Cover Story
Eastsider - Fort Lauderdale's Arts & Entertainment Weekly
FORUM PUBLISHING - TRIBUNE MEDIA

September 4, 2003

SCREEN GEM
Screenwriter Shines in competition
By Scot D. Luft, Assistant Editor

A house on a bend of the New River is the place Alissa Perry Allen calls home these days. Before settling down in fort Lauderdale, she had taken up residence in 19 cities in 11 countries. From London, England to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Allen's fascinating life has become more entertaining in recent months. She has advanced to the semi-finals of the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, an international screenwriting competition.

The program is spearheaded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The competition is open to aspiring artists who have not earned more than $5,000.00 writing for film or television. Up to five $30,000.00 fellowships are awarded each year, allowing writers the financial freedom to pursue their dreams.

Allen's script, The Feather Palace, was inspired in part by her involvement with the Artists Against Apartheid movement and and Amnesty International.

"I was socially aware of what was happening in South Africa." Allen said. "The story is based on what happened in South Africa around the turn of the century."

To help her husband, a Gulfstream Jet pilot, Allen often researches the places he flies to. One particular trip brought him to South Africa."

Gene was going to a place called 'George' and I found out that it was known for something called, "The Feather Palaces,'" Allen said.

As she watched her husband's plane take off, she sat in her car and wrote a 10 page treatment for the script.

Her interest in colonial history, along with the research she did for her husband made the story evolve. For two hours she worked in the airport parking lot.

"There's something special that goes on at the beginning of each century." Allen said. "Here we are in 2003 and there are things that are consistent in our culture today, that were existing one hundred years ago."

Bob Weinstein, Co-chairman of Miramax Films was a passenger on Gene's flight on several occasions. At one point the opportunity arose for Gene to present Alissa's screenplay to Weinstein.

"Because of his interest in the project, I was able to get an agent," said Alissa. "My agent, Roger Strull represents a number of emerging writers, among them, Robert Weinberger, winner of the 1996 Nicholl Fellowships."

"My screenplay, The Feather Palace, really falls into the category that Hollywood really loves," Allen said. "It's a big, lush, epic romance."

Since its inception, the Nicholl Fellowships have reviewed more than 56,000 screenplays and awarded more than 1.85 million.

This year, the field began with a record-breaking 6048 scripts. Only 320 survived the first round.

Allen is now in the elite part of the competition with 135 scripts remaining.

The next phase will narrow the field to a mere 10 and out of that up to five will receive Fellowship awards.

Copyright © 2003.