Not Selecteed - LA Indie Horror Fest... but, I Did Get an Honorable Mention!

 I'm 

Dear Erik D., Thank you for giving us the opportunity to discover Personal Demons. We are delighted to see your film. This year’s entries have been very competitive and we only have a limited number of films that can be selected for the official selection category. Although your film is not included in the official selection, we would like to take this moment to recognize Personal Demons by giving you the Honorable Mention title, to recognize your innovative take on horror. We hope you continue to keep your courage for creativity and keen eye for inventiveness open in cinema as you go forward with future projects. In contemporary days where mindlessness can render us uninspiring cookie cutters, we hope you continue to keep your imagination active and your eyes open, as you continue creating to inspire. Please follow the link to your Honorable Mention film laurels which you may incorporate into your film posters: https://filmfreeway.com/laurels/54832/LAIndieHorrorFest We look forward to your future projects and career trajectory as a filmmaker, with more films to come! Darkest wishes, L.A. Horror  Personal Demons Not Selected Project was not selected to be included in festival. You can contact LA Indie Horror Fest by replying to this email or sending an email to indiehorrorfest@gmail.com.

FINALLY! A New Festival Win for PERSONAL DEMONS

Just got this...

What a relief and blessing that this script's magic (and winning streak) hasn't run out...  

 

Dear Erik D., We are absolutely thrilled to inform you that your film has been officially selected as an award winner in the May Monthly Awards of the Anatomy Crime – Horror International Film Festival (A.C.H.I.F.F.)! Your incredible vision and dedication truly stood out among this month’s entries. Congratulations on this remarkable achievement! We wish you continued success in your filmmaking journey and can’t wait to see how you continue to inspire audiences worldwide. Elevate Your Victory: The A.C.H.I.F.F. Gold Bust Award The Gold Bust Award is the ultimate symbol of distinction in our festival. Each trophy is handcrafted, hand-painted, and cast from premium mineral material, making it a stunning, tangible work of art. Reserved exclusively for category winners who achieved the top position, this prestigious piece serves as a timeless keepsake of your hard work, talent, and artistic excellence. It is designed to take pride of place on any filmmaker's shelf or studio desk. Order yours today to proudly showcase your success! Your Winners' Package & Next Steps: Official Diploma: We      have attached your official award diploma to this email. Award Laurels: You      can download your official winner laurels directly from FilmFreeway or via      this Dropbox link. IMDb Credit: As an      IMDb-qualifying festival, make sure your film is listed on IMDb so we can      quickly verify and credit your win. Stay Connected: Visit      our official website or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/anatomyfest for updates. We would also deeply appreciate it  if you could leave a kind review or comment on our FilmFreeway page—your      feedback empowers our team to keep championing independent voices. Thank you once again for sharing your extraordinary creativity and talent with A.C.H.I.F.F. Warm regards, Yorgos Tsononas Festival Director, A.C.H.I.F.F. Personal Demons Award Winner Project has been selected as an award winner in festival. You can contact Anatomy: Crime - Horror International Film Festival by replying to this email or sending an email to anatomyfilmfest@gmail.com.

 

Final Draft 13

So... after getting multiple troubling notifications from my computer that my current version (version 11) of Final Draft will not work with future updates to my OS, I decided to upgrade to Final Draft 13.

Good Heavens they make it difficult!

I had to create a whole new account (I guess missing one version of Final Draft makes your account outdated and obsolete). 

Then downloading it was an exercise in frustration (the URL they send you needs to be seriously modified in order to bring you to the page that will actually download your purchase.

And, finally, when you open it, it will open in a window that fills your whole screen and you have to hit a button at the bottom of the window in order to navigate through a bunch of nonsense in order for it to finally leave you alone and let you continue writing your scripts.

'Cuz, let's be fair, if you're upgrading to Final Draft 13, you know the routine already. I don't know why they have to hound you with nonsense and ask you for "data sharing"... like I want that invasive, Big Brother jive in my life. 

Ah well.

It cost me $99 and now I am running the current version of the screenwriting software I have been using since 2004. 

Here I go, ready to finish Depravity (hopefully by Halloween) and Mall Santa (hopefully before Christmas). 

 

MUSCLES & WINE Georgia Comedy Film Festival Selection!

This is indeed Muscles & Wine's fourth festival win of 2026!

I find it incredibly hilarious and strange that it has won so many film festivals in the South (people who've read the script know why this is puzzling and funny at the same time).  

Regardless, I am grateful for this news!

Any news that my writing is being read and appreciated! 

Your submission has been selected!

Greetings ,  Congratulations! Your submission, Muscles & Wine, is rated in the top 30% of submissions by our judges and has been named an official selection of Georgia Comedy Film Festival Fall 2026! This event will take place on Monday, November 9, 2026 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. Please check the name, spelling and credits of your submission on the event page: https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/event/georgia-comedy-film-festival-fall-2026 You can manually update the public information about your screenplay by creating an account at filmfestivalcircuit.com with the email address erikdharshman@gmail.com and update your synopsis, tagline, state, writer's statement, public contact info and poster if you'd like. Here is a YouTube tutorial if you need help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGNhRL-2ny4  Download the Official Selections and Award Finalist Laurels here: Film Festival Circuit Public Google Drive (LINK)

Visit Event Page

What is my scorecard and why is this important?  You've received an email from us with a link to our premium option to unlock the five scorecards from the judges about your specific submission. This is optional for screenwriters who want feedback from our Georgia-based judges. We have created one marketing scorecard, three private creative scorecards, and one private technical scorecard for your submission.  The marketing scorecard is worth 20 points, the technical scorecard is worth 20 points, and each creative scorecard is worth 20 points. If you didn't score a full 20 out of 20 on your marketing scorecard, you can log in at filmfestivalcircuit.com and update this information yourself. Here is a link to the instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RChdDeEiK2Y. If you didn't score a full 20 out of 20 on your technical scorecard and want to make changes, you must first unlock your scorecards. Then, contact me if you'd like to update your video file so your submission can be re-evaluated. Here are the technical requirements we use to evaluate all films, regardless of genre:  Screenplay technical scorecard criteria video: https://youtube.com/shorts/G_gziAlsPUg  At this time, your creative scorecards cannot be changed. The Georgia-based judges have evaluated your submission and will not re-evaluate creative scorecards this season. If you submit to any of our partner film festivals https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/submissions a different group of judges will evaluate your submission and issue three new creative scorecards. Different judges in different markets have different opinions, so their evaluations may differ. Here is a link to the creative scorecard evaluation video: https://youtu.be/WM45PnaQFsI.  Please connect with us on social media  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/georgia.comedy.film.festival/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/georgia.comedy.film.festival TwitterX @mikelfair (Festival Director)  Hashtag #georgiacomedyfilmfestival, #filmfestivalcircuit Every attendee must purchase a ticket. There are no screenwriter passes. How does the award process work? Is there a Q&A? Is there a dress code? If you are planning to attend this event, please read this article first. Link: https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/blog/live-awards-presentation. I've written an article that you may find helpful if you're thinking about attending https://filmfestivalcircuit.com/blog/five-reasons-why-screenwriters-should-attend-film-festivals.  We are looking forward to the audience reaction to these films, meeting this great group of screenwriters, and networking with all of you in Atlanta. Award Winners will be announced on Monday, November 9, 2026 live at the event. Thank you for sharing your creative work with us.

Best Regards,  Mikel Fair, Film Festival Circuit CEO

Georgia Comedy Film Festival Scorecard

Just got this from the Georgia Comedy Film Festival.

Man, I hate it when film fests try to price gouge me.

I already paid your (sometimes exorbitant) entry fee.

That should be enough.

I shouldn't have to pay extra to know how my script did.

That information should be included in my submission fees.

I feel foolish explaining these very basic concepts that I feel like grown people should already know. But, greed... what can you do.

Whatever.

Oh, and when I click the blue button and try to log in to get my overall score, it brings up one of those warning pages that tells me that the webpage is not secure and that there are "potential security issues".

Awesome.  

Your Judges Notes Are Now Available

Greetings Erik D. Harshman , The judges have completed their evaluation of your submission, “Muscles & Wine,” for Georgia Comedy Film Festival Fall 2026 , and your overall score is now available. This does not mean that your submission has been selected for the festival yet. It means your work has been reviewed and scored by the judges. Final selections will be announced no later than the published notification date for this festival. If your submission is selected, you will receive a separate acceptance email. The maximum overall score is 100 out of 100. Your score is based on five separate scorecards, and each scorecard is worth up to 20 points: 1 Marketing Scorecard 1 Technical Scorecard 3 Creative Scorecards You can log in now to view your overall score for free. You can also edit your Marketing Scorecard at any time. Every filmmaker and screenwriter has the opportunity to earn a perfect 20 out of 20 by completing all required fields. Simply fill in any missing information, and your score will update in real time. For $25, you have the option to unlock all five scorecards and judges’ notes for this submission in this specific festival season. This is a one-time unlock for this submission and season, not a $25 charge for each individual scorecard. This unlock is optional and does not affect your chances of being selected. For example, if you submitted to the Texas Short Film Festival Fall 2026, one $25 unlock would give you access to all five scorecards for that submission in that season. If you also submitted to the Atlanta After Dark Film Festival Fall 2026, that would be a separate festival season with a separate set of five scorecards and a separate $25 unlock. Most film festivals do not offer this level of transparency, and similar feedback services can cost hundreds of dollars. Our goal is to make judge feedback more accessible, affordable, and useful. Your notes can help you understand what stood out to the judges, what may need improvement, and how your film or screenplay was evaluated beyond the overall score. Video Explanation, Film Festival Judges Notes (Video Link) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1327651952713647 X: https://x.com/mikelfair/status/2051716075117547828 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DX9z3mFsuZq Tap the link below to view your overall score or unlock your judges’ notes. Thank you for submitting to Georgia Comedy Film Festival Fall 2026 .

View Your Overall Score

Best Regards,  Mikel Fair, Film Festival Circuit, CEO

 

Another Rejection for PERSONAL DEMONS

 Just got this email:

"

Dear Erik D., This is an automated email to notify you that PEEPHOLE filmfest has updated the Judging Status of your submission. Personal Demons Not Selected Project was not selected to be included in festival. You can contact PEEPHOLE filmfest by replying to this email or sending an email to peepholefilmfest@gmail.com.

Not going to lie, this is disheartening.

This is my 5th festival rejection of 2026.

Has the magic worn off?

Has my luck run out?

Or am I just in a bit of a dry spell?

I guess I am just so impacted by these recent rejections because I am so used to winning. Thus far I have 19 either wins or near-wins since 2019. I suppose no one can maintain that impressive of a track record for that long (7 years!). It's just disheartening that I haven't had a win yet in 2026 (save for my "quarter-finalist" status at Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards).   

However... onward I trudge.  

 

 

New David Kemp Story

Tonight I cranked out a few pages (with some poetic prose that I am quite proud of) in a new short story featuring my literary avatar, David Kemp.

It is called "Sherpa of Rock Bottom".

My writing was finally starting to get to where I was proud of the creative, original and organic descriptions I was producing... and now I have decided that I must quit for the night.

Why?

Because I need to decompress and watch some 4K special features and documentaries. 

Writing is, after all, difficult, to say the least, and painful, at its worst/best.

I need time on a Saturday night to not feel emotionally and creatively drained. 

On the plus side: this is the first time I have actively written during the school year.

Hopefully this is the start of a new trend.

I rather hope it is.

I don't know if I can survive another year without writing routinely from August to May, with a quick interlude in December-January.