The Moving Picture Institute is pleased to announce that we have selected three scripts from our 2020 Screenwriting Workshops to produce as MPI Original films.

The first script, Melons, was written by Matthew MacDonald, a filmmaker new to the MPI network. It is a comedy about a jolly, but meek, grocery store manager who learns to stand up for himself after a misunderstanding brands him as public enemy #1. Matthew’s past work has been featured in outlets such as Rolling Stone and has amassed nearly 16 million views.

The second script is a comedic short from veteran MPI filmmaker Claudia Murray (Gringa). Unloaded is a fast-paced, clever story that tackles political correctness, freedom of expression, Second Amendment issues, and cancel culture all in one zany comedy.

Our final selection comes from MPI filmmaker Timothy Blackwood on the timely topics of racial equity and criminal justice reform. Infraction tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between an African American inmate and a Caucasian corrections officer that defies the system. Timothy’s MPI-supported documentary The Conqueror won nine awards on the international film festival circuit.

Over the next few months these filmmakers will transition to the directing phase, working with their final scripts to cast their vision for principal photography. MPI will hire production teams for each film to manage everything from casting and wardrobe to cinematography and editing. We will work with our filmmakers to set the shot lists, storyboard the scenes, scout locations, and secure top on-screen talent.

Once we wrap on set, we will move each film into post-production where the crucial work of editing, sound mixing, and color correction will transform our crew’s work into a powerful on-screen story that can change hearts and minds.