallas Shorts FF, 3/20/22
--AWARD WINNER, Roma Shorts FF, 3/31/22
--FINALIST, San Diego Shorts FF, 4/7/22
--FINALIST, Harlem International Film Festival, 4/12/22
--SEMI-FINALIST, Atlanta Movie Awards, 4/12/22
--SEMI-FINALIST, Texas Arthouse Festival, 4/18/22
--FINALIST, Santa Barbara Shorts, 5/19/22
--AWARD WINNER SHORT SCRIPT, Harlem International Film Festival, 5/25/22
--OFFICIAL SELECTION, Stockholm Gold Awards, 6/12/22
--AWARD WINNER New Short Filmmakers, Austin, 10/4/22
--OFFICIAL SELECTION, Cannes International Short Festival, 10/9/22
--FINALIST, Bright International Film Festival, 10/23/22-
-FINALIST, Delta International Film Festival, 10/25/22
--AWARD WINNER, Hollywood Gold 11/6/22
--AWARD WINNER, Rotterdam Independent Film Festival, 12/7/22
--AWARD WINNER, FilmShort Creative Awards, 12/14/22
--OFFICIAL SELECTION, Frida Film Festival, 12/10/22. (Mexico)
--QUARTER FINALIST in San Francisco International Screenwriting Competition. 12/8/22
--FINALIST, Bright International Film Festival, 12/15/22
--AWARD WINNER. International Gold Awards (New York). 1/7/23
--AWARD WINNER. Indiefare International Film Festival . 1/10/23
--OFFICIAL SELECTION, LA Sun Film Festival, 2/4/23
--AWARD WINNER/BEST SHORT SCRIPT. New York Movie Awards. 4/5/23
--SEMIFINALIST, Munich Short Film Awards, 4/13/23
--HONORABLE NOMINEE. Reno-Tahoe 100 Short Scripts, 5/31/23
--AWARD WINNER. Best Shorts Competition, 6/19/23
--AWARD WINNER, Niagara Falls International Short Festival, 7/6/23
--AWARD WINNER, Filmnest International Film Festival, 7/30/23
--AWARD WINNER. Palm Beach Shorts, 8/13/23
--SEMIFINALIST, Manhattan Short Festival, 8/24/23
--AWARD WINNER. Best Indie Film Awards (London) 9/10/23
--QUARTER-FINALIST. Sunvale Table Read Screenplay, 9/12/23
--SEMIFINALIST. Detroit Independent Film Festival. 9/16/23
--SEMI-FINALIST. Midfield Film Festival (Albuquerque)9/23/23
--SEMI-FINALIST, Tokyo Shorts Film Festival, 10/7/23
--OFFICIAL SELECTION, Cannes Independent Shorts, 10/11/23
--SEMI-FINALIST, Detroit Independent Film Festival, 10/15/23
--AWARD WINNER, Best Short Script (Diamond Award ) Mindfield Film Festival (Albuquerque), 11/5/23.
--BEST DRAMA SCREENPLAY FINALIST. Austin Short, 11/24/23
--SEMIFINALIST, Seattle Filmmaker Awards, 1/25/24
THE THREE: "Man hopin’ to figure out that big why. But he just scratchin’ away at the surface. He wanna know more why we got ourselves hate, he gotta rip away at the blood, bone, tissue, diggin’ deeper and deeper, layer after layer ‘til all he got is the bits done scattered on the ground. Then he gotta try put them pieces together ‘fore he dies."
“Hatin’ is there, deep down. You ain’t someone ‘lest you hate something or somebody.”